Jas Jas
New User
I am looking at buying a horse that cribs. I know the horse and she is brill in every way but cribs. I just wanted to know how much people would pay/negotiate off the price.
Buying a horse that cribs
- Thread starter Jas Jas
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Mimi2610
Well-Known Member
It depends on whether you think she is good value at the price she is. Are you already getting her cheaper than she is worth or has the owner not taken into account the cribbing and charged full whack?
I bought a horse that cribs (which was his only down point) and you forget that he even does it. I stable him beside the other horses and nobody has copied him. I paid £4000 for him as a 5 year old.
If it is a mild cribber then I don't think you can haggle on the price. Look at Noble Springbok, a serial crib biter and I bet it hasn't affected his price!
I bought a horse that cribs (which was his only down point) and you forget that he even does it. I stable him beside the other horses and nobody has copied him. I paid £4000 for him as a 5 year old.
If it is a mild cribber then I don't think you can haggle on the price. Look at Noble Springbok, a serial crib biter and I bet it hasn't affected his price!
TTK
Well-Known Member
I knowingly bought a cribber, but he is well trained and I knew he was going to live out so it doesn't make any difference really. I have had one negative person when he was stabled next to her horse at a clinic who thought her horse would "catch " it from him. I also have to be careful when I go for lessons or he can drift off and start cribbing on my instructors' arena rails (ooops, sorry). I did get a small discount because of his cribbing.
sally2008
Well-Known Member
I too knowingly bought a cribber as he was in every other way perfect. It hasn't affected his health or performance in any way. He's been my horse of a lifetime. He only does it at feed time and it has reduced significantly over the years. One livery yard owner insisted he would have to have an anti-weave grill up if he went there - needless to say I didn't move to that yard.
I don't believe that horses "catch" such issues from one another but that horses kept in the same unsatisfactory conditions (boredom, lack of turnout, unsuitable feeding regimes, etc) develop the same sterotypical behaviours. If something in the yard weaves, windsucks or cribs then it is the stable management that needs looking at not "culprit" stablemates.
I don't believe that horses "catch" such issues from one another but that horses kept in the same unsatisfactory conditions (boredom, lack of turnout, unsuitable feeding regimes, etc) develop the same sterotypical behaviours. If something in the yard weaves, windsucks or cribs then it is the stable management that needs looking at not "culprit" stablemates.
Luci07
Well-Known Member
It really would depend on just how bad the cribbing was. My biggest problem with it is that no one has ever managed to say exactly what causes it or how to then address it. I know there are a lot of different reasons WHY a horse would start to crib and I do believe that some are more genetically prone to it (this is because I have seen for myself 5 horses out of the same sire, hugely varying backgrounds, all compulsive cribbers). I have never seen this vice being "passed on" either but can't comment about say a mare passing this onto her foal.
Having plenty of forage available at all times really seems to cut it right down and that is what I did with mine. He also ended up living out and his cribbing become so rare it was a token grab after a meal of concentrates in the end and not a consistent activity.
so if you know this horse really well, know how much it cribs then sounds like an option. In terms of pricing - maybe have a look at sites like horsequest/horse and hound to get an idea of value and see if there has been a price review - if not, then you need to try to get a better idea of value yourself and some ads are honest enough to say - priced at x because of cribbing.
Having plenty of forage available at all times really seems to cut it right down and that is what I did with mine. He also ended up living out and his cribbing become so rare it was a token grab after a meal of concentrates in the end and not a consistent activity.
so if you know this horse really well, know how much it cribs then sounds like an option. In terms of pricing - maybe have a look at sites like horsequest/horse and hound to get an idea of value and see if there has been a price review - if not, then you need to try to get a better idea of value yourself and some ads are honest enough to say - priced at x because of cribbing.
Jas Jas
New User
Thanks everyone. She only cribs when eating I keep her out as much as possible as well. I believe she has cribbed from a long time and the dentist thinks since she was 3 (she is 9 now). I think she has had a number of owners which I know wont help.
I have looked around to compare prices and I think the owner is not too far off the price. She has discounted the price anyway to me but was just interested to see what people thought. Also I mentioned it to some on my yard and they were insistent that the price needs to be reduced quite a bit.
She is grand in every other way
well she is a slight pain at keeping weight on, but never mind, i love her 
I have looked around to compare prices and I think the owner is not too far off the price. She has discounted the price anyway to me but was just interested to see what people thought. Also I mentioned it to some on my yard and they were insistent that the price needs to be reduced quite a bit.
She is grand in every other way
well she is a slight pain at keeping weight on, but never mind, i love her JoBird
Well-Known Member
So many horses have faults you wouldnt find out about on a viewing or even a vetting that really it is a shame that cribbing is thought of so badly - if that is the only problem then at least you know about it now! How many people dont find out that a horse bucks when hacking out in a group or goes lame on hard ground until AFTER they have bought the horse!?
My mare windsucks REALLY badly (even on trees when living out!) but other than needing lots of food to keep weight on her she is FABULOUS and worth ten times what I paid for her in my opinion. If i was to sell her on (which I wont) I wouldn't discount the price as she is so good in other ways!
If you like this horse then go for it!
My mare windsucks REALLY badly (even on trees when living out!) but other than needing lots of food to keep weight on her she is FABULOUS and worth ten times what I paid for her in my opinion. If i was to sell her on (which I wont) I wouldn't discount the price as she is so good in other ways!
If you like this horse then go for it!