Would you buy something that cribs

be positive said:
Crib biters make a noise as they suck the air in, windsuckers don't hold anything so are far harder to prevent from doing it.
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I find it so hard to get my head round that as we were always told a cribber does not swallow air/not saying your wrong as I can see you are in fact correct but it seems to be one of those things that has been burnt into my brain and I cant change it.
 
I have an ex-racer who cribs. Stereotypically also had history of ulcers.

I wouldn't have another again. Mine is carefully managed (high fibre, no sugar, garlic etc) and he does only do it after meal times and when very stressed but when he starts he just does not stop. I have him in a field which has electric to keep him off the posts, and if he wants to, he will just crib on one of my other horses. I have had to put a collar on him at some livery yards which is also upsetting, but he would otherwise have taken the door off the stable/taken down fence posts. And he by no means is bad! In fact, a lot of people never realised that he cribbed/had forgotten until he gets mega stressed.

Luckily mine is a complete pig, so he will eat until he is full. The only time he seriously dropped weight was when he was in hospital after his KS/neurectomy operations and then he cribbed all day instead of eating - I was in tears when I went up to see him as he was so upset and had lost so much weight.
 
Mrs G said:
There's more annoying noise-related vices that I can think of than cribbing! But all vices are just that - you would rather they didn't have them but somewhere along the line 'we' have caused the horse to develop these coping mechanisms. If you buy a horse with a vice and you manage to reduce it or even cure it then hats off to you; it gives me something to strive for and means I will continuously try to improve my horses way of life as much as I can but I don't think he will stop completely - its an ingrained habit now, my big beautiful 'thumbsucking' baby!
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I wouldn't buy anything with a stereotypy, noisy or otherwise- mostly because it is indicative of previous stresses in life that have not been conducive to their mental well being- and am not likely to want a TB though either! The horse in the stable next to mine cribs incessantly and i do find it quite difficult to deal with (it's a bit nails down a blackboard for me).
 
No, I wouldn't unless it was very mild. I loan an ex racer that cribs, he's a nightmare to keep weight on as he just stands in his field cribbing - it is a lot of hassle and I wouldn't have another who has the same habit.
 
I bought an eventer that cribbed chronically. Best horse ever. Totally amazing to ride, floated and positively glided over everything you put in front of him. He'd fly over every jump even when I messed up the approach.

I changed his routine and diet, let him sort his head out and in ten years, he never had colic and was easy to keep weight on, only required a simple high fibre diet.

He was relatively cheap to buy and keep.

There may be horses out there without problems, but there are very few horses as good as he was.
 
Yes, I would and have :) best horse I have ever owned! Yes the noise can be a little irritating at times but other than that it doesn't bother me!
I just keep him on a high fibre, low sugar diet and feed him a gut supplement and always make sure he has plenty hay when stabled.
In the field i have had to knock a few posts back into place but that's about it they have plenty grass and you only see him occasionally at the fence line
 
I did buy one and he is the most amazing horse Ive ever come across. He was a desperate cribber to start with, but with turnout, work and access to forage when hes in he hardly does it. He takes the bite on the door and continues eating or dozing. I regulary change his routine, times etc. and he's fine, because he was gradually eased into the odd routine. He has no ewe neck or over developed underside of neck and is a good doer - the opposite to when I got him first. Its all down to management.
 
I had a TB for many years who cribbed incessantly, although he was living out 24/7 and was not a stressy sort of horse. This was in the days before anyone thought about ulcers. Anyway I would never have another .As he got older it became worse by the time he was 18 had totally worn down his front teeth and was impossible to get any sort of condition on. Didn't do the fence posts much good either.
 
My TB is 18 and cribs and is the best horse I've ever owned. We compete successfully, she holds her weight well and her teeth are fine. The vet comes out every year to do her teeth and always remarks how in good condition they are! She doesn't crib in the field but just in the stable regardless of it she has food in there or not just because she is not keen on getting stabled. I would have another cribber as long as they are able to do their job as to me, it's the least out of all the vices.
 
Dylan (who I had for nearly 8 years) cribbed after hard feed. None of the other horse on the yard ever picked it up. If you like the horse otherwise then go for it, it certainly wouldn't put me off :)

ETA - he was in the same stable the whole time I had him and the only damage he did was creating a slight groove in the top of the door.
 
I look after my friends section d, and he cribs. Only does it when in the stable, haven't seen him do it in the field. He's 23 now, and it's never been a problem keeping weight on him until the last 2 years, when he was diagnosed with cushings. Weight is looking good at the moment. His teeth are checked every 6 months, and dentist said his teeth are good, other than old boy wear and tear.
 
A cribber needs to 'hold' something to take in air, a windsucker can take in air without the aid of a door/fence.
As far as the OP goes I would say it's very much a personal preference.
I have had one cribber in the past and currently have another (both ex-racehorses), it didn't affect them in any way but did cause a bit of wear and tear on fencing/doors. I would definitely have another if it was the right horse and I wasn't buying to sell on. My daughter on the other hand cannot bear the habit and wouldn't have another cribber.
 
Obie is a cribber. He never raced but comes from racing background, went through the yearling sales (it was declared there) but never went past training. It's pretty ingrained in him, now, though I do think he's doing it less as he settles, and now that he has been put on a proper feed. I'm not having trouble getting weight on him; he was underweight when I got him, but through research it does appear that his last owner simply kept him 'lean' as she wasn't able to manage him when he was feeling well.

As for whether I would buy one, it would depend on the horse. Obie's owner didn't declare that he cribbed, and if she had done, I'd have still taken him but would definitely have talked the price down (though, I did once I found out, anyway). It doesn't bother me too much, and he has no history of gastric issues or ulcers. In every other way, he's simply wonderful, so is well worth the slight hassle.
 
My ex-racer cribbed. He only did it after meals and I didn't find it an issue. He didn't do it constantly, just for 5 minutes after he had eaten and that was it. It reminded me of having a fag after a meal!

His teeth were fine - perhaps wearing down a bit quicker than normal but that was it.

I would hesitate to buy a cribber if it was a 24 hour thing, but just after hard feed is managable I think.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
yes i would. we have a quiet small private yard where we can minimise stress and are able to pander to a quirky horses needs.

it wouldnt bother me if it was super talented.
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It's not super talented - it would be my definition of the perfect horse - looks and conformation wise it is spot on, it's five, it's got good feet, scopey jump and a cracking attitude to life. The difference in price means that I would get my ideal horse without making any hefty dints on my savings account which is why I thought it would be worth a punt. I'm going to look at it on Saturday so I will keep you all updated.
 
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