Buying a horse that cribs?

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JoshuaR97

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Recently found and horse and thinking of going to look at him but the lady said he does crib but it's not constantly. Would any of you buy a horse that's know to crib?
 
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Personally, I would avoid a cribber. Although have in the past considered a moderate-severe sweet itch pony. The sweet itch, I felt confident in controlling but cribbing, I wouldn't.
 
The lady says just told me he cribs when he's eating or when he's going to be worked or after but he can stand in the stable for ages and not do it. It's mainly on wood he'll do it on aswell
 
The lady has just told me he cribs when he's eating or when he's going to be worked or after but he can stand in the stable for ages and not do it. It's mainly on wood he'll do it on aswell. They've not tried a collar on or anything but it is getting worse.. Kinda where this is all going being truthful
 
If he's cribbing while eating, I'd be worried about gut problems. If he's cribbing around exercise, I'd be worried about gut problems and/ some other discomfort, stress or pain. I am cynical, admittedly but those are the concerns which would come to my mind given the extra details.
 
Mitch&I said:
If he's cribbing while eating, I'd be worried about gut problems. If he's cribbing around exercise, I'd be worried about gut problems and/ some other discomfort, stress or pain. I am cynical, admittedly but those are the concerns which would come to my mind given the extra details.
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The strange thing though is she said it doesn't bother her that he does it? I thought you would try whatever to try and limit him doing it.. Hmm he's a nice Irish that I'm looking for but the cribbing is the down side as if he's getting worse.. And don't want my other horses starting to do it aswell if I did buy him
 
I would want a trial at my yard, like a good two weeks. I know it is a lot to ask of a seller, but if he is everything you want but has this habit, he might be worth it provided he doesn't do it ridiculously bad and you know how to recognize the issues that can come from it.
 
I would expect the horse to crib more after a change of home and then settle down again with time. I used to have a cribber and I never used a collar for her. I electric taped the top of the wooden fencing to protect it, but left a reinforced 'cribbing station' for her. She was a nanny for youngstock and none of them picked it up. Research has shown that it isn't copied by other horses. There is a link to ulcers and some horses are predisposed to cribbing, so would start to do it given the right stimuli even if they had never met another cribber.

I would want a decent amount of money off if buying a cribber and I would want it scoped for ulcers. Mine sadly died due to ulcer complications despite treatment, so that would make me wary of having another that had ulcers.
 
Faracat said:
I would expect the horse to crib more after a change of home and then settle down again with time. I used to have a cribber and I never used a collar for her. I electric taped the top of the wooden fencing to protect it, but left a reinforced 'cribbing station' for her. She was a nanny for youngstock and none of them picked it up. Research has shown that it isn't copied by other horses. There is a link to ulcers and some horses are predisposed to cribbing, so would start to do it given the right stimuli even if they had never met another cribber.

I would want a decent amount of money off if buying a cribber and I would want it scoped for ulcers. Mine sadly died due to ulcer complications despite treatment, so that would make me wary of having another that had ulcers.
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He is currently at 1700 from being reduced from 2000. He comes with rugs/tack. He's only 6 and fairly green
 
Personally I wouldn't entertain it. I had one for years although he was a good horse by the time he was 18 he had totally worn down his front teeth, it was so difficult to keep condition on him and he couldn't manage short grass.
 
A friend of mine had a horse that cribbed, he was an absolute star and fortunately it never caused him any issues.

However each horse is individual and she might have just been "lucky" with him, in regards to his cribbing (and in many other ways, because he was an absolute legend of a horse and is very sadly missed!). I would also be mindful that some livery yards will not allow horses with such vices onto the premises.
 
Do you have your own property to keep the horse on? Some livery yards won't agree to taking on a cribber in my experience. Also, even if they do initially it can cause aggro with other owners screaming blue murder that their neddy is going to start copying. You will also get the blame for every single bit of damage to wooden rails anywhere in the yard! :D Just some food for thought......if your shoulders are broad, no issue!

Finally, expect the pattern of cribbing to change when the horse changes environment/management - initially at least.
 
It's a vice which has to be declared so if you need to sell him in the future other folk will debate buying him just as you are which immediately limits your market
 
No I would not unless the horses had some other amazing talent to balance this awful flaw .
But if you do he will at a higher risk of colic verses the general horse population and he won't be able to be insured for this .
Ulcers and cribbing are all bound up so it would be wise to work the cost of a course of gastrogard into the offer you make for a horse so start with the value of the horse if it did not crib , a reduction of £1200 would I think cover of course of gastrogard/ and a scope then calculate the reduction you expect to cover the risk of colic ,the damage the horse might do about the place, then think of the hassle that some liverys might not accept him ( if you need livery ) and that he would be more difficult to sell if you ever need to .
However I do think much can be done to help these horse now with the better understanding of grain free feeding and the role alfalfa/ speedibeet can play in helping these horse , add in the fact that trickle feeding systems ( ie never giving the horse a feed in a bucket ) are all easier to do now .
 
I did buy one and still have him 5 years later, his cribbing is not ulcer related and it has improved since I bought him by the right management, we've been on several yards and have only ever been declined by one yard when looking. I had twice the budget I paid for him, but he felt right and gave me the right feeling and he was fun so after a couple of days of pondering he was mine. Also consider additional dental checks too, I get mine done every 6 months as a precaution rather than 12. Tbh I have more bother with his spindly legs than anything else over the years!

Do lots of research both locally, other horses and regarding cribbing/ulcers and then make a decison
 
Mine cribs and weaves. I was told when I bought him, so I knew about it. I had him for just over a year and I had never seen him crib, but then after having 3 months box rest for a joint injury, he started doing it quite a lot. However, he lives out 24 hrs a day all year (he's an ex steeplechaser TB) quite happily and I've never seen him crib or weave outdoors in his paddock. I did stable him at night for the first year, and the YO said he only ever weaved when there was someone around! He sneaked up once and peeped around the corner, watched for ages, and no weaving. So I imagine he had learned that weaving gets attention, at some point in his life. He now cribs on his lead rope when tied up, but if he's going to be tied up for a while, I put a muzzle on him. I find he doesn't stress or crib as long as he has something to eat. So., I guess Im saying that it can be managed. I won't put mine in a stable. There are no other signs of ulcers or such, but having said that I've not had him scoped. I know that cribbing and ulcers are now believed to be related and it makes sense with mine that stabling him for three months caused sufficient stress to cause ulcers, hence the cribbing. I think I've just talked myself into getting him scoped..... good luck with your decision!
 
I have an 'occasional' cribber. I was absolutely adament I would never have one. However, I was not told about his cribbing and found out in due course.....
Everybody is making valid points, mainly concentrating on the negative points.
There are some positive stories tho, mine being one of them. Horse has never had ulcers, isn't on any supplements, and has never colicked. His teeth are as straight as those of a non-cribber and I've never been refused on a yard because of his habit. He comes in at night in winter and is out all summer. He cribs after his feed and anytime he gets fed anything else, i.e carrot, sweettie that kind of thing. He's a very happy healthy horse, my vet says he looks more like a 19 year old then the 24 years that he is. I've had him since a 6 year old, so enough years for something to go wrong, but, touch wood, it hasn't so far! If you like the horse, give it a chance, it's not all so doom and gloom as you might think.
Good luck!
 
My concern wouldn't necessarily be the cribbing itself, but that cribbing is often the horse's way for dealing with another problem - like ulcers for example. It could be more of an emotional issue though and this is his way of dealing with the stress. You could find the underlying cause - it might be something unfixable, something fixable but incredibly expensive to deal with - or you might never find out why. On the other hand it might be something easy. The problem is until he's home and settled you won't have a chance of working it all out so he'd have to be pretty special to be worth the gamble. I wouldn't try a collar as this just deals with the symptom and not the cause.
 
No. The reason being is that it is simply not possible to get to the bottom of what causes it. Management can reduce it but ye gods, there are a lot of paths to go down before you work out the best way to do this. I had a cribber. Bought unknowingly. His behaviour was greatly reduced by having a lot of forage available but tried many things over the years and never bottomed it out. He did end up with a miracle collar, padded, in the end when stabled as I personally saw 2 of his half siblings (same stallion) end up with surgical colic as a result of the cribbing. Not sure what was worse, padded miracle collar or in a field with electric fencing so he couldn't crib there either.
 
Agree with all these posts that the cribbing may be a symptom of a bigger problem.

Also, I would discuss it with your YO before you buy the horse. Rightly or wrongly other liveries might not want your horse near theirs for fear of copying (although weather they actually do copy is unproven). We had a livery bring a cribber on trial for 3 weeks and it was in an indivudal post and rail paddock, rails look terrible now and I will not have a cribber on the yard..
 
I have a horse that cribs a lot! Does my head in, really drive me mad. I would never have a cribber again myself. Having said that, he only cost me £200, is an absolutely Saint, safe and does everything I ask of him. So don't rule them out! My lad has been scoped too and he had zero ulcers and he's a TB ex racer! I would never use a collar they just don't work and it stresses them more. I've learned to accept I'm never going to stop him doing it but it's very irritating!
 
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