What puts people off cribbers so much?

I have to say I would never have another cribber. I used to run a large yard and we never had that many in with vices/stereotypies but two long term residents cribbed. They were both stressy types and never looked well - we lost them both to colic and were pm'd to show ilieo -something- entrapment. This type of colic appears to be linked to cribbers and is where a section of the small intestine somehow ends up where it shouldn't, becomes trapped, strangulated and the tissue dies.

It was horrible to see and for that reason it's a major no no for me. We lost a third cribber to colic, very similar to manage to the above two but didn't have him pm'd.

The cribbers I have looked after have all been difficult to manage, keep weight on - they were often 'pot bellied' and with poor coats. Perhaps with the advantage of hind sight these individuals suffered from gastric ulcers, but this was before the research into this topic.

Weavers don't bother me, unless they actually throw themselves from leg to leg. But wouldn't want a box walker. Have only ever met one horse that genuinely windsucked, and she wasn't as difficult to manage as the cribbers.
 
Hattie cribs and she is the safest horse EVER! Never had colic (touch wood), happy, is a good doer and holds weight. Everyone comments on how well she looks all the time. I think with Hattie, it's just something she does like how some people bite their nails. She also does it when she telling me she's hungry (when she knows her feed is coming) or after she's had a treat (she's throwing a tantrum as she wants more so I rarely treat her from the hand).

Maybe those cribbers who have coliced or not looked well have had some underlying medical issue that caused them to crib but I think with some horses, it's just a personality trait!

I would rather have Hattie who cribs who is 100% safe out in traffic, easy keeper, a horse you can do anything with than a non cribber who you can't hack out safely, etc like some of the horses my friend's have!
 
Cribbing is 99.9% gastric ulcers. I have had 4 projects in that past that have been cribber - paid very much under the market value due to the vice, put them on gastroguard, got rid of the ulcers and in all cases the cribbing stopped :) I sold informing the new owners that the horses used to crib and should it recur just to treat with gastroguard and hey presto - no crib :) Once a cribber always a cribber but I've found that the most they have needed is a repeat of the GG once a year.
 
No vice would put me off buying a horse if I liked it and it had the talent I was after. Realistically, one with a vice would probably be more in my budget! I would prefer not to have a box walker, but that's because of the mess they make in the box!
 
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