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Cribbing is a behavioral problem, which sometimes develops in horses with insufficient mental stimulation (i.e. bored horses) and most commonly occurs in horses which spend long periods of time in stalls. Cribbing horses bite objects (such as fencing rails), while pulling backwards on the object and sucking air. It is believed that the horse does this because it causes the release of pleasurable brain chemicals (endorphins). The terms ‘wind sucking’ and ‘crib biting’ are alternative names for cribbing.

This habit is sometimes mistaken for wood chewing. Both activities involve biting on wood and causing damage to it. However, they are really different habits. With wood chewing, the horse simply nibbles on wood, typically to occupy itself and to meet its natural desire to chew. With cribbing, the horse does not chew on the wood but simply grabs it so that it can stretch its neck so that it can suck in air. Examination of the damaged wood will show the difference as in one case it will be nibbled away whereas in the other it will show signs of being firmly bitten and then pulled.

Cribbing should be treated as soon as possible to minimize damage to your horse’s health. Untreated, it will result in the horse wearing down and damaging its teeth, leading to dental issues. It will also result in the neck muscles growing and thickening in an abnormal way (which is an issue for show horses in particular). It is also associated with various illnesses, such as colic, but there has been insufficient research to understand the nature of the association (e.g. does cribbing cause colic, or are both cribbing and colic both promoted by excessive periods confined to stalls).

Fortunately, it is possible to treat cribbing. Since cribbing is mainly due to boredom and lack of mental stimulation, one needs to provide the horse with interest and activity. Giving the horse as much pasture time as possible is very successful in reducing the amount of cribbing. Feeding should also be more interesting, with pasture feeding (eating grass) the optimum solution. If this is not possible, it should be moved to foods such as hay which have long chewing times rather than grain or muesli (which have short eating times and thus little stimulation). Many small feeds per day are better than one or two large feeds. Anything else which provides variety and stimulation, such as exercise and grooming, is also beneficial.

Unfortunately, once the habit of cribbing has been established, removing the cause will only reduce the frequency but not completely remove the cause. One also needs to stop the behavior as well. This can be very difficult as the horse can crib not only on wood, but on any item which in can hold tightly with its teeth and pull on. There are a variety of techniques to address this but no one technique works with all horses, so you may need to try different techniques until you find one that works with your horse.

One common approach is a cribbing strap (also known as cribbing collar), which fits around the neck and holds a small metal plate to the underside of the neck, making cribbing uncomfortable. Alternatively, one can use a special muzzle which fits over the head, preventing the horse from reaching objects with its teeth but still allowing it to feed through the metal grill. Painting fence rails with a specialty paint which gives them a bad taste (use only the veterinary approved paints) will discourage cribbing on them, as will adding a fencing wire (with electrical current) to the top of rails. Some horse owners have also reported improvements with certain medications (e.g. anti-depressants for the horse). Finally, there is a surgical solution which involves cutting certain neck muscles and nerves to make cribbing physically impossible, although this should be seen as a final option.

Successful treatment of cribbing requires that one both improve its conditions (more activity, less boredom) and that one physically discourage cribbing using one or more of the above techniques. Either method on its own is likely to have only limited success.

This article on Horses Cribbing was written by Duber Stewart, the owner of Horses For Sale

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