Cribbing Problems?!?
Do you have a nervous tic? Tap your feet or scratch your leg, bite your nails when your bored or nervous? Well when we are talking about cribbing in your horse much of the behavior is a mixture of being bored and addiction.
We have to think about a couple things when looking at a cribbing horse. First, is this a result of your horse in pain? Having pressure in the upper neck or in the jaw due to bad dental alignment can cause a horse to chew or pull to relieve pressure. The other form is more of a problem. If your horse is constantly looking for anything hard to grab onto and then is making a large sucking sound and is doing that over and over again they may be displaying true cribbing and the addiction associated with it. The difference is a big indicator to me as a Chiropractic Physician as to the problem your horse may be dealing with.
Recently I have had the pleasure to help a few horses with both kinds of Cribbing like symptoms. One was a true cribber an addict the other was a TMJ and upper neck related issue. The differences are big as the treatment plans for each.
In true Cribbing there is an addiction pattern and your horse is a junkie, to a certain extent. The difficulty in treating this is multifold, in some cases the addiction pattern can be broken with some straight forward therapies but it can sometimes be very difficult to treat. Anyone who has ever lived with or experienced addiction knows that it can be a very trying process to get it under control. Chiropractic can sometimes quickly change the necessity for the horse and can break the cycle…sometimes not. There are cases that require much more intense intervention that may require surgery, medication and specialized theraputic products. Surgery and medication are great tools but exploring all your natural options first is always a safer and usually less expensive course of action. Thankfully for my patient who was cribbing she responded wonderfully and the pattern broke quickly and to this day she has not gone back to that behavior.
The other form of cribbing doesn’t involve loud gasping but can look like an addictive activity where your horse is constantly trying to chew on hard objects. The great thing about this form is that it is usually a much more straight forward treatment strategy. In my experience with these cases it requires some dental intervention, chiropractic care and a little TLC. These cases are mostly very responsive and fixed quickly giving you and your horse some sanity back. My recent case was a one time treatment after dental care and that horse also has not displayed any of its previous behavior.
Do a Google search on cribbing. There are several great websites out there that explain the neurologic feedback and chemical reward that your cribbing horse gets. It is a very interesting topic, have fun!
If you are dealing with some issues that resemble what I have described please call today your horse will thank you.