Input for Cribbing Broodmare...THOUGHTS?

[duhorse]

For those of you who have broodmares who are cribbers, do you find that they start to crib more the closer they get to their due date because the process of cribbing releases endorphins to make them feel good? My mare has been in at night for a month now and the last few nights seems to have upped the amount that she is cribbing. I don't want to put her collar on in case she foals and I am not there (she better not!) Thanks for the input.

PS. I know she is cribbing more cause I have a cam that allows me to watch her on TV in the house. She is my nightly television show lately:)

[akalinda]

Won't the cribbing make her colicky?

[bndranch]

I have no idea if a mare would crib more to "help her deal with pain" or not. That would definately be something to ask your vet about. My dad has a gelding that is a terrible windsucker and so we use the collar on him. Unless you are dead set against it I would put the collar back on her. I think the cribbing will do more harm the collar on her. We always used the miracle cribbing collar and it was very humane and we never had a problem with it.

[tinypony]

if you are set against using a collar i have a suggestion that may work...... a friend of mine had a horse who would crib on ANYTHING and whenever she used a collar (no matter what variety she used) he would get himself caught on something. afraid he would strangle himself, she took tobasco sause and rubbed it all along the wood edges of his stall. while it didn't completely stop him from cribbing it was greatly decreased. perfectly safe for him too :-)

[duhorse]

Yes I did wonder about putting something on the places she is able to crib. Was not sure if it would work since she is not actually chewing the wood, just puts her teeth on and sucks wind. I do have a miracle collar but I guess I will leave it on her at night until she foals anyways. I have never owned an ex-racehorse that does not crib...its to bad there is no cure for it! All my horses are usually out all the time and can come and go as they please from the barn and a run-in shed in the other pasture but I can't exactly watch her in the dark!

[bndranch]

That is exactly what my dad's gelding will do...He has 20 acres of pasture yet he will come in from grazing to the wood fences or the tube gates that don't have hot wire on them to crib! The miracle collar does wonders. I don't think it will hurt her at all, hopefully you can keep her from teaching her little one from wind sucking/cribbing.

[duhorse]

Yes, that is my biggest concern. Thank GOD that the 2 two year olds have not learned it yet! When she started having to come in the barn, so did the boys since she goes ballistic if she can't see other horses, I broke down and bought the collar so they would not have to watch her crib all night. I am still a little concerned about leaving it on her with a little one running around, I dint want it to get a foot stuck in the collar or something, but I guess I will play it by ear for a while, and she will be able to be alone by then, so she can stay in our small indoor arena instead of the stall.

[windsweptarabians]

another method that I found that works better than tobasco sauce is vasoline and cayenne pepper. It has more stick to it and you can spread it on thicker in areas that they chew more. I tried the tobasco sauce once and they seemed to enjoy it. I also tried the stop chew once, while I was painting the walls I turned around to find my mare licking it off where I had painted. She was one that the closer she got to foaling the more she would bite the walls and scrape her teeth along them.

I work at a breeding farm on weekends and they have a mare with a collar on and from what I can see it doesn't seem to get in the way of the baby and we have never taken the collar off her.

Shannan

[cher1010]

Just wanted to share this link....Don't know if it works, but they certainly say it does. www.bitterlicks.com/ Keep us posted if anyone tries it.