would a horse that crib bites and windsucks sell?

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jellyshark

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I have been offered a lovely well bred talented horse very cheaply as he crib bites and windsucks! I am very tempted to buy him but just wondered whether it is possible to change this type of behaviour and if I would be able to resell at a later date

any experience/advice gratefully recieved
 
if it was my dream horse that i fell in love with and was perfect in every way. I'd take a chance. but i'd also keep it turned out and away from a stable as much as possible.
 
One just did from our yard, for a reasonable price for what he was. However he did fit into a very popular 'bracket' (early teenage schoolmaster 14.2, been there, done it and got many t-shirts, and very safe/sane). Not sure he fetched what he would have had he not cribbed, but he is a bad cribber (has to wear collar whenever there is anything he can latch on to, only time he didn't that I saw was in field with electric tape to keep him off the wooden posts!
 
No experience of owning cribbers/wind suckers, but if you have the option of 24hour turn out, definitely go for it! If he's everything you want, but just has a couple of bad habits, and is cheapy cheap too, it doesn't sound like too bad a deal :)
My lot live out anyway, but if I were taking on a horse with vices I would sling it out 24/7 in a nice big field with a couple of friends :)
 
This horse is bred for dressage, just started jumping and is a dream to hack, curretnly out 24/7 but still cribing in the field also losing condition so will have be stabled at night in the winter I think to keep condition.
 
I bought a windsucker as he is my dream horse. Got him for a bargain price and manage his windsucking. Out 24/7 in Summer no collar but in Winter he has to come in at night as a lightweight TB type and he wears collar in pm
 
He is definatly a persistant crib biter in the stable I have only seen him in the field by the gate and he then cribs on the gate and the post, I can keep out 24/7 but he is already losing condition. I don't think he has been scoped for ulcers, is it expensive to do?
 
I have one! I wouldn't have been able to afford him if he wasn't a cribber!

I manage his cribbing by turning out into electric taped paddocks. It doesn't cause him any distress by not being able to get his fix but he does crib on his leadrope when tied up which just means that I go through leadropes a little more often than usual! ;)
 
Good management is really important. My horse does crib, he doesn't lose condition or colic as a result. I had him at a small yard with just 5 horses for 18 months and he was beside himself, cribbing, weaving and box walking not to mention kicking holes in the stable and being unpredictable and explosive riding. I moved him back to the yard I originally had him on, a much bigger yard of approx 40 horses. He arrived, gave a huge sigh of relief and gas been the most chilled horse ever since. He does crib occasionally but I would never dream of using a collar
 
sidsmum said:
I have one! I wouldn't have been able to afford him if he wasn't a cribber!
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Snap! And the best thing is, she's stopped doing it now! :D If its the horse of your dreams then go for it, I think it will always put some people off and it definitely will affect the value, but there are plenty of cribbers about with loving homes. It's definitely worth scoping for ulcers if he's a big cribber/windsucker, not sure how much the scope itself is but treatment is pricey so worth bearing that in mind.
 
We bought a 4yr old off the breeder. And he learnt to crib in the field as a 2yr old. Nothing else on yard cribs so lord knows where came from.
He just placed at his first 1* .
If frankel cribbed / weaved boxed walk etc- but still ran as he does. Would you turn down chance of owning him? Same goes for valegro? Or totilas?!
 
Personally, I don't have a huge problem with them and know some lovely horses that crib and were real bargains for their owners.

I would caution you though if you will have to have the horse at livery. Not all yards will take a cribber so be sure to factor that in.

Most cribbers do better out if they are suitably managed. I'd be interested in why the horse in the OP is so significantly losing condition living out, if he has adequate food, shelter and companions. It might suggest another problem that is contributing to the cribbing, such as ulcers or pain, or it might suggest he is a complicated horse to manage. I wouldn't discount a cribber that's well managed and doing the job, I might be more leery if the situation looks more complex.
 
it depends.

Are you planning on educating the horse just to resell in a year or two? or is this actually a long term horse?

for me, if a long term horse I'd look further into him, however if it is just to educate and resell then no I'd leave him. the prices of horses are low at the moment without having vices.

If a long term purchase I'd then look at him in the field - does he really stand and crib? this is worse than a horse that only cribs in the stable. Its £150 to have him scoped (approx) and worth thinking about ulcers, but they aren't the answer to everything. What is his field like? is it small or is he out on 10 acres with a couple of pals? if the latter then there is either something wrong or the horse will never get out of his cribbing/wind sucking habit as its pretty ground in by the sounds of it.

I would also be concerned that he is losing condition due to cribbing/wind sucking. Lots to think about. He'd also have to be *very* cheap. (I'm taking £500 rather than £2k imo)
 
Interesting to read all of these replies - the horse I ride is fantastic in my eyes apart from he has an awful windsuck habit! Good to hear that people will still give them a chance if a long term prospect.
 
I don't mind cribbing and can put up with quite a lot of similar vices if the horse is for me and it otherwise performs as requested.

However I won't buy one to sell. Too many people hate it, too many livery yards won't have them and you're cutting your potential market in half at least. I have sold them in the past but found it quite hard work and inevitably ended up dropping the price a little bit.
 
I bought one...don't regret it for a minute :) He was never a buy to sell horse, so I didn't mind too much. Had him scoped for ulcers, came back 'textbook clear', so now I know it's probably not a physical cause, I'm a lot easier about it. He does it mainly around feedtimes, or if he doesn't have anything to eat, so the key is keeping him occupied. The yard don't mind and have been really good about trying to help - giving extra haylege etc. The eventual plan is to turn him out 24/7 (if I ever move out of London) which will probably help a lot.

I'm aware it'll probably affect his price if I sell him, but he was never going to keep me in diamonds anyway :p
 
I have a cribber that can lose weight when turned out. I think it's mostly as he has been stabled for the majority of his life but he is improving. My solution was to give him a small feed of alpha oil/linseed/yeasacc to to make sure he keeps his weight on and make sure the grazing is long enough and lush enough to stop him getting bored and cribbing :)

They do sell as people obv buy them, but they are reduced in price and many won't even view as they believe they will all colic and never put on condition... I have no intention of selling mine so it's not an issue for me.
 
Thanks for all the replies I don't really see it as a problem the horse is in a 15 acre field with about 6 others, I think the wieght lose is down to the owner not starting to feed soon enough as the weather has changed - I have a similar horse in the same field that I have been feeding for some time - Lots of grass but just not good doers I think!

If I bought this horse then the intention would be to bring it on and then make a decision if as talanted as we think then it will stay but if it peeks to early then we would be looking to sell - hence the question! they are curetnly after £2k but I think I would be able to get for £1K I think without the cribbing he is probably worth about £3k in the current market - we would give him a competition record so I think that would help with resale - took him to an unaffiliated Dressage competition got 69.19% and was 2nd to other horse we own with same rider!

Tempted but undecided!!!
 
jellyshark said:
Thanks for all the replies I don't really see it as a problem the horse is in a 15 acre field with about 6 others, I think the wieght lose is down to the owner not starting to feed soon enough as the weather has changed - I have a similar horse in the same field that I have been feeding for some time - Lots of grass but just not good doers I think!

If I bought this horse then the intention would be to bring it on and then make a decision if as talanted as we think then it will stay but if it peeks to early then we would be looking to sell - hence the question! they are curetnly after £2k but I think I would be able to get for £1K I think without the cribbing he is probably worth about £3k in the current market - we would give him a competition record so I think that would help with resale - took him to an unaffiliated Dressage competition got 69.19% and was 2nd to other horse we own with same rider!

Tempted but undecided!!!
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Hard one if you don't know if you will keep him long term or not.

In my mind, I would go for it if I am keeping the horse long term but I know a few persistent wind suckers/cribbers and despite the large field, they always find somewhere to do their habit. It is a question how long and much they do it for and what their dentition is like as a result.

Usual things about turnout, checking for ulcers etc all help management but it is a gamble and depends on if you happy to potentially put in time and effort for little monetary reward if things not go as you hope for?
 
I've always heard that a vice (cribbing, windsucking etc.) reduces a horse's value by 30% - unless they are some sort of proven, elite performance horse.

So you'll buy him cheaply, but you'll also have to sell him more cheaply that if he didn't have a vice. So in theory you should still be able to turn a profit as long as you buy him for the right price.
 
Ours will crib bite if he gets a chance but we've managed to completely stop him and he doesn't seem at all bothered. We have electric tape running 6" above the fence posts so he can't get his mouth on. On the stable door we use an anti-cribbing paste. Strangely, he's never tried to do it on his field drink tank. Hasn't cribbed in a year but you kinda know he wants to!! We got him cheap and their was no way we could normally afford an event horse of his quality. So, so glad we took the plunge.
 
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