Cribbing Horse

Cribbing, the process of a horse biting down on a stationary wooden structure, applying pressure and then breathing in deeply, can be destructive to more than just your barn and stalls!

Cribbing has always been considered just as a bad habit, but, new information indicates that a horse who is used to this behavior may be responding to a digestive upset. The act of cribbing produces excess saliva that helps to buffer the stomach and can alleviate the pain of illnesses such as ulcers or other digestive problems.

In meeting a horse that cribs we should focus on searching the cause of this behavior and determine why the problem started. It can also be caused by extreme boredom and is usually associated with horses who spend most of their time in stall situations. It is important to say that cribbing is not a learned behavior achieved by seeing the stablemates doing it. 

The bad news is that this is an habit that's so hard to break: in fact, when the horse bites down on the wood and inhales, some endorphins are released and those can give the animal a sort of "high". This is why it gets difficult to deal with this problem: horses get addicted to what it does to their body. Unfortunately it can lead to colics, so all possible steps should be taken to "heal" our friend.

Remember: the first step is to understand why the problem started and a good idea is referring to you vet.

Credits: The Feed Room
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