crib collars

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Have recently bought a horse that is known to crib bite. Any advice on crib collars/other detterents to try? (He is turned out 24hrs at the moment but will be part stabled in the winter.)
Thanks
 
I don't believe there is any cure for cribbing & I believe by using a crib collar on a horse with this condition only stresses the animal further. You bought him with that vice & it's something you need to get used to.

A friend of mine bought a cribber many years ago. She got him at a good price & he's now 20 years old. He doesn't compete very much now but he's got 98 BD points, he's competed at County Level Working Hunter & he's got a hell of a jump.He still cribs................so what, he's contented with life & my friend has had a great time with him.
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Here here- my boy also cribs he use to wear a collar but has'nt for many years now as it did as you said Stressed him out. He only does it in the stable after being fed. You would never now from his teeth. He competes and does very well in both dressage, working hunters and BSJA. Just try to ignore it and as you toby says enjoy your horse.
 
I had a racehorse on loan whilst my mare was in foal and he was known to crib bite and windsuck. Most of the time I didn't use a collar as I don't like them but he did get colic twice which the vet thought was because of his cribbing/windsucking. He would stand in the field and do it. A friend of mine used to swear by the 'miracle collar'.
 
I use to beleive that if you had a cribber, you dont need a collar....................well, after colic surgery and several bouts of gas colics, several of them I had to get the vet out because banamine and buscapan was not helping, I am FIRM BELIEVER IN THE MIRACLE COLLAR. I take it off if he is in a pasture with nothing to crib on otherwise it is on him, he also does well in dressage and now after all those setbacks and almost two years wasted, we are jumping 3ft 6 and schooling 4ft
 
My boy had 10ft taken out of his small intestine in 2005 and i don't believe for one minute it was caused by his wind-sucking/cribbing. He has a collar which he use to wear every night before he had his surgery but I don't even know where it is now. Cribbing/windsucking has not been proven to cause colic. He has had a few re occurrences but nothing to get bothered about. I think the weather and change in grass/temperature has more to do with horses colicing, as it's certain times of the year you here about it.
. A few horses here have been put down recently with colic and they didn't crib or windsuck.
 
The best and kindest way to deal with this is with constant access to fibre and high fibre feeds, as much turnout as possible and there are plenty to things to you can add to feeds, such as Coligone, that will give the horse some relief. Once they have this habit though it is almost impossible to stop
 
We've not had a great deal of success with Miracle Collars, IMO they are just as cruel as the metal ones and some of our horses have huge rubs from the straps. Also Arabs tend to windsuck in a upward fashion so the collar is loose, they do not arch their necks in the same way. I personally wouldn't bother with one unless the cribbing was causing a medical problem, best thing for them is plenty of turnout and electric fencing.
 
I got a miracle collar as people seemed to be hung up on my mares 'habit'. I used it once and promised not to use it again. (more money down the drain)They get more stressed if they can't do it. Mine has never had teeth problems or colic or weight problems. We are at a yard where it doesn't bother anybody and we are happy bunnies.
There are worse problems they could have ie. rearing bucking etc.
 
The current BHS magazine has a good article on this at the moment. It says that it is something that is genetically programmed into the horse and using cribbing collars can put the horse under increased stress and can cause them to do it more.
 
I would NEVER use one! My Tb cribs & has totally destroyed his gate by doing it but his teeth are fine, he holds weight & looks great really. Just learn to ignore it & try keep his lifestyle as natural as possible, lots of turnout, high fibre low concentrate diet, maybe some kind of digestive settler.
A collar may stop the horse actually cribbing but it won't take away the urge, the horse will need to find another way to get his 'release' as such - this may be far worse than the original 'vice'.

My horse went through a spate of gassy colics & vet never once suggested ot was to do with cribbing. The air the horse sucks in when cribbing never reaches their stomach, it is sucked into the windpipe & then exhaled again so I wouldn't personally worry about colic caused by cribbing.
 
I have a collar on my horse, not my choice, YO insisted on it and I love my yard so it was a small price to pay - he actually manages to crib with the collar still on, which is a testament to his determination! He isn't stressed with it on and only does it after meals and sometimes freestyle in the field - it is pure bad habit. I don't like collars, but there are a few people on the yard that complain about vices so he has to wear it to keep the status quo.
 
Thanks for all your help and advice! He didn't crib/windsuck at all for the first few weeks but now he is more settled has started cribbing on the post and rail, (but not in his stable as every fitting is galvanised steel!)
Have decided to put electric fence around his paddock so he can't access the rails. He is a lovely boy and we are having lots of fun and sucess, and I picked him up for a good price so not overly concerned about the habit itself - just if he could do physical damage to himself.
 
A vet friend of mine gave me a copy of a reasearch article that examined cribbing and windsucking behaviour in horses as I was concerned about my own mare who does both of these. The conclusion was that horses do this as a form of pain relief as it releases endorphines (natures asprin) and that many of them were found to be suffering from gastric ulcers which led to colic (not the windsucking as previously thought!). I had my mare gastroscoped and she was found to have grade 3 (v. bad) stomach ulcers inspite of being turned out daily, not fed high starch feed and always having forage available. She is in good condition and eating well, prone to low grade collic, with no other signs of ulcers. She has a quiet life at home with one other horse and is no longer in work. We have her on a course of Gastroguard and she is due to be re-scoped next week. The reason I am telling you all of this is that if you use a cribbing collar you are preventing the horse from using natures pain relief without addressing the cause. It may be that your horse chews his environment out of boredom but it is worth discussing this with your vet.
 
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