What is cribbing? Can it be fixed?

Cribbing is when a horse bites down and sucks in air while partially closing their throat. This lets out endorphins and can become addictive (much like smoking.) This habit is VERY difficult to stop but a few people I've talked to have claimed that they made it impossible for their horses to crib and they eventually forgot about it. My mare wears a leather cribbing collar constantly and it keeps her from cribbing. Some people think that these collars are cruel but that is possibly because they've never owned a cribber. The collars simply go around their upper neck and that way they cant expand their necks to crib. Don't worry, this DOESN'T restrict breathing, eating, or drinking. If all else fails, use a grazing muzzle. It isn't good to continue letting your horse crib! Even if they are not hurting any of you posts, gates, or stalls, cribbing gives them ulcers in their stomachs. See a vet if you think your horse could have ulcers already because this could also cause the cribbing in the first place (to escape pain)!!!!!

I agree with Mallory, but I thought I'd just give you a little more info about cribbing. First, a horse usually starts because of boredom. If it sits in a stall for a while with nothing to do, it usually paces around and can start cribbing. When a horse cribs, the horse will usually hook, or put their top teeth on a post or another protruding object. They'll arch their neck, pulling against the object, and suck in huge gulps of air. It has been known to cause Colic and stomach ulcers. If your horse is tearing up your wooden fences or stalls, then that is usually not caused by them cribbing. Nine times out of ten your horse has lignophagia. It is an undesirable habit, much like cribbing. This habit is also known as wood-chewing. The endorphins these habits release, though, cause pleasure. They aren't addictive. This is an extremely bad habit. I personally don't use a cribbing collar as when I tried to use one it didn't turn out so well. I had gotten him from an old farmer who didn't have time to mess with him. He left him in a stall alone for nearly two months. When I got him, he was extremely barn sour and a terrible cribber. We tried the collar on him, but the only way it would work is if we put it on quite tight. It rubbed his neck raw and made him extremely head shy. When we let him out in the pasture with our other horses for about 3 months the problem just faded away. He's still a bit nervous about going into a stall, but he no longer cribs. I believe he just had so much he could do that he didn't have the time to crib anymore.

Cribbing is a habit developed by horses, usually related to stress. It is when a horse chews consistently on things like stable doors, fencing etc.

It can often be fixed, generally it's a sign of boredom so often people see a marked improvement by introducing some variety into a horse's life - most often trying to get them turned out into their field as much as possible helps a huge ammount.

There is also some link between horses who crib bite and digestive discomfort, such as ulcers - so that's another thing to look at to see if there is any discomfort to cause it.

Some horses, with some lifestyle changes and a nail on what causes the problem can be fixed. But it is also a big habit, and once a horse learns to crib bite it's hard work to get them to completely stop.

As in windsucking?

My horse was an awful windsucker when we first bought him. He cam from a dealer who had him in the stable all day and not worked for months, so he developed the cribbing habit to relief his boredom and anxiety.

It's incredibly difficult to stop and pretty frustrating. It's taken a lot of rehabilitating to get him to cut down the amount of windsucking he does, mostly by:

.Giving him things to keep him busy, like toys or licks.

.Having him on 24/7 turnout

.Removing any possible windsucking areas like fences, or putting electric fencing over the fence.

.Keeping him as stress-free as possible

.Balancing his energy levels (feed) and workload, so he doesn't have excess energy.

Even after changing his life around like this, he still occasionally windsucks and he will never stop. Cribbing releases endorphins and is like a drug to an addict.

However, some horses crib because of pain, specifically stomach ulcers. This is a whole different ball game and requires vet attention and and possibly a supplement.

Cribbing is when a horse bites objects, and sucks. This is kind of like "getting high" for horses. They pick up this habit usually from either bordem or they watch another horse do it and it looks like fun. It can be prevented by purchasing a cribbing collar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mPk5_DgPXc