My horse doesn't crib anymore!

[Meredith Clark]

I just had to share with you guys, since there's always so many topics about cribbing (not as many as being barefoot but ya know..:lol: )

Jay is an OTTB and I got him when he was 5. He had already worn his front teeth to nubs from cribbing at the track and nothing I did seemed to make it better. He would crib ANYWHERE.. he cribbed on my steel trainer wheel-well and left horrid scrap marks. I tried adjusting his diet, straps, muzzles, anything.

I'm not sure exactly why he doesn't crib anymore but I have some ideas:

1) he's out 24/7 in a 20 acre field with good grass

2) he's not fed any grain

3) the barn is very low key, not alot of people coming or going

4) he's got a well balanced herd of happy horses; 3 mares 1 gelding

I NEVER thought Jay could be off grain, there was a time that he was getting 16lbs a day (senior feed, racebran, beat pulp anything!) and he always had trouble with ulcers and keeping weight.

I'm not saying this is going to work for anyone else, or if I move him he still won't crib but the man has not cribbed for 2 months and i'm tickled pink! :winkgrin::D

[MistyBlue]

That's fantastic! You must be grinning from ear to ear.
Sounds like he was a stress cribber...and some do stop when stresses are removed. Some may start from stress but then have the habit so ingrained that they never stop. And there's probably a million other reasons why some crib, some don't, some stop, etc.
But there isn't much that produces bigger grins than a bad cribber finally stopping. :D

[Meredith Clark]

It's such a good feeling :D <--- me!

Jay was always "that horse" or the bad horse or "why does he have to do that" horse

It was so nice talking to the BO today and having her not really know much about him... he finally blends in with the herd!

[CatOnLap]

that's great for you and the horse. Congrats on being able to give your boy what he really needed to be happy!

[Nezzy]

my guess is that his ulcers have cleared up and he was probably only cribbing b/c of ulcers. Good Luck.

[Androcles]

I'm sure all the people telling caballus her horse has not improved, probably never really had the problem, is just coincidental, and you didn't test him, and don't know what 'cured' him, have no double blind studies to back up the science, will come here and tell you the same about yours.

[Trees4U]

We had an OTTB that had to wear a crib collar at home but NEVER needed one at horse shows. Even if he was there for a couple of weeks. Go figure. Certainly made the trainer alot happier :D:D:D

[Meredith Clark]

my guess is that his ulcers have cleared up and he was probably only cribbing b/c of ulcers. Good Luck.

He did have ulcers.. was treated with Gastro Guard and was given Ulcer Guard on an "as needed" basis. It would heal them but they'd come right back I guess (I was scoping him every 3 months or anything).

Succeed did help a lot, but he was just the type of horse that needed a life change, and maybe needed to grow up a little :winkgrin:

[Meredith Clark]

I'm sure all the people telling caballus her horse has not improved, probably never really had the problem, is just coincidental, and you didn't test him, and don't know what 'cured' him, have no double blind studies to back up the science, will come here and tell you the same about yours.

huh? who's Caballus? I think I missed that thread

[missamandarose]

Jay was always "that horse" or the bad horse or "why does he have to do that" horse


That's my Alfie, too! My trainer leases our current barn, and the property owners just look at Alfie like he is just awful because he cribs. He is doing better at this new place (we moved there in May) b/c the turn out is better, but he still cribs... somehow he broke his miracle collar in less than a month. The "chew stop" spray didnt work... someone recommended Cribox, too. Trainer and I have discussed changing his diet to include less grain... *shrug*

As the mother of a cribber... I am genuinely happy for you and your boy! :D for you!

[Androcles]

huh? who's Caballus? I think I missed that thread

You're probably lucky in having missed it or you might never have posted. There are a few threads (Lisa st. John, Lavender Sage, Raw Vegetables) where the OP has been thoroughly trashed for posting her anectodal experience stating her belief that her horse's physical condition has improved thanks to a diet change.

OTOH some anecdotal experiences are considered very valid substitutes for science here, certain posters and procedures, but the 'rules' haven't really been clearly laid out, though I'm sure the cognoscenti know what they are. So who knows where your experience fits in.

[TheHorseProblem]

One of the horses in my life is a life-long cribber. When he turned 25, he abruptly quit cribbing. It turns out it was because his teeth got so bad, it hurt to crib. Now that he's on bute for an unrelated medical condition, he's cribbing again. Luckily, his collar does the trick.

[cloudyandcallie]

Absolutely great!
While all the studies I've ready say it is heredity, I think lots of factors contribute to cribbing such as stress levels, turnout, etc.

Whatever works for your horse is the miracle cure for him, and might not work for others............but then again it might work for some.

Raw veggies, soy or no soy, shoes or no shoes.

ETA: I know that "Quitt" is for chewing, but it might help some cribbers stop.

[Meredith Clark]

You're probably lucky in having missed it or you might never have posted. .

oooh. I took a look at it. Thankfully I've never been scared about posting stuff on COTH if you can't say it here where can you? :lol:

[Auto Be A Storm]

I know the feeling except my boy cribbed from when he was 6 months till 16 weeks ago, I had a cribbing surgery done and he stopped right after. Eats like a horse now :)

[li'l bit]

Just to throw another angle into the mix:

My now 19 year old Hackney mare was a cribber when I got her. I took her off grain, gave her free choice hay, soaked her hay, put her on beet pulp, turnout 24/7 with access to stall if she wanted. Tried all the conventional suggestions for helping including the ulcer angle. The cribbing pretty much stayed the same. She came with a cribbing collar, but I threw it away. This was something that I could do due to the fact that I own my own little barn, I know that boarders do not have that choice.

Well, as time went by, my gelding slowly began to lose weight due to the fact that "Miss Cutie Pie" had free run of the place and was interfering with his ability to eat all of his rations of hay and supplements, and.........she was getting fatter!!!!

I decided that I needed to confine her more so that she was limited on how much she consumed and he could have as long as he wanted to finish his rations and have access to the grass also. By now, her diet had evolved to soaked alfalfa pellets with a ration balancer supplement plus timothy, and sometimes orchard grass hay, when I can get it. She gets confined to her stall for about 6-8 hours from morning until I get home from work, is let out, and then gets confined to her stall overnight after the night feeding.

I noticed about 3 weeks into this new routine that she was not cribbing any more. I have tried hanging out in the barn longer to see if she starts in and I have sneaked out during times when I thought she surely must be bored, but I have not been able to catch her at it. All her favorite cribbing spots are dry and untouched. WTH??? When I go out to let her out of her stall she is usually standing in the middle of it in a relaxed position with the posture of having been dozing in her stall.

So-o-o-o-o, just sayin'............what works for one, doesn't always work for the other one, and vice/versa. After all the conventional wisdom and article after article of how to manage a cribber, it seems that each horse has its own key to finding the answer to its cribbing behavior, and cribber owners shouldn't be afraid to look outside the box for ways to help their very special equines.