Some horses practice a compulsive behavior which is known as cribbing. Once afflicted by this disease, the horse tends to chew and bite objects with its front teeth and arches its neck while pulling at the object. In this process the horse also sucks in air. The exact reason behind this behavior is not known but it has been thought to be the release of pleasure chemicals in the brain called endorphins. In some unusual cases the horses crib without actually grasping any object.
Causes
Cribbing is a compulsive habit and can’t be regarded as a natural behavior. It develops due to boredom coupled with anxiety. It can also affect horses that are not bored or anxious. Mental stimulation is very important in such cases as it is seen to affect those horses that spend most of their time in their boxes.
A trend has also been noticed which suggests that if a horse cribs, the other horses may start cribbing by just imitating the horse. Although this can’t be said with conviction but it is a noticed trend.
There is also a prevalent idea that some kind of pain causes cribbing. This pain can breed from ulcers or colic. This observation has been made on discovering that the horses that crib are usually suffering from ulcers or colic. This has however been proven along with another suggestion that horses who have an unnatural feeding habit may get ulcers and then cribbing can affect them. These horses tend to have 1 or 2 feeds per day comprising of grains rather than pasture and this lack of energy results in lack of mental stimulation. So, we can conclude that both colic and cribbing can be caused by unnatural food.
Symptoms
The horse will start chewing and biting objects with its front teeth and arch its neck while pulling at it.
Treatment
Kicking the habit will become really tough if the horse takes to it badly. Make sure that the horse is treated soon after the behavioral disease has been diagnosed. If the chewing is done with great intensity and frequently then the horse might damage its teeth and have abnormal muscle growth in its neck area. The area will thicken and various other illnesses such as colic may affect it. So, immediate attention is required.
a. The first thing that can be done is to fight the boredom and relocate the horse to a new area. This will keep him engaged and it will refrain from frequent cribbing. This may be a temporary cure but this won’t terminate the problem completely.
b. The chewable objects can be painted with something that tastes horrible. This may deter the horse from chewing it. The paint has to be approved by a vet first as some paints are poisonous. There are various products designed to serve this purpose. You can also use something homemade.
c. If your horse has a habit of chewing fences then you could use fencing wires with electricity to discourage that. This can be placed on top of the rails and will be very effective.
d. A cribbing collar, also known as a cribbing strap can be used. This is made to fit around the neck and prevents the horse from sucking air by swelling its neck as it gets difficult and unpleasant.
e. Anti-depressants or calming medicines are known to have had positive effects on this uncanny disease. It reduces stress to a large extent and is known to replace the endorphins related to this disease.
f. A muzzle can also help as it will just allow the horse to eat and not grasp at any object.
g. If cribbing poses a threat to the health of your horse then surgery would be necessary.
Different horses will react positively to different treatments, so you need to try all of the above.
Frequently asked questions:
1. What is the difference between cribbing and wood chewing?
Ans: Cribbing can be confused with wood chewing but both of these signify different things. If a cribber bites a wooden object, there will be teeth marks on it and it can be confused with wood chewing but a cribber will just chew the wooden piece and not nibble at it.
2. What harm can cribbing cause?
Ans: If the horse is constantly cribbing on something hard then it may damage its teeth and cause abnormal muscle development on its neck area.
Things to avoid:
1. The environment where the horse is should provide some interest to it, to help in mental stimulation. The horse should not face boredom or depression due to lack of activity.