The Different Horse Racing Vices
Many people think that humans are the only ones with vices and that horses are exempt. This is not the case. Horses are just as much vulnerable for they can develop bad habits that can easily lead race horses from becoming champions.
Bad habits or vices are normally treatable but need close watch by the jockey and trainer. Most of the bad habits are not to be worried about but some are really detrimental to ones health and mental stability.
Horses develop vices for many reasons and it sometimes it is usually a case of boredom.
Here are some of the vices that a race horse might get into and how to treat them.
Weaving
Horses that tend to weave often shift their weight excessively from side to side when walking and when running. Sometimes the horse would sway out of no reason when standing or when being fed. It could be a reflex action of boredom or when something good is being fed to them. One sign of weaving is if the horses nose tends remove in an eight figure motion. Veterinarians attribute this nose swerving as as a sign that the horse is "high" and happy from it. It could also just be getting one to many sugar cubes from the owner.
Curing the swerving motion is treated by allowing the horse to forage and roam in a pasture and this is helps curb boredom in the barn.
Cribbing and Wind Sucking
Almost every horse is a potential cribber. A cribber is a horse that bites anything it sees from a flying bug to the stall frame and even a hand that feeds it. A cribber also has the tendency to suck in air and swallow it. While this may not seem serious, it can cause horses to suffer from chronic gas colic and may prevent horses from expelling the gas. This in turn causes the horse gas pains.
The treatment for this is to get a cribbing collar that prevents the horse from doing the act. Other options are using corrective surgery or use of drugs. The best option depends on the owners decision.
Box Walking Box walkers are horses that have the bad habit of walking and turning in circles without end. The main cause of the box walker syndrome is that the horses are simply bored and want to get out and roam a pasture. Another factor is that the horse may be experiencing a painful or hurt episode and walked in the attempt to relieve it.
Owners who have race horses that display these vices should not wait for the signs to get worse. After all, if a race horse does not work to its full potential, the horse might as well be laid out and never race anymore.