Horses and cribbing...

[Cara]

Is cribbing a big issue if you do not stall your horses? I understand it could make it more difficult to resell said horse, but other than that is it a significant problem? We don't have wood fences or barns and keep our horses in a thousand acre trap.

 

[Camelot Farms]

Got trees?

My Mare cribs to retaliate against any perceived injustice. Last week she cribbed the apple tree. Scraped all of the bark off that she could reach.

When I went down to see the damage, I discovered that she had cribbed the corner fence posts also.

She would crib anything that she could sink her teeth into.

 

[Cara]

Actually no LOL. Salt cedars and mesquites but that's about it. Dumb question, but if a horse has plenty of grazing why will they crib? I understand why a bored horse in a stall would.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Yes, there are horses that even with plenty of turn out on good grass will crib - some even crib rather than eat.


My mustang - we call her a termite - if it is wood and she can reach it, she will EAT it. While we have no trees - our area is similar to your probably - she does eat the sage brush we have. Her new nickname might become "brush hog".

 

[Brody's Broodello]

Quote:
If you put a collar on the horse you shouldn't have a problem. I have two ponies full sisters, one will rake her teeth on the metal grate of a stall, the other started to crib at six months. The first time I heard her, she is turned out 24/7 with round bails, I put a collar on her. After a while the leather loosened up, it is barely on her, more a mental thing than actually in use. She will not do anything with it on, if it comes off, after a few days she will start again. The high strung, nervous arab, who had been laid up often,1 month stall rest with leg problem, never cribbed even when stalled next to one. It tends to run in familes, also treat for ulcers, that will help. A lot of horses will start because of them.

 

[patandchickens]

I take it that the real question is "should I buy this horse I'm looking at, who cribs"?

If that's it, then I would say yes IF he is perfect for you and a good deal and seems overall like a happy relaxed horse; but it is not something I'd pay extra for, so to speak <g>, you should not assume he will give it up when on full turnout (some do, some don't), and if he seems grumpy and ears-back and somewhat stressed you might be better off giving him a pass as chronic cribbing is often associated (perhaps caused by) stomach ulcers.

BTW cribbing is a lot different from EATING wood or bark which is what several of the above posters have mentioned (you cannot scrape bark off the trunk of a tree by true cribbing, and fence rails etc do not end up eaten except through accidental mechanical abrasion when the horse props its teeth there); also different from windsucking. And while a cribbing collar will prevent it on many horses, a few continue to crib despite ANY collar, or can be prevented only by a collar so tight or high that it creates rubs or swelling; also it is not very safe to turn a horse out (esp. longterm in a large area where he's not supervised) in a cribbing collar, as there are too many ways he can get hung up by it and you canNOT count on the leather breaking in a pinch.

GOod luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Camelot Farms]

What is cribbing?

Cribbing is when a horse swallows air. Some horses do this by grasping a stationary object, such as a fence board or post, with their upper teeth, then arching their necks and pulling usually making a grunting sound. Other horses crib by resting their incisors on an object without grasping it, still others rest their chin on an object and swallow air. Some horses, however, do not use an object at all, but move their lips, close their mouths, flex and arch their necks, swallow air and grunt without grasping. Cribbing is often confused with wood chewing, another vice. Wood chewing however, is when a horse actually bites and chews wood, destroying fences and barns. Cribbing is also sometimes referred to as wind sucking, or swallowing.

Cribbing can lead serious health problems, such as poor digestion, colic, and various dental problems.



So, mine is a wood chewer

She does it because she is a brat. lol
If the gelding gets feed 1st, she takes out her frustration on the tree/fence etc
If the gelding goes for a ride and she doesnt, she chews

You get the picture.

Needless to say, she doesnt get put in a stall unless there is a blizzard or a tornado.

 

[Cara]

That makes sense. I wouldn't consider turning out a horse with anything attached to it, whether it's a halter, cribbing collar or fly mask. We have too much potential for entanglement, and the pasture isn't the type where you can just look out and check on the horses. A nice flat green paddock would be one thing, but we have creeks and hills and thick brush. There's just too much potential for a horse to get in trouble and not be found before it's too late.

ETA The horse in question was stall raised for the first five years of her life. The present owners have said the cribbing isn't an issue for them. I assumed they meant because she is now turned out 24/7, but I will ask. I will also ask if she is a true cribber/wind sucker or more of a chewer (we have plenty of those if confined!). Using a cribbing collar if we had to stall/pen her is no problem. Cribbing on anything and everything while turned out is another story. Incidentally her sire did die of colic, but was 24 at the time.

 

[Akane]

Mine would crib on the top of a tpost. Some learn how to windsuck with nothing to hold on to just standing in an open pasture. If they are grabbing things they will wear their front teeth uneven which can cause dental issues so make sure to have their teeth checked and floated by a good vet. There are plenty who don't know a thing about teeth and will only make it worse. They also develop odd muscling in their neck which makes them uneven or have odd head carriage. It can definitely impact competition and working animals but for leisure riding it does not make a difference.

Collars can help some but they have their own dangers. They can get caught on things which was never a problem we actually had. Our problem was every collar turned too easy unless it was really tight or woven in to a halter. The big issue that made us stop using them though was a couple times when my horse got to running for one reason or another his nose would start bleeding if he had the collar on and he nearly went down once. If the collar was any looser he could still crib but that tight made it dangerous for him to exercise and with 40acres of pasture with the occasional escape in to the even bigger hay field there were too many incidents. We lined his stall with plywood so he had nothing to grab and we only stall our horses a few hours a night in the winter. Other than that we let him crib in the pasture however much he wanted. The only way to stop him would have been to electrify every piece of fence and the tops of posts on the place. If it had reached the point he was spending more time cribbing than eating or causing other health problems we would have done that but luckily it wasn't necessary.

 

[trilyn]

Quote:
Yep, and it also releases feel good endorphins in their brain. They're basically getting high, and they're not going to stop anytime soon! I've got a 28 year old gelding that cribs, and if you were to look at his teeth quickly, you'd swear he was a foal. They're worn to nubbins and soon he'll be eating wet mash for feed. Collars and I've tried them all including the "miracle collar", don't work for this old man. If he was younger, I might do the staples in his poll, but right now at his age.... that won't be happening. He also has cushing's and heaves so.....he's a beautiful lawn ornament and my bestest bud, but definitely not rideable. As long as he's relatively pain free and acts like a colt, and he does-we'll keep his butt around.