Horse cribbing, also known as "wind sucking" and "crib sucking", is a compulsive behavior that usually involves the horse grabbing a solid object, such as the stall door or fence rail, with his incisors, arching his neck, pulling against the object, and sucking in air.
By nature, horses want to nibble and graze. In the wild, they keep themselves occupied by wandering and grazing. Unfortunately, the domesticated horse may be stabled most of the time. He eats and drinks only when he's fed or watered and exercising only when taken out of the stable. In such a scenario, the horse's natural grazing instincts are somewhat satisfied by substitute behaviors, such as chewing wood in the stall.
Cribbing is believed to be an obsessive compulsive behavior (OCD) that's highly addictive and may affect an estimated fifteen percent (15%) of domesticated horses.
Cribbing is also believed to cause the release of natural painkillers or "endorphins" in the horse's brain, causing a momentary sensation of pleasure. A related habit, wood chewing, does not involve sucking in air. The horse simply gnaws on wood rails or boards as if they were food.
Unfortunately for the stable owner, cribbing can harm both the horse and the stable. Indeed, cribbing horses are a stable owner's worst nightmare! In fact, here are the top five reasons to stop horse cribbing:
Cribbing can cause considerable property damage. Cribbing horses wear down stall doors, mangers, and fence rails.
While damage to wood caused by the horse grabbing an object with its teeth can be minimized by covering it with metal, doing so won't stop the act of cribbing itself. Covering wood with a "cribbing paint" that contains a bitter tasting chemical may stop a horse from developing the habit or stop the habit entirely if caught early. But it may have little effect on confirmed cribbers.
Stall owners suffer due to the loss of value of their horses due to cribbing. Nobody wants a cribbing horse on their stable. So a stable owner with a confirmed cribber may have to accept the fact that he would have a hard time looking for buyers should the time come for him to sell his horse.
Cribbing wears down the horse's teeth. Cribbing horses may wear down their incisors faster than their teeth could grow out. If left untreated, this could eventually lead to the misalignment and deterioration of the teeth which could take years to correct.
A long-term cribber can grind his front teeth down so low that a gap occurs between the upper and lower teeth even when the jaw is completely closed!
Tooth problems could lead to more serious health complications such as colic. The act of sucking in air while cribbing has been linked to colic, though it has recently been determined that the horse does not actually swallow the air, as was once thought, and air does not collect in the animal's stomach.
Horses that simply chew wood rather than crib are also at risk for colic because they will ingest small amounts of wood, which can lead to stomach upset.
It is also commonly believed that cribbing can ultimately lead to an increased chance of colic, flatulence, and digestion problems due to the air that is swallowed. For this reason there are some equine insurance companies that will refuse to provide coverage to a cribbing horse. For them, the increased risk of health issues is simply not worth it.
Cribbing could spread to other horses in a stable.
Cribbing could also spread to other horses in the stable. Horses are herd animals and so they tend to observe, and more importantly mimic, each other's actions. If a horse watches another horse crib for extended periods of time then there's a good chance that the observer will imitate the behavior he observes. Fortunately, some horses will dismiss the cribber and never pick up the vice. But cribbing can be an extremely contagious habit. So it's best to isolate a cribber from the rest of the herd.
So what are the steps that you can take to prevent horse cribbing on your stable?
First, distract your horse from cribbing by supplying him with food or a toy. Most cribbing starts when a horse becomes bored or stressed. Having hay or grass available at all times can also prevent a horse from cribbing. Putting a horse toy in the stall, one that has a treat inside can distract the horse from cribbing.
Second, 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 despite the straps.
Next, apply liquids or sprays to wood made for cribbing horses. These products are made to taste bad to a horse and may discourage him from biting on the wood. Some horses dislike the taste and stop cribbing altogether; 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.
Lastly, run an electric fence on top of or in place of wooden fence. This can stop cribbing immediately, as the horse won't dare touch the electric fence. This method doesn't work in a stall or barn where an electric fence can't be used.
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