What if?

[L.E. Stevens]

What if ya had a real handy, good lookin gelding that could do about everything ya asked of him & he suddenly started to crib. Would ya keep him :???: Or what if ya were lookin to buy a good workin horse & ya found one, but it cribbed, would ya buy it :???:

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

There's two different kind of cribbin, the first is suckin air and swollowin it, sometimes they bite onto somethin and stretch their neck out then swollow, sometimes not. Improper diet and feedin has also been found to contribute to cribbin.
Cribbin can lead to serious health problems, such as poor digestion, colic, and all sorts of dental problems.

The other more common type of cribbin is chewin stall or fence boards. Horses that are pastured are less likely than one's kept in a stall. It's not known what causes them to do this for sure, but boredom and stress are thought to contribute to it. Horses in the wild have never been reported to crib (either form) because 90 percent of the time they are out grazin.

If it were me, it would depend on the amount of pasture I had to put this horse in, or if it would be kept in a stall. If I had no choice and it was to be in a stall, I'd not want one that was a cribber, no matter how good the horse. I've seen barns/stalls that are literally almost chewed up to the point of rebuilding, and it don't take em long for them to do it if they are bad about it.

 

[Faster horses]

Cribbing (wind sucking) releases endorphins in the brain, which of course makes a horse feel good. That is why it is all but impossible to stop. You can put a cribbing collar on a horse which is a big strap that goes around their neck right up by their head. It won't allow the horse to take in the needed air. I have seen horses that are bad cribbers, go up to fence post in a pasture and suck on it. It is a really bad deal, for the reasons Jersey Lilly posted.

Wood chewing, on the other hand can be a mineral deficiency. Supply the minerals they need and there is a good chance of stopping it. It is sometimes caused from boredom, but can have other causes. When cattle chew wood, it is a condition known as "Pica" and can be cured with
mineral.

As for the boredom part, Gene Ovenick,fairier and founder of EDSS (Equine Digital Support System) says horses are programmed to travel 6 miles a day. When they are shut up and can't travel these other vices manifest themselves.

BTW, cribbing (wind sucking) is considered an UNSOUNDNESS.
If you have a good horse that started cribbing, I would do what I needed
to do to help him. If I had an opportunity to buy a good horse that cribbed, I would certainly walk away. You would just be buying a
big problem.

Hope this helps.

 

[EastTexasGal]

L.E. I think I will come back to this when I can think just how I want to write my answer.

I do agree in the norms of things as far as what Cribbing is. And I will add one more to it...HEREDITY! Had a stud that cribbed all his life, had 2 colts that were never around him...they cribbed as well. A&M and I have had this discussion many times during their clinics lol.

Anyway, I will come back as to my feelings on horses that do...and the buying of them or for that matter selling.

Easty

 

[OldDog/NewTricks]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbing_(horse)

Cribbing (horse)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Cribbing is a type of vice (bad habit) developed by horses. It involves the horse grabbing a solid object, such as the stall door or fence rail, with his incisors, arching his neck, pulling against the object, and sucking in air. Like most vices, cribbing is thought to cause the release of endorphins in the horse's brain, causing a sensation of pleasure. It has recently been determined that the horse does not actually swallow the air, as was once thought, and air does not collect in the animal's stomach.
[edit]

Causes
Cribbing is usually caused by boredom. It is therefore seen most often in horses that are stalled for long periods, or horses kept in fenced areas with poor pasture. Once a confirmed habit, the horse may crib in other places, such as out in a grassy field.
[edit]

Problems with Cribbing
Cribbing can harm both the horse and the stable. Horses wear down the incisors faster than the teeth can grow out, leading to erosion of the teeth and malocclusions, which can take years to correct. Tooth problems can lead to other, more serious, complications such as colic.
Cribbing is extremely damaging to the stable. Horses will oftentimes wear down their stall doors and fence rails.
[edit]

Prevention
A confirmed cribber is difficult to stop. Most horsemen rely on a cribbing collar but they are not always affective [1], which fits around the throat of the animal, just behind his cheekbone. The collar usually has an adjustable leather strap, to control the tightness, as well as a metal piece that goes under the throat. This piece prevents the horse from arching his neck, making cribbing difficult. A cribbing collar must be fit very snuggly to allow it to work correctly, although many horses will still crib with the collar on. Cribbing muzzles may also be used, as the horse can not grab anything with his teeth, but may still drink and graze without difficulty.
Wood fences may be protected from a cribber by running a strand of hot wire around it. It is also possible to paint the fence with a distasteful substance, to discourage a cribber from grabbing it in his mouth.
However, it is always best to never give the horse a chance to develop the vice, either by providing plenty of turn-out, or giving him something in his stall to interest him, such as hay or stall toys.
Actually, the best thing you can do about any stable vices is simply letting your horse to fulfill his natural needs. This can be achieved quite easily, just by letting him to be outside with other horses. Horses simply need to socialize with other horses. Cribbing is a sign of the horse's suffering from isolation.

Brake the Habit - - This takes Time but…
I would put a cribber in a stall – I had a bracket I could hang on a stall dore with a disk blade hanging on it… If the horse started anybad Habits I'd shoot the disk-blade with a BB Gun or through a rock at it… My Aussie would see this and soon earned to jump-up on the stall door if her saw a horse Cribbin or stall weaven

I hung a road-cone from the roof for the horse to play with.

 

[Faster horses]

A friend of ours owned a barn and indoor arena in W. Montana and he was faced with confined horses doing wierd things. He hung purex jugs
from the rafers in the stalls for the horses to play with. It worked for awhile...'til the horses ate the jugs and all that was left was the lids.

It is not natural for horses to be shut up all the time.

Have you ever seen a "weaver"? Watching a horse do that is pretty
upsetting.