Crib-biting falls within the well-recognised category of stereotypical abnormal behaviour.
Considered an unsoundness, crib-biting is the term given to a horse taking hold of a fixed object, such as a fence or top of a stable door, with his teeth and pulling back on it, tensing the neck muscles and sometimes swallowing air. It is common for horses to crib-bite around feeding time, although the behaviour can occur at any time.
Crib-biting is common — between two and 15% of domesticated horses kept in stables around the world exhibit this behaviour, although this varies with breed and management. There is a suspicion that the tendency is inherited, but also a belief that horses learn to crib-bite from others in the yard.
Crib-biting and breeding
Researchers in Helsinki, Finland, have studied the prevalence of crib-biting in Finnhorses, a cold-blooded draught breed that has had a closed and well-documented studbook for more than
100 years.
They looked at the breeding and lineages of horses that were established crib-biters and compared them with non-crib-biters that were matched for age, type of work and management. Horses were not classed as non-crib-biters until they were 10 years old, since the habit can appear in horses up to that age.
It was clear that for this breed — and probably for all others — crib-biting is strongly linked to breeding. In other words, there is a clear genetic predisposition or tendency to crib-bite that can be inherited and passed on to succeeding generations.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
But it is not a simple matter of straightforward inheritance, since the study shows that several genes must be involved and that the expression of crib-biting is not just a result of genetics. A horse may inherit the tendency to become a crib-biter, but there will have to be stresses or anxieties in the individual horse that precipitate the actual behaviour.
This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (13 November 2014)
Why poor management is at the root of stable vices
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
