Cribbing. How do you feel about it?

Cribbers can be extremely destructive to themselves and their surroundings. They break their buckets, wear down wooden surfaces, ruin fences, etc. They can also ruin their own teeth. The act of cribbing wears down their top teeth. They can get splinters from cribbing on wood. Wind sucking can cause colic. Cribbing can also lead to awkward muscle development on the neck. And you need to keep in mind that horses can learn from examples, so pasture mates can learn to crib by watching another horse crib. My own horse, Rags, is a cribber. He was a cribber before my family owned him, and since we've had him, we've tried a whole slew of treatments. Cribbing can be caused by two things. The #1 cause is boredom. Another potential but not as common cause is a vitamin deficiency. There are supplements made for horses who crib that are supposed to satisfy their cravings by filling gaps in their diet. This did not work for Rags, but it might work for some cribbers. There are also ways to prevent cribbing by making changes in their environment to deter the cribbing, such as putting strips of prickly plastic on the surfaces where they crib, or putting something non-toxic but bad-tasting on the surfaces where they crib (such as pepper jelly). This did not work for Rags either. Or you can use a collar. There are many, many different kinds. You just have to experiment. Rags does best with a Miracle Collar. Another alternative is just to remove the opportunity to crib. Keep your horse in a stall that has no window ledges or half-doors to grab onto. Feed them out of a pan on the floor and hang their bucket low enough that they can't crib on them (but not so low that they could get a foot in it), and house them in a pasture with an electric wire across the top. It also helps to keep the horse from getting bored. Keep them on turnout as much as possible, make sure they always have access to forage and keep toys, mineral blocks, and treats to lick in their stall.

For me, the best solution to Rag's cribbing problem is a collar and keeping him outside as much as possible. Cribbing is certainly not a deal breaker on a horse for me, hence why I own a cribber. It's a pain but it can be dealt with.

I've had two cribbers in my life. The horse would have to be beyond the horse of my dreams to ever again get a horse that cribs. The habit is annoying, they can teach it to other horses, it can (and usually does) damage their teeth (not to mention fences and stalls), and dealing with putting a cribbing collar on all the time is just a giant paint in the butt.

Many times the habit forms out of boredom. It's usually at it's worst when a horse is stalled for long periods of time. The two cribbers I had rarely cribbed when they were turned out, and if you don't have a wood fence that helps as well.

Cribbers are annoying and there are a ton of health issues that go along with them. Colic, ulcers, dental issues, even arthritis in their jaw, as my vet recently told me. With that being said, they can still be great horses if they are managed properly.

If you want to buy a cribber, see if/how his owners are preventing cribbing, what he is fed, how much turnout he has, and if he has any health issues. If he hasn't been cribbing long and the owners have done nothing to stop him, then he may easily be stopped with a collar and some turnout time. A muzzle may be necessary for the worst cribber. You also need to see if your facilities will help prevent cribbing - are there a lot of surfaces where he can crib? Will he have access to turnout on grass with other horses?

One of my current horses is a terrible cribber. We "crib-proofed" her stall - rubber buckets, tons of hay and toys, no available surfaces - and now she cribs on her salt block. However, she's still an awesome horse and I wouldn't trade her for the world.

I think cribbing is really bad. It destroys things, and it's bad for the horse. I would put a cribbing collar on the horse if I had a cribber. I've never actually known a cribber. I would buy a cribber only if it ocassionally cribbed. If it did it all the time, then I would never get it.

Cribbers can do damage to their teeth and accidentally inhale something. There is one at my barn and we put on a cribbing collar. The horse can still crib per say but it doesnt give them the high without the collar. Having a horse that cribs wouldnt deter me if it is a well rounded horse and the skills that I want.

I HATE cribbers.

Most horses I know wear cribbing collars (that don't work very well..) cause then they put this plastic spiky stuff whenever they crib in their stalls.

I would only buy a cribber if the horse was absolutely perfect in every other way for me.

Some health problems can be Colic, weight loss, and wearing down the teeth. Google has way more answers if you look it up.

And I could care less if a horse is a cribber..........put them in a electric fence and they can't crib lol.

Like I just stated put them in a electric fence where they can't crib.......or put a cribbing collar on them, but the Electric Fence works MUCH better.

Cribbing is not only annoying, it is potentially dangerous to the horse. It can wear down teeth, splintered wood can be inhaled or end up in the gut, and let's not forget the thousands of dollars in property damage a single cribber can cause. I would not knowingly buy a cribber, the habit is almost impossible to break.

I cant stand cribbing it drives me crazy. Dont get me wrong i own a horse that does it and it drives me nuts. I have tried litteraly everything on her and it doesnt work. She is in pasture and gets road for atleast 1-3 hours a day. everyday so shes not bored. She get 2-3 flakes of alfalfa in the morning and the same amount in the evening. She also gets grained. Just a mix of beetpulp alfalfa pellets senior rice and wheat bran. Nothing that makes her "hot" so shes not hungy. Shes been in a fence made of nothing but hotwire and she cribbed on her waterbucket. She does it right through a cribbing collar. I baught a cribbing muzzle and she completly demolished it in 3 days i also tried the grain" quit" it didnt help. I mean i love her the same and i will never get rid of her because she dooes everything from trail and swimming to barrels and roping to jumping. I would love to find something to make her stop but ive had no luck so far.

@ barefoot. She has cribbed her whole life and shes 6 ive onle had her for 3 years so its not my fault she cribs. The wheat bran keeps their digestive system regular. Talk to your vet about it. I have talked to mine before i started my horses on what they are on. And if it was what i was feeding them then all 6 of my horses would crib because they all get the exact same thing. Thank you. But next time know your facts before you critize someone else.

i think cribbers are annoying because they eat the barn. i would probably still buy one because i know it can be stopped, just like sucking your thumb or chewing your nails its just a bad habit. my horse used to actually eat the wood he bit off he doesnt any more cause i stopped him when ever he did it. cribbing collars work great and when theres no collar on, dish soap where they like to crib works good too.