Downeast Medal Finals

April 2024

September 12-15, 2024

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Myths and Truths of Equine Cribbing

By Tina Steward, DVM, MS, with Reina Abelshauser

Cribbing is a behavior seen when a horse puts his teeth on a (usually) horizontal surface, grabs on and seemingly sucks air, making a kind of grunting sound.

Fifty years ago, cribbing was thought to be something horses did when they were bored or in chronic pain. Some believed that cribbing released some sort of endorphin. The other thought was that horses cribbed when they were hungry, trying to fill their stomachs with air to make them feel full.

Many believed that horses learned cribbing from other horses, but this appears not to be the case. In those days, cribbers were primarily Thoroughbreds off the track. This always made me wonder what it was about a track environment/lifestyle that might contribute to a horse becoming a cribber.

There are several factors that seem to contribute to acquiring a cribbing habit. One is dietary. Lack of roughage has an effect on the frequency of cribbing. There is a significant reduction in cribbing when horses are fed forage, and a significant increase when horses are fed grain. Horses fed a diet of sweetened feeds were found to crib 30 percent of the day versus 16 percent of the day when they were fed plain oats. Horse cookies, carrots and apples contain enough sugar to incite cribbing. This fact is so reliable that researchers use it to evaluate drug efficacy for the reduction of cribbing.

Another factor contributing to an increase in cribbing is when horses are exposed to long periods without feed. This can result in both emotional and physical stress.

Read the rest of the article at DressageToday.

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EquiFit

Thank you to EquiFit for sponsoring Downeast Medal Finals!

Founded in 2000, EquiFit is a Massachusetts-based company that designs and manufactures technologically advanced products for top riders and horses throughout the world. From their ImpacTeq™ technology to FEI compliant leg wear, AgSilver™ topicals to the Hot & Cold Therapy line, EquiFit continues to raise expectations by pairing innovative designs with highly advanced materials.