Cribbing

[Texarkana]

@NancyM

I still maintain that many humans have way worse, way more self destructive habits and addictions than horses do. If every smoker, drug addict and alcoholic took up cribbing instead, the world would be a better place. JMHO. I always laugh when a human cigarette addict announces, “I’d never own a cribber”.

So true!

My homebred is a cribber. She’s 19 this year. It has no impact on her quality of life.

Although if my current 2 year old starts cribbing (she looks like she might), I’m going to develop a complex.

[NancyM]

I know what you mean. When they start, you just think, “Oh, no! I wish you wouldn’t”. But what the human wants isn’t always the way it goes with a horse. If it’s a nice horse, it’s still a nice horse even if it cribs as a hobby. A cribber will still be a winner in competition, if it’s a nice horse. I’ve had a few cribbers that I would refuse to trade for a different horse. The addiction comes “part and parcel” with the rest of the horse. If a horse needs a crutch to help him/her deal with life as they see it, it isn’t something I can do anything about except be supportive.

[Bluey]

Cribbing is not without consequences.
There may be some genes involved that makes to keep breeding cribbers a bad idea.
At the track we would see the few cribbers did come from others of similar breeding.
in riding centers, we knew cribbers were always very nice horses to handle and ride.
They kept themselves self exercised by continuous cribbing and didn’t have energy left to feel fresh and act up.
They were always the same quiet disposition, also considering the belief now that cribbing works on the pleasure centers, which makes sense horses would be contented in general.

Here is more:

Cribbing

[frugalannie]

I’ve had two homebreds that became cribbers for no apparent reason (not genetically related and not exposed to a horse that cribbed, turned out in compatible herds as much as weather would allow). And I bought one last year. All three have/ had the most mellow dispositions. I always attributed it to them being a touch “high” from the dopamine hit.

[Horsecrazy3]

Equus has a good article on cribbing. https://equusmagazine.com/behavior/thinking-about-cribbing/

[Simkie]

My cribbers have always been super smart “thinking” horses. It takes some extra brain cells to figure out how to get yourself high!

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Bluey

Cribbing is not without consequences.

Truth. The last horse I had was a cribber, die hard. Wore the Miracle Collar, which worked for him, but somewhere along the line he’d cribbed so badly his front teeth were nearly gone on top, and his bottom teeth were pulled out of alignment. Badly enough that he developed an ulcer from one of the teeth poking him. I had to have it pulled.
He also had to eat a primarily mash/soaked cubes diet due to his poor teeth.