Would you buy a horse that is known to crib?

P

ponios

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 March 2016
Messages
205
Visit site
Seller was up front from start, told me it cribbed in stable and field but but that it didn't do it obsessively. Horse holds condition and they think it is just out of boredom. I thought I was ok with this so went and tried it and I really like him, he is lovely and if it wasn't for the cribbing I would have no issues putting a deposit down. However now its got to this point I am starting to worry about the cribbing issue.

So I my question is would you buy a horse that cribs? The horse isn't cheap albeit it is cheaper then it would be if it didn't crib.
 
For me it would depend on the price. There's a good chance it is related to ulcers and the gold standard treatment is expensive. Insurance wouldn't cover it as it is pre existing - is it a TB or ex competition horse?
 
I personally wouldn't, mainly because of the difficulty that you can have as a livery if you have a cribber. I know of yards that won't have them.
If I was able to keep the horse at home and completely manage it the way I wanted to try and reduce the need to crib then maybe, but only assuming I wasn't intending to sell on. And as per blitznbobs I'd want to know there wasn't a medical reason that it was inclined to crib.
 
milliepops said:
I personally wouldn't, mainly because of the difficulty that you can have as a livery if you have a cribber. I know of yards that won't have them.
If I was able to keep the horse at home and completely manage it the way I wanted to try and reduce the need to crib then maybe, but only assuming I wasn't intending to sell on. And as per blitznbobs I'd want to know there wasn't a medical reason that it was inclined to crib.
Click to expand...

This would be my response too.
I'm horse hunting currently and there is a lovely TB for sale down the road but its price is massively reduced for the cribbing. As I might have to go into livery if I lose the yard I rent, the cribbing put me off so I didn't view.
 
It has not been scoped. How much does it cost to scope a horse? I am wondering if I suggest the owner scopes it to be certain that there are no ulcers, I assume I wont be the only prospective owner that would be concerned about the cribbing? At least that way they can say with certainty no heath problems.

It would be living at home and I have a stable that is set back so hopefully it wont impact the other horses (as long as they don't pick up on it in the field!). We intend to live where we are for a long long time (until too old!) so the livery issue is not a problem.

It is a 5 y/o ID x TB currently not a competition horse. Lives on a private yard at present. I would almost prefer it to be on a busy yard so I could kid myself that if it came home to my quiet yard it would be better!
 
ponios said:
It has not been scoped. How much does it cost to scope a horse? I am wondering if I suggest the owner scopes it to be certain that there are no ulcers, I assume I wont be the only prospective owner that would be concerned about the cribbing? At least that way they can say with certainty no heath problems.
Click to expand...

TBH ulcers would be the best case scenario - they are treatable. A confirmed habit wouldn't be, and would be likely to develop into full on windsucking with the impact on dentition etc.
 
If you keep your horses at home then yes I'd go for it if it ticks all your other boxes.

My hubby's old TB was a crib biter (ex racehorse) and to the best of my knowledge he never passed it on to any other horse. He wasn't more prone to colic either, though we obviously watched him carefully, and he lived until his late 20's.

Fiona
 
As above. I have a severe cribber and over the years I’ve wanted to go to various yards when he was my only horse but found we weren’t welcome anywhere!
 
ponios said:
Seller was up front from start, told me it cribbed in stable and field but but that it didn't do it obsessively. Horse holds condition and they think it is just out of boredom. I thought I was ok with this so went and tried it and I really like him, he is lovely and if it wasn't for the cribbing I would have no issues putting a deposit down. However now its got to this point I am starting to worry about the cribbing issue.

So I my question is would you buy a horse that cribs? The horse isn't cheap albeit it is cheaper then it would be if it didn't crib.
Click to expand...

I personally wouldn't have a cribber. It can increase the risk of colic, stomach ulcers and damage the teeth not to mention the stabling and fencing. In fact where ever and whenever it is tied up. Whether you could prevent it from doing so is another matter.

That is why when you go to look at a horse to buy you should always ask to see it loose in its usual stable. You can then assess any damage to doors and how it behaves when in the stable environment.
 
Not in a million years, mainly for the reasons mentioned by hopscotch bandit, but also because it irritates the **** out of other liveries having to listen to it.
 
Having bought a windsucker (unknowingly) who turns out to crib as well - though not at same time - I would say no way!

Mine is a 4 year old tb, who is wonderful, but the damage she causes is unreal!

She strips wood completely off the vertical posts of the fencing, so will have to go for something like Clip-ex fencing to stop that. Everything needs redoing anyway but thats not the point...as if it was brand new she would've done the same! Shes kept at home so no issue there but if she ever had to be on a yard for some reason I think I'd struggle...

She also will chew at walls/stables etc! She is being scoped and I do suspect ulcers but have a feeling it is a long ingrained habit already in any case
 
If a horse ticks my boxes, I don't really mind what he does in his own time. I'd want to rule out ulcers before buying though.
I've got a mega cribber here - one of my liveries. He's a 28year old TB who has cribbed all his life, and has no top teeth left as a result. He hasn't been scoped, but we treat him as if he's got ulcers. He's a bit skinny, and has to be managed carefully, as he struggles with grazing short grass and coarse hay, but he's doing ok for an old man.
 
short answer no..... i had a horse which cribbed from when she was 11,,, it drove me mad.....when i moved to somewhere with more turnout time she improved but it didnt stop her cribbing after her feeds, when she was 20 she was diagnosed with cushings, after about 6 weeks on prascend the cribbing completely stopped and she never did it again,,,,,IMO the cushings was the cause of her cribbing so in her case it was the change inside her body which caused it and i think she maybe had cushings at age 11....
 
Cribbing doesn't bother me if it isn't manic. If the horse isn't wind sucking at the same time. But even then I really am too laid back and wouldn't mind!

I also don't mind mild weavers or box walkers. I have yet to meet a mild weavers that had done a soft tissue or bone injury during their racing careers. That's not to say they didn't get arthritis a bit earlier later on in life.
 
No - not for any other reason than it would drive me mad!! I enjoy my horses as a means of relaxation and this would definitely put me on edge.
 
I would, but only if the horse ticked all my boxes and I had my own land. I'd also be prepared to get the horse scoped and treated for ulcers if necessary, and would aim for the horse to live out as much as possible. My sister's horse used to crib really badly (damaging fences etc) and was treated for ulcers, but still continued to do it (I think it just becomes habit after a while). However several years ago I went out and bought a load of electric rope and plastic hooks, and ran a length of electric rope all the way round the field along the top of the fence line. We've since moved yards and I've used the same system. The rope gets electrified, and he can no longer crib. He lives out so don't have to worry about stabling. He has put on so much weight and condition, it's actually amazing! We used to have fairly regular episodes of mild colic with him, but now he hasn't had one in years! t would recommend a similar management set up - will protect your fencing too!
 
Nope, I’ve given up buying know problems , i only buy unknown ones now😉, I’ve worked out it’s better to invest a bit more up front than invest unknown amounts in a known problem .
 
I had one - an ex bs 14.2hh pony and was fab! Wouldn't have been able to afford him if he didn't have that vice. Yes it was irritating and he did destroy fencing over time but the good times outweighed all of this.

However if you are at any time planning to sell the horse on, just bear in mind it may limit your market and have an impact on the price.
 
It would have to exceptional and I mean exceptional at doing something before I would consider it .
I would be considering what treatment and diagnostics had been done to find out why it was cribbing .
Much cribbing is caused by ulcers and many cases of ulcers are caused by undiagnosed pain so it would not be an easy sell to me .
I would be thinking about how much the new injectable ulcer treatment costs and if I was up for keeping the horse on it .
I can’t bear watching horses cribbing .
 
If the price reflected that and it ticked all the other boxes and wasn't likely to be sold on in the short term it wouldn't bother me.
 
Nope, never again.

I bought a stunning WB/TB 4 yr old, she had done nothing other than the very basics. My dressage instructor said he’d never seen a horse that moved so well. She was amazing. 4 months after I bought her, I had to have her PTS.

She was a cribber. I had her scoped for ulcers very soon after buying her. Grade 4 ulcers pretty much everywhere. Gold standard treatment commenced. Then she started colicking, had 4 really bad bouts in 10 days. Referred to an internal medicine specialist, multiple abdominal scans, biopsies etc. The poor mare was riddled with early stage lymphoma. No kind option other than to pts. I’m convinced the cribbing was due to the discomfort of the ulcers. Whether the ulcers were directly related to the lymphoma I don’t know, but surely associated. I appreciate this is an uncommon scenario but I could never have another that cribbed after what we went through. 😥😥😥
 
Another 'never again' - not seen any research documented by my experience would suggest that either the cribbing or the ulcers that may or may not be behind it weaken the horse's immune system - when we realised that mine was a cribber at the age of 3, my trainer strongly recommended selling him on, as he had trained a cribber that was always a bit anxious, prone to infection and slow to heal from any injuries. Mine turned out to be the same - he had sarcoids, two severe colics, skin allergies, you name it! He never improved that much even after ulcer treatment, although with change of diet and plenty of grass he did put on weight. He was such a lovely horse I didn't want to let go but it was a problem all his life - even when turned out 24/7 he would find something to crib on, in one case a low branch in the hedgerow. You say yours would be at home so no issues with livery yard owners, but are you prepared to have stable doors, walls and fences trashed?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top