Cribbing

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LadyRascasse

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What do you guys do to stop cribbing? i want to curb it if i can because its not nice for her and its not nice for me. she has had every stable toy you could dream of and isn't interested in the slightest and she doesn't like licks either. she must be cribbing for a reason but i can't figure out why. i must sound like an absolute c*** owner but i'm at my wits end and really want to find a solution.
 
Does she do it in the field as well ? If not I would give her more time out in the field, a pre or pro biotic may help too(others with cribbers on here may be able to advise you better here) as some cases of cribbing can be due to excess stomach acid.
Cribbing is a vice normally developed because of stresses in the horse's life, however once established it is nearly impossible to stop them doing it as it becomes habit even though the initial cause of the cribbing has long gone.
Good luck with it though.
 
To be honest you won't stop it so it is better to just relax and leave her to it. The more you stress the more she will stress and so on. As Dols said, once they start it is almost impossible to stop them.

If you have had her checked out and there is no physical pain causing her to do it, I would just let her get on with it. One of my mares does it and has done since she was 6 months old, initially due to stress - but I moved her from that situation and she is much better but adores her suck on the gate still. I do keep an eye on her teeth though.
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I agree with B-M. My mare was also stressed due to being weaned too fast (for her safety) before I bought her. She is 10 now, and although she does it after every feed for about 3 minutes the rest of the time it is minimal. I did try Settlex which did seem to calm her down.
It doesn't matter is she is in or out 24/7. She still cribs after every meal to the extent of doing so after eating something as small as a piece of carrot! I have found feeding her on the floor has helped as well.
 
cribbing is like thier equvilent to smoking it releases endorphines which makes them keep doing it a bit like an addiction. near impossiable to stop once they start. lack of fibre in diet and gastric ulcers are thoughto be a contributer. genrally they will crib when stressed rather than the cribbing stressing them much like people that smoke. sometimes things like crib collers can actually make matters worse as the horse stresses they cant get there fix. unless they arereally loosing weight or colicing sometimes best to do nothing.
 
I use cribbox on the wood in her stable as I don't want her to eat her way out and the YO might get upset to see his stable disappear! Haven't gone round the field though, can't see the reason as it's her release.
 
My horse cribs... His is not a reaction to stress and he has no external signs of any gastric problems either- it literally is his dirty habit!! (He would smoke 40 a day if he was a human!)

I keep my horse with a friend so him cribbing everywhere is not an option, mine actually cribs more in the field then in the stable! I have a miracle collar on him (google them, they are a leather harness with a tab on their throat so when they arch their neck to crib it pushes in) not the nicest thing in the world but my horse knows as soon as he has it on he can't so it doesn't even cross his mind.

I know some people think these are hugely cruel etc but sometimes you have to do what is best for your situation- if you are going to struggle to have somewhere to keep your horse, its damaging the whole place etc then surely this is the best measure?? I should also mention since mine has had his collar on he has gained lots of weight and condition as he suddenly stopped concentrating on his next crib and thought about eating!

A few tips with the collars- I wrap a fleecy bandage around the straps so it doesn't rub or irritate him, I change these regularly as they get muddy. I always feed his feed (in a bowl) and haylage on the floor because as soon as they put their heads down there is absolutely no pressure from the collars and its also healthier to feed your horse on the ground anyway.

Cribbing is a horrid habit and enough to drive you mad but its just a case of finding a system that keeps your horse, you and your YO happy!!
 
funny that bigbird thats what i've just started feeding her lol

fergs i really don't like the collar idea however if it keeps you horse happy and well then i'm fine with it.

i think i'll see how she goes here (have just moved her today) and then take action accordingly.

thank you so much for all your replies they have been very informative!
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I know that we all have to do best in the situation that we find ourselves but I haven't and never would put a collar on mine. It is cruel and asking her to stop doing something which she is addicted to doing. Instead I attempt to keep her happy by making her as crib-free as possible by lots of turnout (although TBH she would actually choose to live in 24/7 if she could!) using cribox, feeding her on the ground and by keeping her as happy as possible. This has resulted in her cribbing reducing to feed times only.
She has a filly foal at foot who hasn't copied her mum, and I know there is lots of research that shows cribbing is not a copied trait and therefore other horses in a yard will not crib just because they see another doing so.
I have PMd you.
 
I agree with toffeesmarty. I absolutley dislike cribbing collars.
My TB cribs, he is now 10 & suffers no ill effects from it. His teeth are in great nick, he holds his weight & looks fab.
When I brought him 4 years ago, he was kept in a cribbing collar alot of the time. He genuinly looked 10 years older. He looked so stressed.
I ensure my horse has lots of turnout, a high fibre, low cereal diet etc. He cribs after dinner & whilst munching hay. He doesn't do it as much as he used to, but he will always do it.
He is kept with 7 other horses in an open barn, NONE of them have even attempted to copy his behaviour.
It is just a quirk & the way he is.
He was scoped a couple of years ago which showed no sign of any form of gastric problem. Although originally he may well have had one whilst racing.

Whilst I appreciate sometimes you have to make the most of a situation, I wouldn't purchase a horse in the first place if I did not think I could let it be a horse in the place I was to keep him. Before I bought Gord I made sure the farmer knew about the cribbing & that he was ok with it. Thankfully he leaves us to it. I paint some surfaces in summer outside with cribbox but he most;y uses one solid post which I let him do.

The main problem I see with stopping a horse cribbing is that they are doing it for a reason, if it is stress related then you risk them developing another worse habit in place of the cribbing. A bit like stopping a smoker smoking all of a sudden...not happy people!!
 
thanks for all the replies so far she hasn't cribbed at all in this new place, i wouldn't use a collar its just not me. see other post for an update
 
Two things, one try opening up a red chilli and rubbing this along where she cribs.

Or put two electric fencing clips one at either end and attach a piece of electri fencing tape to each clip then get a battery attach crocodile clips on a piece of wire from each terminal to tape, this will be a lesser shock than she gets from normal electric fencing, just the tape there might be enough.
 
Hi .. are we talking about cribbing or windsucking ??

perhaps my understanding is wrong, but I was always taught that crib biting was when they were continually chewing at wood (fences, stable door etc) and this could then lead to wind sucking (grabbing something with teeth, arching neck and then gulping air)...
 
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