Morag’s owner, an elderly crofter named Hamish, had called Elara in desperation. “She’s not sick,” he’d said over the crackling phone line. “I’ve had the vet. Blood’s clean. Teeth are fine. But she’s... broken.”
Horses that crib (grasp a surface and suck air) or weave (sway side to side) are often labeled as having "bad habits." However, has proven these are coping mechanisms for gastric ulcers or chronic stress. Treating the gastric ulcer with omeprazole often reduces but does not eliminate the behavior; the behavior itself becomes a neurological habit. This requires a dual strategy: medical therapy for the gut and behavioral therapy for the brain.