Anyone with chronic cribbers/windsuckers - collars or advice?

[Charmin]

Hi all,

Just got back from having my mare scoped as she's a cribber and know ulcers can be related to it. She's got one of the healthiest stomachs the vet's ever seen with absolutely no sign of ulcers which is a relief but in some ways it means her cribbing is purely down to habit and nothing painful.

She's been out 24/7 for two years now and it does improve things, in a stable it's pretty much constant. In the field she does it for 20 minute bursts and then wanders off until she happens to be by a post again. They get fed twice a day and haylage in the evening, but they have a big field which still was plenty to pick at. She keeps her condition very well and IMO has never seemed happier in herself.

So why does she still crib? It's so infuriating. It drives me insane. She doesn't really do much damage - she grips very lightly with her teeth so YO isn't bothered.

Does anyone try and stop them? Any suggestions for collars? Or does stopping them do more harm than good?

 

[bonny]

If it's not affecting her in any way then why not just ignore it. Don't use a collar on her.

 

[L&M]

As above - a chronic cribber will only get more stressed if you try to stop the habit.

At least you know it is not ulcer related!

 

[AmyMay]

If it's not affecting her in any way then why not just ignore it. Don't use a collar on her.

Completely agree.

 

[Mari]

i had a pony that could do this for England! On haynets, tail flaps of other horses rugs, lead rope, my coat, anywhere & everywhere & on anything. He never dropped condition & none of the others ever copied him. I just accepted it was a habit & let him get on with it. The less I stressed about it the less he did it.

 

[Spotsrock]

I make sure mine has roughage all the time, no grain, soaked nuts not dry and no stable doors or hard surfaces to suck on (to protect his teeth) he has a stall guard instead of a door but it's internal so may not be safe for every yard. I also have found he sucks a lot less on Protexin (supplement) gut balancer. Holds his weight and condition much better too.