Cribbiting

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sjstar23

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Hey, I have seen a coupld of articles/letters in horse and hound over the last few weeks about the contraversial subject of a cribbiter... what are your guys views about cribbiters? Would you buy one? should you stop them from doing it? Do you think it would affect a horses performance etc. I know my views on it, but wondered what everyone else thinks? x
 
I have a cribber. She was my first horse, is a Star by name and nature and I've had her for coming up 13 years - I love her to pieces!
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However, due to fencing issues, I'm not sure I would buy another one. I've fenced my current grazing to cope with her, but it is troublesome.
 
my view is this-
It is a man made condition due to bad weaning and/or unsuitable feeding.

I dont think a horse should be stopped from doing it. I read the letter of the week and there was no mention of prevention by diet- just physical means. I think physically preventing a horse from cribbing makes the stress the horse suffers worse.

It wouldnt stop me from buying the horse but i would want it endoscoped first. As for affecting performance, that would depend on the extent of any ulcers present.

I know a horse that cribbed almost all day. Its teeth were worn down, recurrent colic, skin and bone. One of the worse cases you could possibly come across. Change of home, management and diet and not prevented from doing it and it now only cribs once or twice a week, if at all.
 
I have a superstar of a horse who I have had since a 4 year old, and she has cribbed since I have had her. At first I tried to stop her by buying a collar, but she worked out that if she stoold back far enough she could still crib with the collar on! We tried the anticrib stuff that you put on the door, and she worked out how to wash it off with water! Now she cribs on her haynet... there's nothing much we can do about that! :P Luckily it has never caused her any problems (touch wood) and so Im happy to let her do it... whatever chills her out. She is on a good diet, and still continues to crib. I dont think anyone would stop her from doing it. I am glad that I didn't listen to the people who say they would never buy a cribber... as I would have missed out on the best horse I will ever have. I think cribbing can be a problem should it cause colic etc, but my mare seems perfectly fit and healthy, so I don't worry about it.
 
i have bought 2 & not regretted either , i don't try to stop them doing it , just make their environment as good as possible so that they are not so inclined to do it , but of course they wtill do to a degree

it has not caused either horse any problems
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I had a project pony who cribbed, it drove me nuts. I tried the usual things like kept her out 24/7, fed her a high fibre diet and also tried a supplement for it to no avail. Even though our fences are electric, she still managed to get hold of the tops of the posts, wangled them loose and destroyed the tops! We had to get it fixed several times. She was a lovely pony though but I don't think I could have another one - it just annoys me too much!
 
My old horse cribbed on any available surface - stable door, fence posts etc. He would get stressed if prevented and a collar did not stop him. Luckily my yard didnt mind at all. He was a star, although i couldnt buy another one - it restricts which livery yards i can go to.

He was hard to keep weight on in winter, but it could be done with quality forage and A & P calm and condition! He only ever coliced once and that was as a result of being given the wrong net (hayledge not hay - not by me!).
 
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