Cribbing

[PaulaO]

Ariel is a cribber and is managed in a Miracle collar. Sunday she cut her forehead and today there is a nice lump. I washed it, applied antibiotic ointment, and she got Bute. Of course the owie is right under the front strap, so no cribbing collar.

I could buy her a single strap aka French or nutcracker style. Those seem so harsh. The cribbing damage is done. Should I bother? The staff isn't really concerned about her cribbing and I don't really want to spend more money.

Guess my question is will she be o.k. with no collar for a few days?

[Chisamba]

It depends on the severity, does she swallow air/ colic? If not a couple of days without should be ok

[PaulaO]

No colic, no air swallow.

[Rhianon]

There is no actual evidence that horses that crib are inclined to colic.

The most recent thinking on cribbing/windsucking is to let them do it. The stress of not being able to is more harmful than doing it. (We built my Ace a cribbing bar near his feed tub. We replace it as it wears down. He's cribbed since before he was weaned, is now 22, and has never colicked.)

I think she'll be just fine.

[PaulaO]

Cribbing collar is back on. Sunday she was cribbing (sans collar, staff forgot to put it on) on the top fence board. She managed to hit the hot wire and catapulted back about 20 feet. Stayed away from the fence for a looooong time.

I'm of 2 minds about the cribbing. She is die hard. If she doesn't have her collar on in the stall and I block her cribbing spot, she weaves. *sigh* The sound makes me crazy but I can see that if she can't crib she is stressed. She seems not stressed when the collar is on. I just feel bad because I'm sure the collar is irritating.

I guess she's like any addict. It makes her feel good, or at least cribbing makes her not feel bad.

[myleetlepony]

What about trying one of those horse "pacifiers" that mount in the corner of the stall? I think they have a wheel on them to keep them busy. I'm actually thinking to get one for my moose...he's very toddler-like and EVERYTHING has to go in his mouth. It's how he explores and I think it keeps him from stressing, too.

Something like this: https://www.bigdweb.com/product/pacifier+for+horses.do

[Koolkat]

I have a cribber. I just ignore the noise, it's not that big of a deal (for me). It's my preference that I deal with the noise vs. putting one of those collars on the horse, we considered it progress when woman no longer wore awful, constrictive undergarments. . . .

[Chisamba]

i try to always have hay available, have cribbing edges treated with cover and feed in soft sided feed bowls on the floor. i even have the water in a soft sided water container on the floor.

[PaulaO]

Miss A. will crib on anything, including my hand. Of course I didn't let her. Last weekend I caught her cribbing on the pasture fence. I went over to pet her, and she somehow hit the hot wire. That stopped her. She always has hay. Unfortunately night turnout has stopped for the winter so she's only going out during the day and there is no way to increase her turnout. My "concern" is that by cribbing all the time, she may miss out on other fun stuff, like eating grass.

[martha sc]

A horse in my neighborhood has cribbed all his long life without a strap. He doesn't colic, BUT ,he has NO top teeth, at all, smooth gums . When the pasture is slow growing and the grass short, he can't pick it , so he cribs even more.

[PaulaO]

Her two front teeth are half as long as the teeth next to it. But she's only 15. Sometimes I take off her cribbing strap and just let her do her thing.