Page 74 - November 2021

EQUINE HEALTH
This is not a long-term solution; horses resume cribbing whenever the straps or collars are removed and may even exhibit more aggressive cribbing for a short period following removal - a rebound effect.
The cribbing strap may wear hair off the throatlatch, often to the point of creating sores if it is not frequently checked, adjusted and cleaned. Wearing a strap all the time can by risky if it catches on something.
Surgery to remove portions of the muscles
on the underside of the neck that are used in cribbing is sometimes done as a last resort to keep a horse from retracting the larynx, along with neurectomy to remove a small portion
of the nerve on both sides—the nerves that innervate the largest of these muscles. These fixes may be temporary, however, if muscles or nerves regenerate. With the difficulty in halting cribbing activity, equine behaviorists are looking at this bad habit in a different light. Trying to halt a behavior that the horse utilizes to relieve stress may be counterproductive.
Carissa Wickens, PhD, PAS, Associate Professor, Extension Equine Specialist, University of Florida, has participated in several
studies with cribbing horses. “With stereotypies in general, and cribbing in particular, no matter what people have tried, this is a difficult behavior to effectively stop,” says Wickens. If a horse has been cribbing for several years, even when you change diet and management (more social contact, more forage in the diet, etc.), the behavior doesn’t completely stop, although the management changes may help reduce the incidence and intensity.
“For horse owners who want to stop this behavior, it requires physical prevention. This may entail use of a cribbing collar or something more invasive and expensive like surgery, but these tactics may not be completely successful and fail to address the underlying causes of the behavior,” she says.
Some horses, even after surgery, are still able to perform at least a partial aspect of cribbing behavior. “From a welfare standpoint, most of my colleagues and I do not recommend surgery except as a last resort. Even when you implement physical prevention strategies, we recommend management changes. It is extremely important to address the underlying reasons that the horse is cribbing in the first place,” says Wickens.
There is some evidence that cribbing serves
as a coping behavior to relieve stress, anxiety, or pain. “If it is linked to gastrointestinal irritation or stress, these underlying issues need to be addressed. Trying to let horses be horses, with more turnout time and more social contact, may help relieve some of the environmental stress. Keeping forage in front of them for most of the day can be part of the management change,” she says.
“Even if you have to put a cribbing collar on for part of the day, such as at mealtime so the horse can focus on eating and not cribbing, you may want to also improve the horse’s welfare and overall mental state through various types of enrichment, particularly if the horse is spending time in a stall. Even if you are physically preventing the cribbing, it might be good to give the horse something else to do orally like playing with a jolly ball or one of the lick-it type toys. This might help, especially for the horses that have to be in stalls,” she explains.
“For these horses, the best thing you can do
is give them a companion, let them have ample forage throughout the day, and try to provide turnout. This helps reduce cribbing behavior but doesn’t always stop it,” she says.
Surgery to remove portions of the muscles on the underside of the neck that are used in cribbing is sometimes done as a last resort to keep a horse from retracting the larynx, along with neurectomy to remove a small portion of the nerve on both sides.
“. . . if you allow horses to crib, at least for a period of time during the day, maybe you are helping them reduce stress levels. Horse owners who are trying to manage these behaviors might want to consider this before they try to physically prevent the cribbing behavior.” - Carissa Wickens, PhD, PAS
72 SPEEDHORSE November 2021
Surgery to help with cribbing may be a temporary fix if muscles or nerves regenerate.