Do Cribbing Collars Work?

Do Cribbing Collars Work?

“Cribbing” and “wind sucking” are different terms used to describe a particular annoying habit that’s unique to horses.

Typically when a horse cribs, he sets his upper teeth on an object (usually about his chest level), presses down, opens his mouth, arches his neck, and pulls back while making a belching sound. Horses may or may not lick the object. They also may or may not swallow air during this process. Normally they don’t chew, but they often crush what they set their teeth on.

Some horses don’t need to actually set their teeth on an object to achieve the same result. Many horses prefer to crib after they have been stimulated with food, especially a concentrated food such as grain. Each horse will have their own particular style and may exhibit some or all of the above symptoms.

It is believed that during this process, endorphins are released in the horse’s system. “Endorphin” in Latin means “inner morphine”. Endorphins, like morphine, act as a drug on the brain creating a sense of well being or “high”. This would explain the incredible drive a horse has to perform the behavior once he has experienced it. He actually experiences a pleasure-producing sensation and becomes addicted, if left untreated.

It was once believed that during the cribbing process the horse sucked large quantities of air into their stomachs that was forced to pass through their digestive tract. This air made the horse feel full so they would not eat normally and could also lead to colic. Recent studies have shown that little air actually remains in the digestive tract. Experts now feel that the horse’s poor appetite is not from feeling full, but because they would rather be “high” than eat.

Several practice have been tried to stop a horse from cribbing with mixed results. The most common idea is to use a “cribbing collar”. This works by physically causing the horse pain whenever he cribs. Some collars work by bruising the neck muscles as they expand during cribbing, others by poking the horse in the throat as he flexes his neck.

To restrain his cribbing behavior, the horse has to wear the collar whenever he’s in his stall or turned out (if he cribs during turn-out). But the stable owner has to make sure to remove the collar when his horse is exercising. There’s the risk that he could suffocate while wearing the cribbing collar.

All of these collars must be worn very tightly and many aren’t effective at all. Cribbing collars commonly cause sores, hair loss, change in hair color, and permanent scars, which are extremely undesirable.

Related posts:

1. Why Do Horses Pass Out From Cribbing?
2. Do cribbing sprays work?
3. What is the Best Anti-Cribbing Collar?
4. How Do Cribbing Collars Work?