26/10/2026
An interesting read !
Thankyou Riverstown Farm Stables
I love your posts 🍀
𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞?
For years, windsucking collars have been used to stop horses doing something we don’t particularly like. But with what we now know about equine behaviour and welfare, is it time we questioned whether they still have a place in our yards?
Windsucking and crib biting have long been labelled stable vices. Horses were fitted with collars, stable doors were covered in metal, and owners tried just about everything to put a stop to it. Most were acting with good intentions. Nobody wants to see their horse damaging its teeth, losing condition or potentially increasing its risk of colic. But our understanding of these behaviours has moved on considerably. Perhaps some of our traditional management practices haven’t kept up.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Let’s be fair. There is genuine scientific research linking windsucking and crib-biting with an increased risk of colic, particularly a serious condition called epiploic foramen entrapment, where part of the small intestine becomes trapped. That shouldn’t be dismissed, especially when an owner has just purchased a horse with a history of windsucking and is understandably worried. However, there’s an important distinction between a behaviour being associated with a condition and actually causing it. Researchers are still trying to understand that relationship. Could certain horses have underlying digestive problems that make them more likely to windsuck? Could their previous management have contributed to both problems? Or might the behaviour itself play a part?
We don’t have all those answers. What we also don’t have is convincing evidence that fitting a windsucking collar prevents colic. And surely that’s something worth considering before recommending one.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝?
The British Horse Society’s welfare guidance, reviewed in April 2026, acknowledges the colic risk but also raises concerns about physically preventing stereotypic behaviours. World Horse Welfare goes further, advising against the use of equipment such as anti cribbing collars. These organisations recognise that windsucking can develop in response to stress, frustration, restricted forage, isolation or other experiences, particularly early in a horse’s life. Once established, the behaviour can continue for years, even when the horse’s circumstances have improved.
A horse windsucking in a lovely paddock, with plenty of grass and company, isn’t necessarily telling us something is wrong with its current home. It may be carrying a behaviour developed long before its present owner ever met it. Equally, we shouldn’t automatically assume that every horse windsucking today is perfectly comfortable. Both situations deserve consideration.
𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿?
Research into windsucking collars isn’t entirely one sided. Studies have shown that collars can reduce the behaviour, and one small study found no clear evidence of increased physiological distress while horses wore them.
Other research has found that horses may windsuck more after being prevented from doing so, suggesting their motivation to perform the behaviour can increase.
So this isn’t about claiming every collar causes suffering ( although I think they are cruel, always have since I was young). It’s about questioning whether physically stopping a behaviour delivers any meaningful benefit to the horse. There is also the practical side. A horse might stop windsucking while wearing a collar, but what have we actually achieved if its underlying motivation remains unchanged?
For me, the more sensible approach is to look at forage intake, feeding routines, turnout, companionship and any possible digestive discomfort. Veterinary advice is particularly important where there’s a history of colic, weight loss or a sudden change in behaviour. And with wetter winters we having, I appreciate that unlimited turnout isn’t always possible. Owners sometimes have to make difficult decisions around weather, ground conditions and facilities. That doesn’t automatically make them poor horse owners.
𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗪𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
I wouldn’t criticise someone for buying a windsucking collar out of genuine concern for their horse. For decades, these products have been presented as a perfectly normal part of horse management. But we have better access to research and welfare information now. That should encourage us to question practices we once accepted without much thought. I’d also like to see the equine industry move away from describing these horses as having a vice. That word alone can affect their saleability and how people treat them. Windsucking isn’t a horse deliberately misbehaving.
Perhaps the bigger issue is that we’re often more concerned about stopping an unwanted behaviour than understanding why it happens.
A collar might make the behaviour disappear from sight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve improved the horse’s welfare.
And if preventing windsucking hasn’t been shown to prevent colic, should we really be encouraging owners to spend money on increasingly restrictive collars?
I think that’s a fair question for the equine industry to ask itself.
