Cribbing- do the supplements work?

[somethingorother]

New colt at my share owners is cribbing. Was just wondering if anyone has used the supplements, what was it and did it work?

He's only 2, and had a long long journey so the stress probably isn't helping. But i don't feel that telling him off for doing it will help.

I know it releases endorphins, and this is what his new 'mum' keeps saying... but personally i think it's a lot to do with stress and stomach acid etc.

So any advice is good thankies, as he is young and hopefully impressionable!

Also, will hay vs haylage make a difference? He seemed very happy when i gave him some nice hay instead of the haylage he had. Thought it might be less acidic and better fibre to settle his stomach??

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Current research links cribbing and windsucking to excess stomach acid or gastric ulcers. Abnormal repetitive behaviour (stereotypy) may also develop due to a combination of other factors including genetic susceptibility, lack of fibrous forage, too much concentrate feed, long periods of stable confinement and isolation from other horses.

Various companies offer a variety of supplements to treat excess stomach acid. I suppose it's like many supplements, they work on some horses & do nothing with others. I've known people with horses who crib & to be honest nothing has successfully treated them. The owners have just learned to live with it.

 

[martlin]

I've had some success with Equiform Nutrition Digest:
http://www.equiformnutrition.co.uk/horse-supplements/Digestion-p-1-c-16.html
It hasn't stopped the cribbing/windsucking, but has reduced it dramatically.
I found hay better than haylage, but only marginally. Removing starch and sugar from the diet helped as well, and as silly as it might sound - reducing grass intake...

 

[somethingorother]

Thank you, i will pass the info on but it does confirm what i was thinking that giving him mix and haylage might not be helping. Will have a look at that supplement as well, thankies.

There is a dilema with the grass though, i thought it would be better for them to be out more... maybe just on bare grazing with some hay??

 

[martlin]

There is a dilema with the grass though, i thought it would be better for them to be out more... maybe just on bare grazing with some hay??

I tend to either turn him out in a 'starvation paddock' with hay or in one with long, stalky old grass when the grass doesn't grow much. Yes, they are better off out then in, but you do need to find a right balance for every individual horse - mine gets rather miserable out in not so good weather