What Cribbing Is Really Telling Us About Stress & Social Needs
Few behaviors spark as much debate in the horse world as cribbing.
Ask a group of horse people what it means and you’ll hear a dozen different answers:
“It’s just a bad habit.”
“It’s because of ulcers.”
“It’s boredom.”
“It’s learned from other horses.”
“It’s genetic.”
And of course, the infamous: “Just put a collar on and stop it.”
Some of these answers might be right, some are certainly wrong - But as usual the truth is more complex than any one single explanation. Cribbing isn’t a quirky “vice” or a sign of bad manners. It’s a coping mechanism. And if we zoom out far enough, cribbing often tells us something vital about a horse’s stress levels and unmet social needs.
This blog will explore what cribbing really is, why horses do it, and what it can teach us about creating healthier, more supportive environments for them.
🐴 First Things First: What Is Cribbing?
Cribbing is a stereotypic behavior where a horse grasps a solid object (like a fence rail or stall door), arches its neck, and sucks in air with a distinctive grunt.
It’s not the same as wood-chewing (“crib-biting”). Cribbing is specifically about the act of pressing teeth, arching, and drawing air.
And here’s the key: stereotypic behaviors like cribbing don’t appear out of nowhere. They develop as a horse’s way of coping with something in their environment that’s difficult to process—whether physical pain, chronic stress, or social deprivation.
🔍 Common Myths About Cribbing
Before we dig deeper, let’s clear up a few myths.
Myth 1: Cribbing is “just a bad habit.”
👉 False. Cribbing serves a functional purpose for the horse—it reduces stress by releasing endorphins.
Myth 2: Horses crib because they “want to annoy us.”
👉 False. Cribbing isn’t defiance. It’s self-soothing, like nail-biting in humans.
Myth 3: Cribbing is caused by watching another horse do it.
👉 Partly false. While horses in similar management conditions may develop stereotypies at the same time, research shows there’s little evidence for true “copycat” learning.
Myth 4: You can fix cribbing by stopping the behavior.
👉 Dangerous. Preventing cribbing without addressing underlying causes can actually increase stress and make welfare worse.
🌱 Why Do Horses Crib?
The causes of cribbing are multi-layered, but most fall under two categories: stress and unmet needs.
1. Stress Regulation
Cribbing releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. This creates a calming effect and helps regulate the horse’s nervous system.
In other words: the horse is cribbing because it helps them feel better.
2. Unmet Social & Environmental Needs
Horses evolved to live in large, stable social groups and graze up to 18 hours a day. When they’re kept in isolation, restricted forage access, or environments without enrichment, they experience frustration and stress.
Cribbing often develops in horses who:
Are weaned too early or abruptly
Spend long hours in stalls or without forage
Have limited or no turnout
Lack consistent social interaction with other horses
It’s not “bad behavior.” It’s the horse saying: “I’m struggling here.”
💡 Cribbing as Communication
Here’s the perspective shift:
Instead of asking, “How do I stop my horse from cribbing?”
We need to ask, “What is my horse trying to tell me by cribbing?”
Because cribbing is more than a nuisance. It’s a signal - a red flag that the horse is under stress or missing key aspects of their natural life.
It’s like a check engine light. Turning off the light doesn’t fix the engine.
🧪 What the Research Says
The causes are layered, but most fall under two categories: stress and unmet needs.
📌 Stress Regulation: A systematic review finds stereotypies like cribbing are strongly linked to prolonged stress, early weaning, and solitary housing. Swiss studies even showed that horses allowed to crib during difficult tasks had lower cortisol levels than non-cribbers, proof that it really is a stress-coping mechanism.
📌 Neurological Changes: Cribbing literally rewires the brain. Stress alters dopamine release in the striatum (a key learning/reward center), making stereotypies hard to “unlearn.” Cribbing horses have also shown differences in tactile sensitivity and learning style: not less intelligent, but different.
📌 Genetics: Cribbing is more common in Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods, suggesting a hereditary predisposition. The specific genes haven’t been identified yet, but dopamine and GABA receptor pathways are prime suspects.
📌 Gut Health: Cribbing horses often have altered gut microbiomes and lower antioxidant levels—another sign of the tight connection between stress, digestion, and brain health.
📌 Ulcers & Colic: Cribbing and gastric ulcers were once thought to be directly linked. Today’s research suggests both are consequences of stress, not one causing the other. Cribbing horses are at higher risk for colic, but again, the root cause seems to be management and diet.
The consistent theme? Cribbing is tied to management practices that fail to meet a horse’s natural needs.
🐎 Case Study: Malachi
Malachi is a horse I know well. He was a chronic cribber and one of the most extreme I’d seen. This habit developed early in his life when he spent the majority of his days either alone in a stall or being ridden in an arena. Despite thoughtful care and good management in recent years, his cribbing continued to dominate his daily life.
When he joined a large, mixed herd, what we like to call the “family unit,” something remarkable happened. Within months, his cribbing decreased by about 90%.
I didn’t “fix” him. No collar, no punishment, no magic feed supplement. The herd did the work.
Through grooming, social interaction, synchronized movement, and the security of family life, Malachi’s stress levels dropped. He didn’t need cribbing as much, because his environment finally met his needs.
This is why I believe the solution to cribbing isn’t just about treating ulcers or reducing boredom. It’s about the whole picture of stress and social needs.
Malachi still cribs - especially when he is in pain (for example when he has an abscess), during stressful situations, or after eating sweet treats. But he is no longer tearing down fenceposts, destroying the barn, or showing excessive wear on his teeth.
⚠️ Why Stopping Cribbing by Force Doesn’t Work
It’s tempting to want to “fix” cribbing by blocking the behavior: collars, cribbing muzzles, hot wiring every surface. But here’s the truth:
Just blocking cribbing doesn’t resolve the underlying stress.
Horses often become more anxious or develop other stereotypies if they cannot crib but management remains unchanged.
Welfare decreases because you’ve taken away their coping tool.
It’s like taking a stress ball away from someone in a high-pressure job. You haven’t reduced their stress -you’ve just removed their outlet.
🛠️ So What Can We Do Instead?
1. Address the Basics
Ensure constant access to forage (not just meals).
Provide turnout in large spaces, ideally with other horses.
Minimize isolation and maximize social contact.
2. Restore the Family Unit
Living in a stable, mixed herd is one of the most powerful ways to reduce stress behaviors like cribbing. Horses learn to self-regulate through grooming, play, and the security of social bonds.
3. Treat Underlying Medical Issues
Work with your vet to rule out or address gastric ulcers, dental issues, or other sources of pain that may be driving cribbing.
4. Provide Enrichment
Chewable toys, multiple hay stations, and variety in feeding can reduce frustration and support natural foraging behaviors while providing a more functional outlet for oral fixations.
5. Change the Question
Instead of “How do I stop my horse from cribbing?” ask:
What need isn’t being met here?
How can I reduce stress in this horse’s life?
What can I add to their environment to support them?
🧩 Cribbing as a Teacher
Cribbing teaches us humility. It reminds us that horses aren’t machines we can control with quick fixes. They are sentient beings with emotional, social, and psychological needs.
And when those needs aren’t met, they show us—sometimes in ways we find frustrating, sometimes in ways that challenge our assumptions.
But if we’re willing to listen, cribbing horses can teach us how to build better systems of care—not just for them, but for all horses.
✨ In Summary
Cribbing is not a “bad habit” - it’s a coping mechanism.
It’s strongly linked to stress, restricted forage, ulcers, and social deprivation.
Stopping cribbing without addressing the cause only increases stress.
Meeting social and environmental needs (restoring the “family unit”) can reduce cribbing dramatically.
Cribbing rewires the dopamine system in the brain - completely eliminating it can be very challenging once the habit is well established.
Cribbing is a signal, not a flaw. Listening to it makes us better stewards of our horses.
So the next time you see a horse cribbing, resist the urge to judge or fix. Instead, ask:
What is this horse trying to tell me?
Because when we start asking that question, we shift from management to partnership. From frustration to empathy. And from coping… to healing. 🐴💙
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References:
Anderson, Michelle. (2021). Stereotypic Behaviors. Retired Racehorse Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.therrp.org/education/training/stereotypic-behaviors/
Camargo, Fernanda C. (2012). Stereotypic Behavior in Horses: Weaving, Stall Walking and Cribbing. University of Kentucky. Retrieved from https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1144&context=anr_reports
Lesté-Lasserre, C. (2024, Nov 21). What’s new with equine cribbing research? The Horse. Retrieved from https://thehorse.com/1124690/whats-new-with-equine-cribbing-research/
Tennessee Extension. (2023). Weaning foals: Management and welfare considerations (Publication W898). University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Retrieved from https://utia.tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/269/2023/10/W898.pdf
Parker, M., McBride, S. D., & Redhead, E. S. (2011). The effect of foraging enrichment on the behaviour of stabled horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 131(1–2), 71–78. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5081461/
McBride, S. D., & Hemmings, A. (2009). A neurologic perspective of equine stereotypy. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 29(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2008.11.008