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Cribbing Horse
Horse cribbing on a fence "parked-out"
Between 60 & 90% of stabled horses have gastric ulcers! The stressful life of a race or show horse contributes, but even pasture potatoes have ulcers. This issue, Healthy Horse Hints? is loaded with insightful treatments for ulcers and helps owners of horses with "bad habits" understand and live with these behavioral issues.
HHH: Pasture Potato horses may have ulcers because of infrequent, large, grain-based meals. When a horse's stomach remains empty for hours, then is too full for short periods, the stomach acid and pepsin have access to unprotected stomach lining and can gradually eat a hole in it. The protective mucus layer in the stomach is thinner in some places and excess acid can damage the walls, contributing to ulcers. Immunoglobulins offered in UF-Formula or UL-CERASE, both carried by A-B-C [1-800-373-5971, www.a-b-c-plus.com ], are great natural approaches to ulcer-prone horses.
HHH: Stomach ulcers could be responsible for your horses' bad behavior. Your horse may alter his gait to decrease discomfort, as well as exhibit general bad temper, restlessness, and poor performance. Recurring hind end lameness avoids movements such as changing canter leads. A dull rough coat or color change, chronic colic, limited appetite, back or neck pain, difficulty maintaining weight, and decrease of muscle tone despite exercise can all be signs of ulcers. Vertebrae can be displaced by a horse trying to stop painful movement. Some horses never show signs of ulcer irritation. Foals are also susceptible to ulcers. Foals might have drooling saliva, reoccurring colic, diarrhea, teeth grinding, inconsistent nursing, and even lie on their back with their legs in the air to relieve pain.
HHH: A high starch diet increases stomach acidity which can lead to ulcers [see "The Skinny on Starch,' Holistic Horse Issue #45, Spring 2006]. Stabled horses and those without adequate hay intake throughout the day are more prone to ulcers. Feed high-fiber feeds, allow plenty of pasture time and feed at the same time daily. Alter the diet by soaking hay and/or pellets to soften before feeding. Consult your veterinarian to diagnose gastric ulcers using an endoscope to view the stomach interior. An acupuncturist can check for soreness at various acupuncture points. Many veterinarians suggest coating the horse?s stomach lining 5 minutes before feeding with milk of magnesia for about 30 days. To reduce stomach discomfort brought on by excess acid, include salts of magnesium and calcium such as calcium carbonate from limestone (2 tbsp per meal) and magnesium oxide or sulfate. There is no concern for overdose due to their solubility and release via sweat or urination.
HHH: Enzymes are effective "natural" stomach acid blockers for horses. Remember horses are vegetarian, so pass on animal enzymes and go straight to Enzymedica, the leader in therapeutic plant-based enzymes. They blend a mixture of enzyme strains to increase the potency at varying pH levels; and they don?t have preservatives, fillers, or artificial colors. Try 1-2 caps of Acid Soothe at feed time to soothe the esophagus, as well as to support gastrointestinal ulcers. If your feed doesn?t contain enzymes, start feeding Digest or Digest Gold as well. This cutting edge combination is a must for ulcers!
HHH: Herbs such as licorice, marshmallow root, or comfrey also assist with gastric ulcers. The high mucilaginous content in comfrey leaf helps to heal and soothe the stomach lining. Marshmallow soothes the entire digestive tract and licorice helps reduce stomach acid by producing mucus that acts as an anti-inflammatory. Try Hilton Herbs Phytotherapy Mix 2 for gastric ulcer management, or make your own herbal tea. To decrease stomach acidity and reduce inflammation, try meadowsweet herb. It?s especially good for ulcers created by overuse of pharmaceutical drugs. Add fresh dried herb into feed, or add boiling water over fresh meadowsweet or comfrey herb, steep, strain, cool and administer via syringe.
HHH: Aloe vera, used internally, assists with inflammation & ulcers as well! Inflammation is common with ulcers (and colic). Herbalists define aloe vera as cold and moist; therefore it is used for any "itis" (inflammatory disorder). During fever, aloe vera can promote cooling of the system by eliminating heat from the intestines. Aloe vera gel works great for internal ulcers as well as decubital ulcers (bed sores/open sore other than a wound). Regularly add 2 oz. of aloe vera to feed, or add to a nebulizer for bleeders. Also use topically for wounds.
HHH: Homeopathy can be used for specific gastric ulcer symptom support. For back and neck soreness try homeopathic remedy Nux vomica 6c, 12c, or 30c. For diarrhea, decreased appetite, and a poor attitude, try homeopathic remedy KaliBichromicum 30c. For nervous worriers, such as Thoroughbreds, try Phosphorus 12c or 30c.
HHH: Aromatherapy inhalants or Bach Flower remedies can also be used for gastric ulcer support. Apply a little lavender to the horse's halter while he eats to relieve stomach discomfort; remove the halter after eating. Between meals try Melissa herb to decrease excessive neutral stimulation that contributes to stomach ulcers. Sandalwood decreases stress and encourages relaxation. Jasmine oil may also help with cribbing. Choose one or more Bach Flower remedies that best fit your horse's profile for ulcer support: walnut, impatiens or mimulus.
HHH: Fence chewing, a nutrient deficiency, is different than cribbing or wind-sucking. Some horses strip bark off trees, and chew on fences or cribs. More common with black and chestnut horses, wood-eating horses are linked to high acidification of cecal contents; likely caused by a copper deficiency or too little fiber in the diet. Cold, wet weather creates boredom, anxiety, frustration, and can soften wood, making it more aromatic and palatable. If training exceeds a horse?s adaptive capacity, emotions build. Being stalled, high intake of concentrate feeds, and weaning foals alone are possible factors as well. Chewing wood also relieves itching gums during teething. Horses can colic from wood ingestion. Try free choice seaweed or 1 tsp copper sulfate, dolomite (which naturally contains calcium/magnesium) and sulfur. Willow, beech and birch tree twigs are "nibbling treats" to allow natural gnawing along with free access to hay. Willow tree bark contains salicylic acid and is commonly preferred by horses who may normally have no history of wood chewing. In sporadic cases, wood chewing can be a temporary activity of no concern. As long as you're feeding adequate roughage and a diet rich in trace minerals, likely the need is sensory; not nutritional. Many horses start chewing and later become cribbers. They would have even if kept in an all metal stall.
HHH: Among the most well known management and handling induced behaviors are Cribbing and Wind-sucking. Both can lead to ulcers. Cribbing is different from wind-sucking where no object is required and the head is held freely. When a horse constantly swallows air, chronic distension may occur followed by colic. Look for cording of neck muscles that are a result of forcing air into the stomach. Daily feeding of probiotics can be useful to horses who wind-suck. Such horses need assistance to maintain the correct balance of gut flora.
HHH: Cribbers are nervous and neurotic, and are often hard keepers because they pursue cribbing instead of eating. Approximately 1%-8% of all horses crib. Usually associated with stabled horses, a cribber uses his incisor (front) teeth to grab a firm surface (often wood: the stall wall, rim of a feed trough, pasture fence, or even the horse's own front leg), then makes a "gulping air' type sound which is described as wind-sucking. They find comfort in the ritual. Cribbing releases endorphins (opiates) from the brain, leading to a permanent vice for this all-natural high. In 2003 the Equine Nutrition & Physiology Society clearly pointed to evidence of excess acid (low pH), ulcers and inflammation contributing to stomach pains from gastric distress. Multiple reports show that horses with the most acidity in all cases displayed the highest incidence of cribbing!
HHH: Movements of tongue and lips, or licking motions are stereotypical behaviors that can accompany cribbing. Cribbing can be triggered by agitation or excitement such as eating, grooming, saddling, stall cleaning or even when people visit the barn. If fed extreme amounts of concentrate early on, horses may have trouble adapting to extended eating times later. Cribbers are often discriminated against; and may not be allowed in some stables or riding schools. Cribbing is not learned by imitation of neighboring horses, regardless of industry misconception. Address the behavior early, as habits are hard to control once established.
HHH: Thoroughbreds, refined breeds, and hereditary predisposed horses are common cribbers. Abrupt training, excessive harsh training, changing barns or, even worse, isolation without sufficient exercise or interaction, are all causes for first-time cribbers. Cribbing is commonly caused from insufficient management situations particularly in the training of racing, dressage and eventing horses. Certain bloodlines, especially Italian thoroughbreds, show as high as 30% genetic predisposition to cribbing. Now we can look for ulcers as a major contributing factor.
HHH: Cribbing collars do not address a horse?s motivation to crib. A special collar, called a cribbing strap, is sometimes effective to prevent the horse from swallowing air while his neck is arched. Collars attempt to prevent the occurrence of signs of cribbing, but they also create an additional burden on the horse. Adding a collar can be measured by increased cortisol which commonly rises in situations of stress. Escaping stress is preprogrammed. As with fence chewing, mistakes made during early development such as premature or incorrect weaning from the dam, feeding too much concentrate feed, allowing overexcitement, or offering too many sweet treats or feeds can contribute to cribbing. Electric fencing in the stall or pasture is useless and cruel. Operations may surgically mask the signs of cribbing, but are costly and still do not remove the motivation.
HHH: Try feeding roughage before concentrate to decrease excitement. Decrease agitation, offer assorted stimuli within their environment. Supply open undisturbed pasture access with companions. Feed ample hay and straw to mimic the horse?s natural grazing needs, as well as to provide natural tryptophan, an amino acid important in the synthesis of serotonin. Provide calm moderate exercise at a slow pace. Avoid emotional build-up, frustration, conflict and overexcitement due to deprivation.
HHH: There is evidence that Cribbing does not represent compromised well being. Cribbing can be considered unsoundness by some; yet cribbing may even have some positive effects on the horse. Physiological evidence proven by a decrease in heart rate, along with the release of endorphins, is shown by a reduction in excitement during cribbing. Cribbing can also strengthen long neck muscles. Increased risk of colic and the assumption that gas accumulation results from swallowing air are both unsubstantiated; nor is there likelihood of greater weight loss problems; although a higher percentage of easily excitable horses are slimmer. Dental concerns or improper ingestion of feed is also rare.
HHH: Sound therapy has been used to satisfy cribbers and wind-suckers. It is not uncommon to have a radio playing in stables and barns to keep horses company. Experiment with various types of music. Select something calming such as Pachabel's Canon in D, or the Gregorian chant. See how your horse responds. You might even hide a few gemstones (such as amethyst to calm, or citrine to settle nerves) in the stall or tack. Whatever your beliefs, if it gets the job done, it is definitely worth the effort.
HHH: Management and environment improvement, along with enzymes to reduce acidity and digestive distress may be your best bet for Ulcers, Cribbing or Wind-sucking. Seek natural alternatives to alleviate acid discomfort associated with Ulcers, Cribbing and Wind-sucking. Undesirable behaviors might originally develop for legitimate reasons, but once formed they often appear even if the cause is removed. It can be irritating if you are trying to bridle a horse that keeps biting the door of the stable; or if you have to listen to your horse swallowing air all the time. Many people cannot live with cribbing or wind-sucking whereas others take it in stride. You must be compatible with your horse (and his stable vices) to have a symbiotic relationship. Relief from ulcers may bring much needed comfort to both you and your horse!
Shari Frederick, BS, NMD, LE, a nutritional educator, assists horseowners in making healthier, more natural choices in horse care. She is an advocate of natural prevention and support for overall health, healing and stronger immune systems for both humans and animals. Shari is an independent author, international lecturer and self-styled naturalist. She is also a staunch supporter of "Truth in Labeling" for ALL manufacturers. Contact Shari at [email protected] and reference Holistic Horse in the subject line.