Understanding and Treating Horse Cribbing
Posted by Duber Stewart | Filed under Home & Family
Cribbing is one of the various bad habits which horses can develop. It appears to develop as a result of boredom, in particular when a horse is confined to a stall for most of the day and has never been observed in horses which live in a natural environment (e.g. pasture based). With cribbing, the horse grabs an object (e.g. fence rail or feeding trough) with its front teeth, then arches its neck while pulling on the item, then sucks in air. Although the reason for this activity has not been proven, it is believed that the horse does it because it results in the release of brain chemicals (such as endorphins) which are pleasurable. The terms ‘crib biting’ and ‘wind sucking’ are also used.
This habit is sometimes mistaken for wood chewing. Both activities involve biting on wood and causing damage to it. However, they are really different habits. With wood chewing, the horse simply nibbles on wood, typically to occupy itself and to meet its natural desire to chew. With cribbing, the horse does not chew on the wood but simply grabs it so that it can stretch its neck so that it can suck in air. Examination of the damaged wood will show the difference as in one case it will be nibbled away whereas in the other it will show signs of being firmly bitten and then pulled.
Cribbing should be treated as soon as possible to minimize damage to your horse’s health. Untreated, it will result in the horse wearing down and damaging its teeth, leading to dental issues. It will also result in the neck muscles growing and thickening in an abnormal way (which is an issue for show horses in particular). It is also associated with various illnesses, such as colic, but there has been insufficient research to understand the nature of the association (e.g. does cribbing cause colic, or are both cribbing and colic both promoted by excessive periods confined to stalls).
Fortunately, it is possible to treat cribbing. Since cribbing is mainly due to boredom and lack of mental stimulation, one needs to provide the horse with interest and activity. Giving the horse as much pasture time as possible is very successful in reducing the amount of cribbing. Feeding should also be more interesting, with pasture feeding (eating grass) the optimum solution. If this is not possible, it should be moved to foods such as hay which have long chewing times rather than grain or muesli (which have short eating times and thus little stimulation). Many small feeds per day are better than one or two large feeds. Anything else which provides variety and stimulation, such as exercise and grooming, is also beneficial.
Unfortunately, once the habit of cribbing has been established, removing the cause will only reduce the frequency but not completely remove the cause. One also needs to stop the behavior as well. This can be very difficult as the horse can crib not only on wood, but on any item which in can hold tightly with its teeth and pull on. There are a variety of techniques to address this but no one technique works with all horses, so you may need to try different techniques until you find one that works with your horse.
One of the most common approaches is a ‘cribbing strap’, also known as a ‘cribbing collar’, which is a strap that fits around the neck with a mental plate on the underside to make it uncomfortable for the horse to swell its neck to suck air. Another device is the use of a muzzle, which allows the horse to eat but prevents it from grasping items with its teeth. One can also put a live (under current) fencing wire along fence rails to prevent the horse from grabbing the rails, or paint the rails with an unpleasant tasting paint (a number of veterinary approved products are available). In some cases, certain medications (in particular, anti-depressants) are helpful. Finally, if all else fails, there is a surgical solution.
Successful treatment of cribbing requires that one both improve its conditions (more activity, less boredom) and that one physically discourage cribbing using one or more of the above techniques. Either method on its own is likely to have only limited success.
This article on Horses Cribbing was written by Duber Stewart, the owner of Horses For Sale
Tags: Home & Family, horse, horse behavior, horse behaviours, horse care, horse crib biting, horse cribbing, horse wind sucking, horses, pets
