Answer

By Your Horse

Nutritionist Katie Williams advises:

Recent investigations point to increased acidity in the horse’s stomach (which occurs as a result of lack of fibre) as a root factor in windsucking. As fibre takes a long time to chew, and chewing makes saliva, a lack of fibre means a lack of saliva. Saliva contains bicarbonate, which neutralises stomach acidity, so less fibre means a more acidic environment in the horse’s stomach.
Once windsucking is established it’s very hard to stop, but you can try to reduce the frequency by:
● Feeding as much fibre as possible (ad-lib forage is good). Reduce the amount of cereal-based feed.
● If she needs additional feed, consider fibre feeds with a high calorie value like Dengie Alfa-A Oil or Creature Comforts’ Alfalfa Gold. These have a calorie value equivalent to a conditioning or competition mix, but are cereal-free.
● Useful supplements include Feedmark’s Settlex – often they contain antacids that help reduce the acidity of the horse’s stomach. Reports of their effectiveness are varied but this may be down to them being used incorrectly, as timing is key to their use.