My Cribber

The Internet is full of articles discussing the theory of why horse's crib and how to manage them. Even with this vast store of information, there is still a lot of rural folklore about cribbers that cast them as virtual pariahs of the barnyard that should be avoided. Woe to the unfortunate owner who happens to have a cribber reside in their pasture or barn.

Wilbur and Haley 2007

A barn favorite, Wilbur has a personality and kindness that enamored him to my daughter Haley. New window.

I would like to introduce you to Wilbur, my cribber. (To be entirely accurate, Wilbur belongs to my daughter, but he lives in my barn so I will take the liberty to claim partial ownership for the purpose of this post).

Wilbur is a rather large Tobiano Paint horse with a pedigree of mostly quarter horse blood. We acquired Wilbur in 2006 from a local barn owner and friend. My daughter's previous horse had suffered a suspensory injury and his return to showing was doubtful so we decided to enlarge our herd by one.

We first met Wilbur at a trainer's barn where he was being videotaped for the purpose of getting him sold. My daughter immediately fell in love with him. She always had a preference for paints, and his impressive size and beautiful gait endeared him to my daughter immediately.

The fact that he was well trained, and had competed successfully at high level shows endeared him to me.

Then, we found out the news. Wilbur is a cribber.

The trainer and horse owner tried their best to minimize this fact. "When he is in my barn, he almost never cribs." declared the trainer. But a cribbing collar affixed to the stall door's blanket holder indicated the contrary.

I am not an impulsive person, but the prospect of owning a cribber concerned me. We did the normal pre-purchase exams, and the vet indicated a typical amount of "problems," but only mentioned cribbing as a concern for valuation and future sale.

Despite the urging of some of our "horse" friends, we decided that the Pros of this horse outweighed his Cons, so we made an offer and became the proud owners of Wilbur (the cribber).

We have owned Wilbur now for almost six years. He is a wonderful horse that has earned my daughter numerous belt buckles at local and regional horse shows. He is a cherished member of our herd, and has a secure home for the rest of his life. While my daughter is at college, I ride him weekly to keep him in reasonable shape, but his show career is on hold.

Wilbur's personality is endearing. Not to be anthropomorphic, but he is the attention hog and worry wort all bundled up with his kind nature and huge capacity for work.

Wilbur is a refined cribber. We have provided him with easy to crib fencing and crib spots in his stall where he can relieve his stress. In our barnyard, when Wilbur decides to crib, we say that Wilbur is taking a "smoke" break. We have decided to not use a collar or try to prevent his cribbing.

Wilbur's teeth are checked by our vet annually, and since we provide areas for cribbing, barn damage is minimal. As a concern for his health, we do follow what science has provided us with "Best Practices" for living with a cribber. We provide free choice oat hay. We do not give him "sweet" feeds and feed him only natural treats such as carrots and apples only occasionally. He is turned out daily with other horses, and exercised weekly.

Since adopting these practices, Wilbur's cribbing has moderated. When we have visitors to our barn, we often discuss cribbing with our visitors, and explain the behavior as not uncommon, especially for horses with Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred blood.

Having lived with and enjoyed a Wilbur over the past six years, I would affirm our decision to welcome a cribber into our barn. Research shows that cribbing IS NOT CONTAGIOUS. With proper management cribbers are not necessarily more inclined to colic or other equine diseases and conditions.  Often, because of the stigma associated with cribbers, you can purchase an overall superior horse for a bargain price.

If you are in the market for a new horse, please consider making a home for a cribber. If you own a cribber, don't expect to change the horse's habit of cribbing, this is rarely successful. You can and should adopt practices that relieve stress for your cribber horse, as well as for other horse's you may own.