What are your thoughts on cribbers?

[equinelaw]

Originally Posted by Fairview Horse Center

I can totally understand that with a Miracle Collar. Horses hate them. A stirrup leather works great, and they are not even aware that they are wearing one.

If they worked that great there would be no need for any Miracles at all. A whole lot of people bought those who had access to regular straps. Ever wonder why they were looking for a new design?

You can do a strap up too tight. Me and several others I have known have had to leave barns because BOs were so obsessed with tightening straps the horses were not healthy or happy or in some cases even safe. If a BO cannot admit there are some horses that will crib with a strap on, I do not want that BO in charge of my strap or horse. Control issues are not my favorite things.

That is the problem with cribbers. If you do not own your own place your horse will be unwelcome at many barns and chocked at others.

I would not buy another cribber. If I had one I would certainly keep it, but I would not go down that road again if i had a choice. Too many problems with the horses and the people.

[Thomas_1]

Over here cribbing is considered to be a major problem and as such it's always declarable at point of sale.

I personally wouldn't ever buy a horse that cribs and I won't have them on my yard either.

Likewise I wouldn't even want a horse of mine stabled next to one at a show ground. And again here the owner of a cribber needs to tell show committee staff and ordinarily they're put somewhere well out of the way of other horses.

There's plenty that never stop even though they have collars and a total change in regime and including a lot more turn out.

It's possible that with a total change of management techniques that you might be lucky and get one to stop and I've actually managed to achieve that myself but it was a youngster and had only just started cribbing so it had not become a totally embedded habit.

You might even be lucky in that a cribbing collar might restrict it whilst the horse is wearing it. I've come across plenty though that don't stop even with a collar despite what Fairview is posting.

IMO there's too many decent horses on the market to give cribbers a wide berth.

[DLee]

Actually, I don't have to do the Miracle Collar up that tight to stop him, and it is a yearling size (he's a fine boned TB), and he seems pretty darn comfortable. <shrug>

[sidepasser]

Never in LIFE will I own a cribber, I never have had a cribber but did board a horse that cribbed, he also chewed wood..sigh..

my beautiful wood fences..are being replaced - had to send that one down the road. He drove me NUTZ because he would rather crib than eat, would crib on the buckets, literally anything that didn't move. He was also prone to colic, his owner, asshat in hand, refused to let me put a cribbing strap on him nor a muzzle...

NEVER will I buy or board a cribber again, not even a "mild" only does it when stalled, cribber, I don't care if he won the Medal McClays and the Olympics all in the same month..

too much damage, too much care and maintenance and WORRY..worry will he colic, will he eat? Will he pull the top boards off the fence, will he...??? sigh..

I had a FEI dressage horse here too, horrible cribber, cribbed non stop, until I convinced owner to put a muzzle on the beast. She did..horse,,,gained weight..aha, this was before the advent of ulcer treatment and had I known then what I know now, I would have paid for her treatment myself (her owner would have too, beautiful mare and a real sweetie in the ring), but I had to line her stall with rubber matting, take out her bucket as soon as she was through eating, and put a muzzle on her 23 hours a day. Literally, she constantly needed to be muzzled or she would crib and not eat.

No I would never own, buy, lease, board or otherwise take in a horse that cribs. I am in the process of tearing out my board fencing and replacing. Talk about a large amount of CASH outlay..all because of the last horse that cribbed and chewed..yep he did both, would crib and then eat the boards.

The new boarding facility that got this horse had to put him in cattle panels and he was treated for ulcers but still cribs..he's 20 - he ain't gonna stop now.

[Lilykoi]

Never wanted a cribber, never thought I'd own one. Well, I own two. Some sort of strap configuration always works. They are in great flesh, teeth are fine, never colic and I've had one mare for over twenty years. Two of the best horses I've ever owned. Its controllabe and certainly not a deal breaker for me.

[Janet]

Originally Posted by PONY751

I just recently looked at a filly who is suitable in every way to my needs, however she is a "mild" cribber. I have my reservations, I don't like to go into a situation where there are already issues. Is it possible she will out grow it when she starts a training program? Are cribbers always cribbers? Your thoughts...

No she won't outgrow it. Once a cribber, they will almost always continue to crib any time you remove that cribbing strap. The one exception is the horse that cribs due to ulcers. In that case, once you clear up the ulcers, the cribbing may go away.

I have a cribber who wears a strap. I have had him for 17 years, he now 27. He is "good doer", he has never coliced, he never chews on the stall or fences.

As long as I have my own place, buying a cribber would be fine with me.

HOWEVER, if you need to board, you should know that lots of boarding barns won't take cribbers.

[county]

I've had a few over the years and they never bother me I have a brood mare now that cribs and shes been here 16 years. But I never ever lock a cribber in a stall, never lock them in a paddock they live in pastures up to 100 acres in size and with a herd of their peers. It gives them lots to do just grazing and keeping up with the others and less time to stand around and crib.

[anna's girl]

I have a mild mealtime cribber. I used to use the miracle collar and it did work. However after some research that i read here I took it off.
Her stall has metal on the top of the door and the fences are electric.
My BO didnt flinch when i told her she was a cribber and I dont stop her.
That is why I'm there!
It has been off for going on two years I just let her do it.

[Huntertwo]

I had a cribber and would never ever buy another...

I tried every strap that was out there. From the plain leather neck straps to the Miracle collars. Nothing deterred this horse.

This was a horse that despite having acres and acres of green pasture, would stand by the gate and crib!

It may be tougher to find a stable to board at because of the damage they cause. And the sound is maddening...

[winegum]

Cribbing is a pain. At the barn I board at we have had our fair handful of cribbers. The owners puts PVC pipe on the wood ledge in the stalls of the cribbers. One horse we have now cribs in his stall with a cribbing collar and the noise is unbearable sometimes.

I know cribbing can be a pain, but it really isn't the end of the world. If you like the filly enough in other aspects that you are truly interested in having her as a good mount, then i would suggest looking past the cribbing at a purchasing stand point and trying to remedy it the best you can with a collar. I don't have enough knowledge about cribbing to tell you if she will grow out of it, but there are several ways to deter her.

1)As I said, PVC pipe on stall ledges can still provide a cribbing space, but it prevents your wood from getting damaged and the PVC is a little harder for them to grip their teeth on.

2)A cribbing collar. there are various styles and brands to get. Read the reviews on each of them and ask other people with cribbers what collar they suggest. I have seen a standard cribbing collars and a mircale collar pass through our barn. I have also seen a shock collar, if you have the time to enforce it for a while and the money to invest in an item like that, then it could be a useful tool.

3) If your horse goes outside or will live outside, there is an option to help save the wood on the fences out there. the barn I board at put up electric wire across the top in the fields. Not only does this prevent some naughty horses from jumping over the fences or crashing through them when they get rowdy, it also prohibits cribbers from attacking the wood.

4)If a collar doesn't work, what about a muzzle? A cribber at our barn had to wear a muzzle 24/7 to stop the cribbing. This is of course more of an extreme resort, but if it is all that works then it may be an option.

I hope this helped and good luck with your decision

[elizabeth1]

If I were looking to purchase a performance horse and found one that met all the criteria I was looking for, I would purchase it and deal with the cribbing issue as long as such as the trainer and BO were well aware of the situation.

However, at this point in life, I'm not looking to own a show horse. Once upon a time I did.

The horses I own at this time will spend the coldest months at a boarding stable. I would not send a horse to this barn that would potentially mangle her lovely, well cared for barn. Therefore, given my position owning a cribber is not the right thing to do.

[Fairview Horse Center]

Originally Posted by equinelaw

You can do a strap up too tight. .

I disagree. If they are still cribbing, it is not tight enough, and if a boarder is not willing to adjust it properly, then I won't let them board here. It is totally irresponsible and inconsiderate of the other boarders and their horses to allow a cribber to crib.

Horses only get miserable with a collar when it is not tight enough. When they keep trying to crib, that causes the rubs and even open sores. The worst horses to stop are those with owners that keep loosening it, as the horses keep trying, and never learn that they just can't, so don't bother trying. Those are also the ones that are always coming off their last high, and miserable.

The design for a Miracle Collar was because people will not tighten the collar up. Using the word "miracle" was a brilliant marketing name, but sad for the horses as it draws so many people to use it.

[denovo]

If the horse was what I wanted in every other way, I would not discard it because of cribbing alone. I have not yet met a horse that a collar wouldn't stop the cribbing. Of course it doesnt' CURE the cribbing, but it stops it as long as the collar is on. A small price to pay for an otherwise ideal horse.

[amastrike]

Add me to the "I'll NEVER own a cribber" group. I hate hate hate cribbing.. the noise drives me insane. I can't handle it. Collars are such a pain. I'll stick with horses who don't have horrible, awful, obnoxious habits that make me want to throttle them.

[FancyFree]

I would never buy a cribber. If my horse was stalled next to one, I'd move. I've heard that's how horses learn to crib, from watching another. I've also heard that's an old wives' tale. But better to be safe than sorry.

I have nothing but sympathy for the owners of cribbers. They're always fretting about their horses, trying to find a solution. It must be discouraging.

I would pass on a cribber.

[Janet]

Originally Posted by FancyFree

I would never buy a cribber. If my horse was stalled next to one, I'd move. I've heard that's how horses learn to crib, from watching another. I've also heard that's an old wives' tale. But better to be safe than sorry.

I have nothing but sympathy for the owners of cribbers. They're always fretting about their horses, trying to find a solution. It must be discouraging.

I would pass on a cribber.

Huh?

_I_ own a cribber (Spy), and I can assure you I never fret about it. I HAVE found a solution, a cribbing strap. I have no need for your sympathy, but thanks anyway.

It is NOT something they learn from another horse. No one has learned to crib from Spy.

[Bogie]

I have a cribber. Didn't set out to buy one but it isn't something that keeps me awake at night.

He wears a cribbing strap and is turned out 24/7. He's fine. I don't fret. He's a d&*n nice horse and the cribbing doesn't impact that at all.

He's not a horse that will crib to the point of not eating (even without a strap on) but I've nver had any trouble getting him to eat or keeping weight on him.

[FancyFree]

_I_ own a cribber (Spy), and I can assure you I never fret about it. I HAVE found a solution, a cribbing strap. I have no need for your sympathy, but thanks anyway.

The two owners of cribbers that I have met DID actually fret over their horses, as cribbing straps didn't work on them. One owner actually had quite a bit of trouble with her horse. Always looking for a solution. It was a HUGE problem. The other just gave up and let the horse crib.

I still would never own a cribber. Too many nice horses out there that don't crib. Why buy trouble? Nothing would entice me to buy one.

[Seven-up]

I had a horse who just started cribbing one day, out of the blue. She wasn't imitating others, no one else in the barn cribbed. Put a nutcracker style collar on her and that was it. No big deal. When I sold her, I told the buyer she cribbed in the stall, but the collar stopped it. I sold her to the first person who looked at her, and got my full asking price. Again, no big deal. Had there been info out at that time about ulcers, I probably could have fixed it, but this was a long time ago.

I don't mind cribbers, because I ALWAYS make sure they wear a collar. I bugs me when people just let their horses crib without trying to alter the behavior, but to each his own, I guess. If a collar is properly put on, they don't crib. End of story.

If I found a horse who was perfect in every way, but was a "mild" cribber, as the OP says, I wouldn't give it a second thought. I'd take the horse and do whatever I could to try and minimize the cribbing. The only time I would hesitate would be if I had to board, (I have my own barn) and that place had little or no turnout, didn't feed a lot of hay, or couldn't be trusted to keep the collar on.

Do some research--there are studies out now that suggest you can drastically reduce cribbing with diet changes, and more turnout. I haven't had the opportunity to try them, since I haven't had a cribber in years.

FWIW, I hate the Miracle Collars. They seem to cause a lot of rubs and sores. They look really uncomfortable, too.

[LAZ]

While cribbing is not my favorite thing some of the nicest horses I've ever known were/are cribbers. I'd never turn one down if it were what I wanted otherwise.

I have a boarding barn, and unless they are completely horrible (pulling boards off/destroying property I just leave it-no straps. Owners are responsible for replacing buckets and/or boards if their horse destroys them and thus far everyone has been happy to do that. My horses are out 8-16 hours/day (more in the summer, less in the winter), have pretty much free choice hay or grazing outside and lots of hay inside. None of the cribbers are harder keepers or have colic issues so I just treat 'em like any other horse. If they make me crazy they'll wear a strap inside and get it removed before going out.