Hello! I recently moved to a new barn with my 8 yo OTTB gelding. He is a cribber and is now happily (for him) surrounded by wooden fences and is turned out 24/7. I need to stop him cribbing before I end up paying for new fences! I have read several places that cribbing may be linked to horses trying to reduce stomach acid discomfort. I have him on U-Guard digestive type supplements and am steadily reducing his grain, but I can’t keep weight on him like that! Does anybody have feed recommendations that won’t hurt his stomach like a lot of grain will? I am thinking plain hay pellets along with some sweet feed already available at my barn. Any other tips are appreciated as well!
Treating for ulcers can mitigate cribbing in some horses, but it will not cure it. It’s hard-wired into their brains.
A big thing to keep him from cribbing is to give him something to do: constant 24/7 access to good hay or pasture. That will keep his belly happy and play a major role in keeping weight on him. Of course, some cribbers are so OCD that they will leave their hay/grass to crib instead.
If you suspect his stomach is bothering him, sweet feed is likely one of the worst things you can give him. Sweet feed is a broad term, but many brands are almost nothing but sugars and starches. But it’s really hard to make any recommendations without knowing more information: how much and what type of grain is he getting now that he’s losing weight on, and how much forage is he receiving?
My cribber is an anomaly in the sense that she is a fat, easy keeper with no signs of ulcer problems. But… I will say that sweet stuff exacerbates her cribbing like crazy. So if you can cut out the sweet feed, it will probably be for the better. There are many low starch yet calorie dense horse feeds on the market these days if your barn is willing to switch him to something else.
And a stupid, obvious question: does a collar help control his cribbing?
My 9 YO OTTB started cribbing after his meals last year and I treated him for ulcers with gastroguard for one month. He stopped and now cribs very rarely. I also painted Cribox on the fence he preferred and that deterred him. He is on triple crown senior which is really working for him. 24-7 turnout with access to forage will keep cribbing down.
My first OTTB was an avid cribber that would rather crib than eat. The DARE miracle collar really helped, as did a nibble net hanging outside and in for him to spend time pulling hay from.
I have an 18 year old OTTB mare. She cribs like it is her job. She’s cribbed through the miracle collar, the DARE collar and a nutcracker. She gets rubs even with fleece.
Ulcerguard treatments, supplements, nothing helped. Still cribbed and hard to keep weight on.
Now we have it figured out. Full time free choice hay (round bale) and grass in summer… Minimal grain, 24/7 turnout with a great shelter. She still cribs but not as badly and is keeping weight on easily. We have left her collar off due to the rubbing. Very unorthodox but she’s happy and healthy and retired.
I had high high hopes for ulcer treatment but they just weren’t enough. I think that she’s hard wired to crib but more comfortable in her living situation now than in a traditional stall/turnout situation.
Hopefully you can find something to help your horse! It may just not be what you expect.
Food alone will not stop a cribber. My mare is a cribber. The strap she wears will get tight when she lift her head to crib on the boards or will tighten when she starts to crib. When her head is down lower (drinking, eating her grain/hay or grazing I can easily fit three fingers between the collar and her throat. I had it made for me, it is all leather, doesn’t twist or rub etc and is perfect for her. The only think I ever do is clean it regularly. Because it is leather it will stretch and she will start to crib so I just tighten it 1/2 hole.
