I Have a Friend That Cribs

I have a friend who cribs.

I’m not naming names because apparently horses are entitled to privacy, even when they spend a significant portion of their day grabbing things with their teeth and making that ridiculous HUUURK noise.

You know the noise.

Teeth on fence.
Neck arches.
Air gets sucked in.
Humans sigh dramatically.

Repeat.

Personally, I have hobbies. I eat. I nap. I roll in dirt immediately after being groomed. I stare into the distance at absolutely nothing so my human wonders what I’m looking at.

My friend?

She cribs.

But before everyone starts judging her, and I reserve the right to judge because I am a horse, cribbing is actually a little more complicated than a horse deciding the fence looks delicious.

So What Exactly Is Cribbing?

Cribbing is a repetitive behaviour where a horse grabs onto a solid object with their front teeth, pulls back, arches their neck and draws air into the upper part of the esophagus.

It’s sometimes called crib-biting.

You may also hear people call it wind-sucking, although technically they aren't always the same behaviour. With cribbing, the horse usually grabs onto something with their teeth. A horse that windsucks may perform a similar motion without grabbing an object.

Either way, humans tend to hate it.

Mostly because you people paid good money for those fences.

Why Do Horses Start Cribbing?

For years, cribbing was treated like a bad habit.

"Make her stop."

"Put a collar on her."

"She's wrecking the fence."

But repetitive behaviours like cribbing can be associated with the horse's environment, management and stress.

There isn't necessarily one simple cause.

Stress and Frustration

Horses are supposed to move.

A lot.

We're supposed to graze, wander around, interact with other horses and generally spend our days doing horse things.

Long periods in stalls, limited turnout, social isolation or stressful routines can contribute to stereotypic behaviours in some horses.

Imagine locking a human in a tiny office all day with nothing to do except stare at a wall.

Actually, never mind.

Apparently you've already invented that.

Not Enough Forage

A horse's digestive system is designed around eating small amounts of forage throughout much of the day.

When horses have long stretches without hay or grass, that doesn't exactly fit the original design specifications.

High-concentrate feeding and limited access to forage have also been associated with cribbing.

Basically, horses were designed to wander around eating grass.

Humans looked at this system and thought:

"What if we put them in boxes and fed them twice a day?"

Brilliant.

Stomach Discomfort

There is also an association between cribbing and gastric irritation or ulcers in some horses.

That doesn't mean every horse that cribs has ulcers, or that ulcers are always the reason a horse started cribbing.

But if a horse suddenly begins cribbing, increases the behaviour, loses weight, becomes girthy, changes appetite or shows other signs of digestive discomfort, it's worth talking to your veterinarian.

Don't just assume your horse has developed an annoying personality trait.

That's my department.

Learned Behaviour?

This one gets interesting.

People sometimes worry that one horse will simply watch another horse crib and think:

"That looks fun. I'm doing that now."

Evidence suggests cribbing isn't simply contagious in the way people sometimes assume. Horses living under the same management conditions may develop similar behaviours because they're experiencing the same environmental or management factors, rather than because one horse taught everybody else how to do it.

Which means I can continue living beside my cribbing friend without everyone accusing her of corrupting me.

I was already like this.

Can You Stop a Horse From Cribbing?

This is where humans immediately want a button labelled:

MAKE HORSE STOP DOING ANNOYING THING

Unfortunately, horses did not come with that feature.

And simply preventing the physical act of cribbing doesn't necessarily address why the horse wants to do it.

There are, however, management changes that may help reduce cribbing in some horses.

Give Them More Forage

Increasing forage availability and reducing long periods with an empty stomach can be helpful.

Slow-feed hay nets can extend eating time when appropriate, and providing more opportunities to graze or eat forage gives the horse something much more productive to do with their mouth.

Like eating.

A revolutionary concept.

Increase Turnout

More turnout means more movement, grazing, environmental stimulation and opportunities for normal horse behaviour.

For some horses, increasing turnout and decreasing stall confinement can help reduce stereotypic behaviours.

Give Them Horse Friends

Horses are social animals.

Some enjoy close physical interaction. Others prefer having another horse nearby without that horse breathing directly into their nostrils.

I respect the second group.

Providing appropriate social contact can help reduce boredom and stress.

Look at the Diet

If a horse is receiving large concentrate meals, it may be worth discussing the overall feeding program with a veterinarian or qualified equine nutrition professional.

More forage, smaller meals and an appropriate balance between forage and concentrates may be beneficial depending on the horse.

Investigate Pain and Digestive Problems

If cribbing appears suddenly or changes significantly, don't automatically write it off as behavioural.

Have the horse evaluated.

Gastric ulcers, dental problems, discomfort and other health issues should be considered, especially when other symptoms are present.

What About Cribbing Collars?

Cribbing collars can physically interfere with the horse's ability to perform the behaviour.

And yes, sometimes they're used because cribbing can damage fences, buckets, stall doors and occasionally the horse's teeth.

But preventing the behaviour isn't necessarily the same thing as solving the underlying problem.

If a horse is cribbing because of stress, frustration, management or discomfort, stopping the physical action doesn't magically make those things disappear.

So before declaring war on the horse's neck, it's worth looking at the entire picture.

Will Cribbing Ever Completely Go Away?

Sometimes management changes reduce it considerably.

But once cribbing is well established, some horses continue doing it even when their environment improves.

At that point, the goal may be less about completely eliminating the behaviour and more about making sure the horse has a healthy environment, plenty of forage and turnout, appropriate social interaction, veterinary care when needed, and safe surfaces if they continue to crib.

Because sometimes horses develop coping behaviours.

Humans do too.

You just call yours "checking your phone."

My Cribbing Friend

So yes.

I have a friend who cribs.

She grabs things with her teeth, arches her neck, and makes weird noises.

And while I occasionally stare at her like she's lost her mind, she's not being bad.

She's being a horse who developed a behaviour for a reason, even if nobody can point to one single reason and say, "There. That's it."

Instead of only asking:

"How do I make my horse stop cribbing?"

Maybe the better question is:

"Why does my horse feel the need to crib, and is there anything I can change to make his life better?"

More forage.

More turnout.

More movement.

Horse friends.

Less stress.

And investigating possible discomfort when something doesn't seem right.

Because sometimes annoying behaviour is information.

Even if the information comes while your horse slowly dismantles a perfectly good fence.

Anyway, I have to go.

My friend is eating the paddock again.

– Roxy 🐴