Learn About Horse Cribbers

 horse spends as much time as possible on pasture and has a lot of social contact with other horses. There is some evidence to suggest that certain grain diets may increase the risk of this habit developing.

Can Cribbing Hurt the Horse?

There is no doubt that cribbing can have a negative impact on a horse's health. It can increase a horse's risk of getting colic or stomach ulcers.2 Also, excessive tooth wear may also affect the ability of older cribbers to eat properly. Cribbing may also result in weight loss; some horses may prefer to crib than eat. Alternatively, it is thought that excess air in the stomach from cribbing may decrease a horse's appetite.3

How to Control Cribbing?

There is no absolute method to stop cribbing in certain horses, but there are ways to cope. Here are some suggestions that have been tried by those who have cribbers.

• A cribbing collar or a cribbing strap makes it uncomfortable for the horse to do the cribbing behavior by preventing the horse from flexing his neck muscles as he pulls back to gulp air. The strap makes it uncomfortable for the horse to flex his neck but the strap doesn't harm the horse.
• Diets that contain more forage and less grain seem to have less cribbing implications.
• A toy has been shown to reduce cribbing rates, as has more outdoor activity and socialization.
• You can eliminate cribbing surfaces or electrify cribbing surfaces such as fence posts