Re: Cribbing

[owens <owensall@sierranet.net>]

Angie Orr wrote:
> 
> Can someone please enlighten me on what exactly cribbing is??  My new
> horse keeps biting at the wooden rails of his stall.  When he does this
> he does this weird grunting thing.  Do you think he's just nervous?
> Someone said to me that they don't know much about cribbing but, maybe
> it is a "cribbing thing".  I don't know what this is.  Thanks for you
> help.
> 
> PS I'm new to this list and read some things about non-endurance related
> topics, am I OK asking this here or should I go somewhere else to ask
> this??
> 
> Angie (aorr@gps.com)
Dear Angie;
Yes, this is cribbing.  Go to the archives from ridecamp over the last
several weeks and there is some stuff on how to prevent it.  I would
turn the horse out on large acreage with grass, if at all possible. 
Bored horses tend to do it(picture yourself locked in a closet all day,
day after day.  Mightn't you pick up some annoying habit?).  We tend to
keep our horses in tiny, convenient places and forget that they are
horses and tiny and convenient is not their natural state of being.  Not
a slam, many people have no choice, but I think your horse is voicing
his opinion of his lifestyle.
Good Luck!
Katee