Cribbing - A Nasty Habit
posted by citizen.K on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 / 
Print & Hang in the Barn
I find cribbing horses extremely saddening. I have owned two cribbers, including my first pony Rikki. Luckily for me, neither horse cribbed while wearing a traditional metal hinged cribbing strap (they didn’t make fancy, miracle cribbing collars back when I was a wee equestrian).
Interestingly, there seemed to be an abundance of cribbing horses when I was younger. I guess much of that had to do with limited to no turnout for stabled horses. Now, boarding and training facilities offer more turnout options, and I think more importantly, young horses have much more opportunity for turnout, thus eliminated the cribbing behavior from starting.
Cribbing is not the same as wood chewing. Many people, still, call their horse a “cribber” when they are actually wood chewers, or as I like to call them, “beavers”. Cribbing is when a horse grasps an object between his incisor teeth and inhales air into the esophagus while emitting an audible grunting noise. I have actually seen horses try to crib air; that is more amply called windsucking.
Across the country, I have seen many, many more cribbing horses on the East Coast. My guess is the main contributing factors to my non-scientific, geographical crib densities study are:
- limited turnout
- smaller stalls
- darker and older barns
Funny, I think there are more smokers (humans) on the East Coast too. Maybe there is something bigger at work here than just turnout.
Guess what; there might be! Researchers from the UK recently found that horses that crib learn differently than horses that don’t crib. Cribbers reportedly have fewer types of dopamine receptors in a specific region of the brain.
Although many cribbers also tend to be a bit on the thin side, there is some new information suggesting less grain could benefit a cribbing horse and possibly help deter the behavior altogether. Also, potentially offering up unlimited hay can be a viable option for some, but others fighting the economics of hay purchasing, unlimited hay could be a bank-busting cure.
Cribbing collars and cribbing straps can limit the amount a horse cribs, but it does not totally eliminate the behavior. Turnout seems to be the best solution for a horse that cribs, but some horses are diehard cribbers, even in turnout. These horses SHOULD wear a cribbing collar or strap at all times, but this warrants dangers.
A horse wearing a strap or collar outside in turnout could easily get the device caught on a variety of objects (fence post, tree branch, other horse’s teeth). I hate seeing horses outside with any sort of headgear, and don’t even get me started on macro horse turnout with some barns leaving the halter on!
Whatever the case may be with horse cribbing, it’s really sad to watch. Depression, boredom, anxiety? Environment? Genetics? Unfortunately, no one knows for sure the root causes of horse cribbing. Until then, you’re stuck with my pop-scientific answers.
Meaning no answers, that is.
Sorry.
3 Responses to “Cribbing - A Nasty Habit”
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June 23rd, 2008 at 11:21 am
I know all too well how sad and upsetting cribbing can be. At least it wasn’t my horse, but he did belong to my best friend.
Since he didn’t start cribbing until he was about six years old, my friend always felt that being stalled near another cribber was what got him started. Now, I read that horses don’t “copy” this behavior as was previously thought.
Whatever started him off, he turned into one of those diehard cribbers you mentioned. He would crib when turned out; he would crib instead of eating. She got him out and rode him almost every day, but it didn’t help.
Back in the 1980s, she and I did a LOT of trail riding - like we hauled somewhere almost every weekend, and we did longer rides as well.
If she didn’t put the collar on him he would stand there and crib on the trailer all night! He had hay, water, my horse - his best buddy - for company, yet he cribbed on the trailer so loudly it would wake us up. Actually, as you pointed out, the collar didn’t totally stop the behavior, but it did reduce it enough so we could get some sleep. It drove her absolutely NUTS, and I could certainly understand why.
Interestingly, my horse never picked up the habit from him in spite of all the times he watched and listened.
Hopefully some day soon researchers will discover the root cause and be able to help these horses kick this horrible habit.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
ahhhhhh cribbing….how i know this subject all too well… For eight years I was the “proud” owner of a cribber. 100% through and through cribber. He cribbed on everything, he even tried my arm once. Only once the sting of my hand on his mouth wasnt his favorite feeling… Anyway It didnt matter what I did he cribbed on everything. At one point he couldn’t even wear the stupid collars anymore they were cutting off his esophagus and he had to wear one of those beautiful muzzles 24/7. I had to remove all hanging objects from his stall including eye hooks. I had to put metal up on all corner posts, he would turn his head side ways and crib with the side of his cheek through the muzzle. he even ate through the ONE metal muzzle I had for him to crib. He was terrible. It didnt matter what i did, where he was put he cribbed. My horse was out 24/7 after a while, we hoped being out more would take away some of the urge, not so much. He stood all day at a tree and cribbed on a his “nub” as we called it. I hate cribbing and now i would never buy another one, but man is that one annoying vice!
June 24th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Cribbing…..oh I’m glad I don’t have any cribbers anymore. I hear you Cara, I had one of those die hard cribbers too. It was downright annoying.
I was sure that every time I rode him all he was thinking about was when he could crib next. Cribbing collar did nothing, don’t know if one of those miracle collars would have helped, but I had one that had spikes on it and that didn’t stop him.
He always figured out how to crib with a muzzle on. My skin would crawl every time I heard the “gulp” of his cribbing.
Ack, never again. It would have to be a super great horse for me to ever own a cribber again.