A bit about my new horse and then a cribbing question

0

Guest
I've just recently bought another horse and have just this week been researching his history so thought I would share!!
He was in his home before me for one year and the reason he was sold is that the girl who owned him (about 16 years old) lost interest in horses about 6 months ago and so for the last 6 months her mother (totally unhorsey) has been looking after him (he has had hardly any turnout or ridden exercise - from what I can gather he has just been walked around the yard in hand tens mins per day
crazy.gif
). The mother and the girl were both really really nice people, I think they just didn't realise this wasn't a very nice life for him
frown.gif
. But the mother got fed up of looking after him and decided to sell him.
I was speaking to a good friend, telling her that I wanted a project - she knew Benji well and said I must go to see him
grin.gif

The friend is a BD judge and trainer and had taught the girl on Benji for the first 6 months she had him and she told me he was lovely back then but now didn't look that much as he was wasted and had no muscle (in fact, when they first got him she wanted to buy him for her daughter!).
I went to see him (had to get straight on as owner wouldn't
crazy.gif
and was told that was his first excercise in weeks
crazy.gif
He was a bit lively but not too bad!!
I really like him and he has come on loads in the two months I've had him - is FAB to ride, no more sillies! Lively but just right and he is so happy to go out everyday and be ridden! He really thinks it is great. His muscle is slowly coming back too
laugh.gif

This week I decided to try and speak with his breeder and through his passport and google got her contact details. It turned out that they did not sell him until he was 4 (he is 6 now), they had backed him and schooled him aswell as getting him popping fences etc. Then, at 4 he was sold to Robert Oliver and I'm not sure then if he went straight to the people I bought him from or if there is another home inbetween.
I will see how he comes on but he has done nothing but pleasantly suprise me since I got him (except to bronc me off in week one - the first time I have fallen off in 7 years!!!) so I think he will end up a keeper!!
Now to the cribbing question - after a hard feed he will crib (once), but it is after EVERY hard feed (he would also do it after eating a treat so I won't give him treats in the stable now).
His last owners didn't tell me he did it, but I knewbecause I had seen him doing it while viewing him (I doubt the mother even knew what it was so don't think she was being devious in not saying - she said from the start she didn't know about horses so he was literally being sold as seen). It doesn't actually bother me as he literally sucks three times a day (as on three feeds) but obviously I would rather he didn't do it (very unlikely now I know!). I don't know when he started doing it but having spoken to the breeder, I know he did not crib whilst with them (he lived in and out with them). So it has started in the last two years. My first thought was the boredom of the last six months caused him to start but am now wondering if it is worth putting him on a supplement as it could be to do with digestion / stomach imbalances as he does it after feeds only? What do you think? (or is that when they usually do it? I've never had one before!)
Thanks!!
Pics of him are in the gallery BTW
laugh.gif
 
Science bods think now that horses crib to generate saliva to swallow to buffer excess stomach acid....so don't stop him doing it by using one of those nasty collar things.
You can help by making the stomach less acidic (hard food is acidic) by feeding lots of forage (hay, haylage, chaff, and sugar beet counts as a forage - the unmolassed stuff like Speedibeet is best).
You can also ensure he is not stressed...by giving him lots of turnout and company where possible.
Using pre and probiotics can help...and so can using antacid tablets (the ones humans take for indigestion).
If he's only doing it a couple of times a day, I would just let him get on with it, TBH.
S
grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
It is like having a cig after a meal
tongue.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

No, it's like you pigging out on Christmas dinner, 2 helpings of pudding and brandy butter....too much alcohol....then running for the Gaviscon.
See, who says I can't be festive?
S
grin.gif
 
Thanks all!!
He is stabled with a horse on either side and is turned out for two hours each morning with one other horse. He is ridden every evening too!
AM and PM he is on Topspec feed balancer, Topline mix and a scoop of Hi Fi (per feed). At luch he has a snack ball full of Economy cubes (he will crib after completely finishing the ball even though it takes half an hour - doesn't do it as he goes along!).
He is on ad lib haylage too!

I am not bothered that he does it and certainly won't put a collar on him but if he does it because he is uncomfortable I want to sort the problem out
laugh.gif
 
I had the same with my last horse. I removed his manger, fed him out of a soft bowl/bucket and used to close the top half of his stable door for about 30mins after feeding so that he had nothing to get his mouth around. I never really thought of it as cribbing because he only did it immediately after food or treats. I've posted on here before about this and it turned out to be quite a common problem.
 
Why is he only turned out for 2 hours? Can't he at least go out for daylight hours?
He needs a constant supply of forage, which he appears to have, and you could try Settlex. That has worked for a lot of cribbers.
I don't see any reason for shutting his top door, all that does is deal with the symptom not the cause.
 
Physically preventing stereotypies is quite old fashioned now...I'm sure Burtondog doesn't still do it.
In the old days...when I was young...and dinosaurs roamed...they used to tell you to cover your door with cribox, put crib collars on...I even knew horses that had their neck muscles cut so they couldn't grasp onto things....but to be fair, that was before people understood what caused cribbing.
And people thought that stereotypies were 'caught' by watching other horses
grin.gif

S
smile.gif
 
He doesn't seem to want to be out much longer and I don't want him out longer or else the fields will be wrecked before he can switch onto summer fields.
He didn't used to go out at all so he is happy with two hours atm!
 
He may either have ulcery probs or just had an acidic stomach. Ty changing his mix to a higher fibre feed like the Dengie mixes and if possible feed him more hay than hayledge as hayledge can be slightly acidic and can exasperate the acid problem. Hay is pretty neutral and will help "mop up" any excessive acids in the stomach. If you reduce the amount of starch and up the amount of "pure" fibre he has, and he still does it it may have become a habit due to previous discomfort. But try and reduce anything that could cause an acidic environment first and see if that helps
smile.gif
He looks lovely from the pics :grin;
 
I REALLY wouldn't worry about it. My old horse windsucks at feed time, 2 or 3 sucks when he is waiting for his food and that is it - let him get on with it or if you are really worried then try Coligone.
 
When I viewed him, my reaction too was not to worry as it doesn't seem to effect him in any way. But since I got him I have started stressing that the root of the problem could be a health issue and I would be gutted if I ignored it and later found out he had problems
crazy.gif

He really does seem fine in every other way though and not in any discomfort at all - he is very greedy and eats his tea VERY fast - could this contribute??

Weezy - I think you are probably right though!! I need to stop being such a stress head and get on with enjoying him
smile.gif


Kat, thankyou! I think he is lovely too but I know I am biased!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top