Cribbing??

Question

well just got a new horse he is amazing except he has one vice ....he cribs...really bad!...we are rebuilding our barn right now so they just have a lean to for shelter out in the pasture but when our barn is done it will have stall for them in the winter......I have never had a horse that cribbed before so im new to this.....he is only 5 so im thinking that if there is something that can break him of this habit he might still be savable....anyways what are other methods to get them to stop cribbing besides the collar..if any? Thanks

Answer 1

Cribbing is an addictive, unhealthy habit some horses have. Cribbing is when a horse bites down on a wooden object, such as a fence or stall, and proceeds to suck in air. This can cause many health problems for the horse. Since cribbing is addictive for horses it can be hard to stop and has no cure. You could:

Distract your horse from cribbing by supplying him with food or a toy. Most cribbing starts from a horse being bored or stressed. Having hay or grass available at all times can prevent a horse from cribbing. Putting a horse toy in the stall, one that has a treat inside, can distract the horse from cribbing.

Use a cribbing strap or collar on your horse. Cribbing straps fit around the horse's throat right behind the head. The strap does not hurt the horse or prevent him from eating or drinking normally. It puts pressure on the horse's throat when he attempts to arch his neck to crib, making cribbing uncomfortable. This can stop most horses, but some still attempt to crib.

Apply liquids or sprays to wood made for cribbing horses. These products are made to taste bad to a horse and may stop him from biting on the wood. Some horses dislike the taste and stop cribbing; others may not mind the taste. This method only works on the areas you spray. If the horse is moved to a different area, he can start cribbing again.



Run electric fence on top of or in place of wooden fence. This can stop cribbing immediately, as the horse won't touch the electric fence. This method doesn't work in a stall or barn where an electric fence can't be used.

Answer 2

cribbing is a very bad habit, usually from boredom, horses that spend too much of their lives in stalls usually develope this habit it can cause alot of health problems, pasture your horse more if possible or ride him more do something to get his body and mind active. occasionaly horses will crib because they are lacking vitamins or minerals. give him a mineral block in his stall, alfalfa cubes help and toys but plz do give him more outside time.

Answer 3

Sadly this happens to a lot of great horses.  I have a filly right now who cribs while in the stall if she is not wearing her Miracle Collar.  She came home from a trainer that way as a yearling.

She has had the collar on ever since.  My friend had a horse who cribbed bad and lived to age 39.

Besides the collar there is a treatment that uses rings in the gums around the front teeth.  Look kinda like braces;I found the article at thehorse.com.  I personally don't know anyone who has done it though.  Boredom and genetic dispostion added together can cause it.  Good Luck and just enjoy that great horse.  Lard does work for keeping them away from wood chewing.

Answer 4

I have a mare that's a horrible cribber and there is no cure, unfortunately.  Giving them something to do doesn't stop it.  Mine will take breaks from eating just to go crib.  And it's not like you can be mentally and physically engaging your horse 24/7.  There are sprays you can use, but they are more for wood chewing.  I haven't found them to actually work for cribbing.  And you have to re-apply them constantly.

Honestly, the only thing that keeps her from doing it is a collar.  I know people hate putting those on their horses but they are very effective.  I use one of the french collars, it doesn't have that strap that goes in front of the ears, because it doesn't rub her like those "miracle collars" do.

Sorry I can't give you a cure, there just isn't one :(

Answer 5

Cribbing is usually thought to be  caused by either a stomach/gastric problem (stress, poor nutrition, ulcers) or stems from behavioral problems that were produced because the horse was forced to live in such an unnatural environment (ie living in a box stall, no turn out, no herd socialization, boredom).  You could try some probiotics for at least two months to see if it helped his system heal.  If he is allowed to have a more normal life, that will help him.  He is young but he may or may not get over it if it is behavioral.  Either way, it could take time to see improvement.  You could try the things designed to make wood taste bad.  I would never put a cribbing collar or any type of mechanical device on him because of this.  If he stops eventually , great.  If not, I would just leave him alone and let him have as good a life as possible.  A few boards are a negligible cost compared to giving him a chance to get past this.  It was, more than likely, caused because of the way he has been treated in his life and it is not his fault.  He has already suffered a lot in order to develop these problems.  I could not punish him more if he were mine.  Good luck.  I hope you work it out.

Answer 6

no chew stuff... it tastes bad to them and makes them stop

Answer 7

We have one that cribs and like Julianne said there is not really much you can do except to try to keep them distracted. Lots of turnout time helps but again ours will eat a bit, crib a bit then eat a bit more. We're feeding her in the middle of the yard at the moment so there is nothing handy for her to crib on.

We did try a collar but she managed to break it ( can't figure out how she did it.) She also has a l**k when she's stabled and gets loads of hay to try to keep her busy.

We have tried sprays and paints but she can grab without letting her lips touch it. We tried smelly stuff but she just found a way to crib on the top of the kickboards. Shutting the top door doesn't work either as she doesn't seem to care if she has a view or not.

The only method I have actually seen work on a determined cribber was at an eventing yard where I used to work and the horse was losing condition because of the habit - they put metal strips along all the cribbable surfaces and put a portable fence energiser on it. But whenever it was switched off the horse knew and cribbed. Even there they didn't leave it on permanently - just enough to get the condition back on the horse ( he just stressed out when he couldn't crib)

that's not something I'd do with ours but I thought you might like to know about it.

Answer 8

you can use hot sause and it dont hurt them or you buy caps for the post

Answer 9

Cribbing is a very bad habit for horses. I have owned and shown horses for 25 years and in my life only had one Horse that ever cribbed. We tried eveything to get him to stop, toys, electric fences, treats, sprays, you name it we tried it! Nothing ever worked! I had a friend that had the cribbing surgery done on one of her horses but it didnt work either. Her horse slowed down some but didnt stop it all together. Im sure every horse is different but I never had any luck stopping it.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

My horse cribs when I give attention to other horses. Shesa brat but I see no problem with it. But others will tell you otherwise.

Answer 11

I have a cribber and what i do is keep grass in his stall to keep his mouth busy...I also took 3 two liter bottles and made a toy for him, he loves the thing, it makes noise, it kind crunchy and it helps...I did buy a collar but i haven't had to use it, its new in my tack room.

Answer 12

I have 2 cribbers in the barn and they both are great horses but i absolutly hate the habbit. My gelding does it because he was in a stall to much when he was a baby and in the show ring (way before we saved him)

the only way both of the horses will not crib is if they have the collar on. If your horse is outside i dont see why he cribs. My gelding only cribs when he is finished eating. but wont when he is out in his pasture.

see what triggers him to crib, wether he cribs after he eats or whenever.

you might wanna try a ball or sumthing to keep him occupided if he is bored.