Cribbing (crib-biting) is a stereotypic behavior in which a horse grasps a fixed object with its incisors, flexes its neck and sucks in air. It is more than a vice: the habit wears the incisors, and it is associated with a serious form of small intestinal colic, so it is a favorite NAVLE link between behavior and gastrointestinal disease.
Key facts
Cribbing at a glance- Species and system: horse; behavior, with gastrointestinal consequences.
- Definition: grasping a horizontal surface with the incisors, flexing the neck and sucking air (MSD). Windsucking is the same air-sucking without grasping anything.
- Not the same as wood chewing: in wood chewing the horse grasps wood and swallows it; the cause is usually too little roughage (MSD).
- Risk factors: highly palatable feeds such as grain and molasses, little exercise, confinement; Thoroughbreds, other racehorses and dressage horses are more likely to crib (MSD).
- Signs of a cribber: worn incisors, thick neck muscles, and missing U-shaped pieces from fencing (MSD).
- Key complication: epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) of the small intestine.
- Zoonotic: no.
What's inside
13 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Cribbing and epiploic foramen entrapment
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 2 figures, 3 self-test questions and 10 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.