I’ve owned many and more importantly never turn away a border because a horse cribs… that’s ridiculous!
While I will do what I can to mitigate damage sometimes a fence post or something needs to be replaced and before these horses move in I let the owner know they will be responsible for replacing those items. Usually in 10 years it’s one gate and one or two fence posts so not a big deal.
I don’t require collars as I think they are mean as do most people who put them on to loose and then the horse learns to crib thru them.
That said I’ve had two that if they cribbed indiscriminately they would have a gas colic so they wear collars in their stalls.
I’ve also had one that if he DIDN’T crib he would gas colic so he never wore one and would travel to shows with his favorite feed bucket set at a precise height so he could crib immediately.
I think not owning a cribber is like not having a friend with tattoos… but to each their own. A good horse is a good horse and I guess I’m just one of those barn owners and trainers who just really loves all horses…
I don’t think barns that won’t accept cribbers “don’t like all horses”?
It is not about the horse itself, they generally are tired with their cribbing and very quiet and mellow and lovable to handle.
The objection some have is for the humans caring for the horses in the barn for hours on end, the real aggravation cribbers can be with their unending grunt-grunt-grunt-grunt, all day long, every time you enter the barn until you leave, or them by the fence cribbing on a post.
Is hard for some people just to ignore that, eats on your nerves, some can ignore it, others, not so much.
At the track there are always a few cribbing, but cribbing is rare.
Trainers are stabled next to each other and, as courtesy to others, if a horse is a noisy, continuous cribber they try to at least keep the top door closed and the sound is muffled, but is sad for the horse shut in there too.
The one so over the top broodmare that cribbed all day long turned out was a mare our vet asked us to keep for him.
She had been sent to bred to his War Admiral stallion, he covered her and was waiting for a recheck and confirmation in foal, that was before ultrasound, to send her back home.
Vet said he didn’t have room, we think he could not stand and didn’t want to have that cribbing mare right by the pasture gate of his clinic all day long.
We had the rare colt sent to us to start that were cribbers or started cribbing while in training.
If that breeder sent another one sister or colt to that one a few years later, some times those also were or became cribbers and those we saw in other barns also some would be cribbers.
I think there is a predisposition to whatever makes a horse become a cribber and we would never breed one, no matter how excellent a horse it was, it’s lines were, but other breeders didn’t care and took their chances.
Some day maybe someone will find an easy way to stop horses from cribbing.
Not many do, so is hard to get studies and find ways to do that, no more cribbers there are out there, that doesn’t help.
It is human nature to accept all that comes with what we like that we may not accept otherwise.
I think cribbing is one of those for many.
I think a lot of people turn them away because of the misconceptions: they think they will teach the other horses (not true) or they think they will be prone to colic or health problems (possible, but not a rule).
Some people are worried about damages. Cribbers certainly can cause extra wear and tear from cribbing, but cribbers aren’t the only horses who damage properties. Eliminating all of them for fear of damages seems silly when every horse has broken something at some point.
Other people just hate the sound. At one of the more toxic places I boarded at, the barn owner would scream at the horses to stop cribbing, as if they were doing it on purpose.
Did we board at the same barn? Lol. Honestly, the reaction of some people was way more annoying than the actual cribbing (but, admittedly, I was not on staff, so if I was there 8 hours a day, maybe I’d feel differently).
If the horse didn’t crib with a collar on, I would 10000% not allow it to be a dealbreaker (and, NGL, I’d maybe try to use it as leverage to get a better deal). I absolutely HATE the sound of cribbing.
Without a collar, my last horse (the one in my picture) was the destructive kind - would crib all day (my mom and I used to joke that he was like a crackhead ). With a collar on, he was very much at peace and didn’t even try - it was like he really didn’t WANT to crib but had to. We used just a plain thick leather strap made by a local cobbler instead of a Miracle Collar. We never had any issues with barns; we’d let them know before hand, and offer a reference from his past/current barn to prove he wasn’t destructive, but no one ever asked to call them. The only thing that we made sure of was to NOT stall him with an automatic waterer, just in case.
It was also kind of nice at shows - if he was feeling a little anxious or nervous I might let him have a quick crib or two on a bucket to quiet him down before putting his bridle on…
ETA: We bought this horse when he was 4 and was a cribber then. His cribbing habits never changed over the 14 years we had him. The only “maintenance” was that we definitely had to swap out collars - I’m not sure if it was that the current one stretched over time and became not tight enough or what, but we pretty much cycled between the same 2-3 collars over the course of a year. At my current barn, there’s a horse whose owner has tried numerous different types of collars and the horse cribs through them. So, I would say that if the horse is controlled now with a collar, it might be quite likely that it always will be controlled (in my experience).
One thing I think would save BMs and BOs headache is to put up a sacrifice board for cribbing, diagnonal to two fence post corners, or the corner of the stall. This IMHO is a win/win for a cribber and BO/BM: cribber has an outlet they can use for their stereotypy, and BO/BM doesn’t have to have their fences/stalls/buckets destroyed.
I’d say that a die-hard cribber is quite destructive. Buckets, ledges, stall fronts, feed bins - I’ve even see them go for cross ties. EDIT: and too many horse owners don’t believe they are financially responsible for the replacement of said items (including the BO’s time in replacing) - so I don’t blame a BO for saying no.
And yes, the sound is very annoying when it’s all day every day.
Wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me unless they are serious dedicated cribbers. Was the horse a good weight when you saw it? Did it start cribbing the second it was put in a stall? Does it stop eating to crib? Ask to see where it’s turned out, is there damage?
I own a cribber. Bought him as a yearling. He started cribbing as a 4yo. Not often, but if you gave him a treat and stood out of reach he would stick his head out of his stall, then go back in, crib once, then stick his head out looking for more treats. If I walked away he would stop and eat his hay.
He lives out 24/7 now and will crib for a minute after grain or treats and than wander off. I notice him crib more in the winter when there isn’t any grass, I think he just gets bored of standing at the round bale all day.
He’s 13 now. He has never worn a collar, cribs on an old fence post in his field, and most of the staff and my trainer wouldn’t know that he cribs except that I’ve told them. They never notice him doing it.
All I know is what some studies seem to show, as that one article mentions.
There are many reasons for colics.
Not all horses colic, not all cribbers colic, yours obviously not one, that is good to know.
I was FT barn staff most of my young adulthood and I still agree the reaction of some people is more annoying than the cribbing.
I used to get more annoyed by it once upon a time when I held the same misconceptions that are so prevalent - like I thought cribbing was a sign of my own failure in horse keeping because I thought the horse was either unhappy or in pain when cribbing. I’ve since learned neither are true; being unhappy or in pain might change the frequency, but that isn’t why the horse is doing it. It’s a stereotypy; a form of neurodiversity. If stress were the only reason for stereotypies in horses, we would see a whole lot more of them than we do!
I meant my statement about stereotypies in terms of people judging the owners of cribbers or thinking they can make horses stop cribbing by hooting and hollering.
There was a good discussion on breeding cribbers in the sporthorse breeding forum recently.
Yes I did. I wanted a 16hh or taller bay gelding who went hunter. I bought a 15.2hh chestnut OTTB mare who cribs. I leased her for almost a year before I bought her. She cribbed even with a cribbing collar on so three years ago I took it off and threw it away. She cribs in the pasture where she’s turned out eight hours a day. She cribs in her stall on the metal around her feed bin. Her cribbing has lessened since I bought her. She has nubs for front teeth but at 21 is hale and hearty. I would not discount buying a cribber, but it took me a few years not to be really annoyed with it.
I would consider a cribber. My best pony was a cribber, I owned him 25 years. He cribbed and gnawed on one spot in his stall and we replaced that one board numerous times. I still have the last board saved and plan to hang it in a special spot. The only time he ever annoyed me with it was the odd times he tried to crib on my arm. I miss him and his quirks. He had lot’s of quirks .
When I had a barn, I would only take boarders that cribbed on pasture board. But of course, eventually, a horse came in that was FAR more dedicated to his cribbing. Being out 24/7 with O/A hay 24/7 and five acres of grass and four best buddies didn’t matter to this guy. He broke several fence boards, and when put in a field with electric fencing instead of boards, he cribbed on the top of the fence posts instead.
One local breeder told us about a mare that cribbed on another’s withers when he electrified all fences, he had to separate them.
Others would not let the cribber near them.
My family has had 4 horses in the last 20 years and all but one cribbed. One was controlled with a Miracle Collar, the other two were not. We did not have trouble finding them boarding arrangements- at one farm the Dutch doors had a metal reinforcement on the top to prevent damage from all kinds of equine habits, which I thought was smart. However, one was such a strong fellow that he’d routinely pull down fence boards from cribbing on them. Which inevitably meant that whatever happened to the fence, and whoever did it, that horse was blamed for it. Sometimes he was innocent.
We tried all kinds of management with them. The board-killer did live out with free access to a stall (and was stalled for meals- he ate big meals, his draft field buddy would stare longingly after finishing a handful) and still cribbed. All three were what I’d describe as emotional horses- anxious, worriers, reactive. For all of them, feelings management was cribbing management. As they got more comfortable in their environments and gained more life skills and confidence, the cribbing decreased. In stressful situations, it increased. Two horses eventually stopped cribbing except on occasion. Board-killer, who had a lot of feelings, never quit.
I wouldn’t seek one out, but it’s not a deal breaker for me.
). With a collar on, he was very much at peace and didn’t even try - it was like he really didn’t WANT to crib but had to. We used just a plain thick leather strap made by a local cobbler instead of a Miracle Collar. We never had any issues with barns; we’d let them know before hand, and offer a reference from his past/current barn to prove he wasn’t destructive, but no one ever asked to call them. The only thing that we made sure of was to NOT stall him with an automatic waterer, just in case.
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