How Can I Stop My Horse From Cribbing (Crib Biting)?

Is your horse cribbing due to boredom or anxiety?

Would you consider using a cribbing strap to stop your horse from cribbing?

Would you consider using a cribbing muzzle to stop your horse from cribbing?

Would you consider a surgical way to prevent your horse's cribbing behavior?

Can you eliminate, electrify or protect cribbing surfaces?

If you and your veterinarian believe that your horse’s cribbing is due to boredom, the treatment will be to find ways to add mental and physical stimulation to your horse’s daily routine. This usually includes increasing the amount of time the horse spends in the pasture. Giving your horse toys to play with will also help provide mental stimulation. If your horse is alone, purchasing a companion such as a goat may also help. Increasing the amount of time you spend riding and grooming your horse is also important.

Cribbing strap is an adjustable strap that is secured around the horse’s throat behind his ears and jawline. This strap prevents the horse from flexing his neck muscles as he pulls back to gulp air during the act of cribbing. This strap does not prevent the horse from eating or drinking and is not painful when the horse is not cribbing. On some horses, the use of this strap is beneficial in preventing this behavior. However, it doesn’t work on all cribbers.

Cribbing muzzles appear similar to grazing muzzles, but most use metal bars across the bottom to allow the horse full access to eating and drinking while stopping him from biting onto a horizontal surface to crib. These muzzles don’t seem to cause any discomfort, but they appear to be more frustrating to horses wearing them than cribbing collars. You can try giving your horse the freedom to crib for part of the day and use a cribbing muzzle for the rest of the day.

There are surgical ways to prevent cribbing behavior, although these are rarely used. These surgeries involve scarring the throat muscles so that the horse cannot flex them in the act of cribbing. This is often viewed as an extreme way of preventing this behavior, as it is often cost-prohibitive since it requires general anesthesia and a visit to a specialty equine surgical facility.

You can try eliminating or electrifying cribbing surfaces like fence posts, but these can be tricky to accomplish. Covering a wood surface with rubber and encouraging positive reinforcement to crib on the rubber surface could help eliminate the destruction of other wood surfaces and would also help protect your horse’s teeth.

Giving your horse free access to hay helps to keep their mouth occupied. Putting the hay in a slow feeder makes forage last longer, and placing it in multiple spots around their paddock makes the horse move around more. If your horse doesn’t have a high-performance job, you may consider reducing or taking your horse off grain completely. If your horse still needs grain supplementation, consider grain lower in sugar and starches and higher in fat and fiber. Research has shown a correlation between cribbing and higher sugar diets.