Question: What is cribbing or wind sucking?
Answer:
A horse is said to be cribbing when it grasps a solid object like a fence rail, tree stump, or even its own foreleg with its front teeth, arches its neck, and then gulps to force air into its throat. The horse may follow the gulp with licking or chewing and sometimes removes bits of fence with each bite. The horse will brace itself with its forelegs and the throat will expand it gulps. There is usually a distinctive ‘glug’ sound with each gulp. Research suggests that horses receive a hit of endorphins when they crib, and become addicted to the habit. Cribbing is similar to obsessive-compulsive disorders in humans. The scientific name for wind sucking is aerophagia.
