windsucking

Noun

windsucking (uncountable)

1. A horse's habit of arching the neck and sucking air into the windpipe.
   • Wind-sucking bears a close analogy with Crib-biting[…], it arises from the same causes, and the same results follow. The Horse stands with his neck bent, his head drawn inward, his lips alternately a little opened and then closed, and a noise is heard as if he were sucking[…]. It is a Vice.1847, George Henry Hewit Oliphant, “III. [Diseases, Defects or Alterations in Structure, and Bad Habits.]”, in The Law Concerning Horses, Racing, Wagers and Gaming; with an Appendix Containing Recent...
   • Cribbing is scarcely a disease, though it may be productive of disease of the larynx. It is a habit usually acquired by young horses, either in idle moments or by imitation, often from the dam. The colt takes any wooden substance, such as a paling or manger, between his teeth and gnaws it. From...1892, [Frederick Tynte] Warburton, “Accidents and Diseases”, in The Race Horse: How to Buy, Train, and Run Him, London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company Limited, St. Dunstan's House, Fetter Lane, Fleet...