The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
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30 TheHorse.com THE HORSE September 2015 was more than three years. Thus, surgery might be more successful when per- formed before a horse has established a long-time habit. "I think that the habitual cycle is easier to break in a horse that has not done it as long as one that has," Burba says. "It is like trying to get a smoker to quit. The less time a smoker is smoking, the easier it is to break the habit." Twenty study horses (22%) for which follow-up results were available devel- oped post-surgical complications, though some of those occurred in surgeries con- ducted during the early years of the pro- cedure. As with any treatment technique, surgeons are perfecting the process. Five study horses were listed, based on their owners' reports, as having decreased performance after surgery, though the team did not definitively link that to the surgery. Two of the five were yearling Thoroughbreds, so we don't know if their poor performance on the track would have occurred without the surgery. "Regarding the other three horses," Burba says, "I wonder that a change in behavior occurred as a result of the surgery and was displayed as a change in performance." The surgery can cost about $2,400, though Burba notes that the price might vary in different areas of the country. He says the type of horse with the best chance of success would be a young horse—about 6 years old—that has not been cribbing for more than two years. Burba is continuing his LARMF re- search. He says he plans to look at using a different type of laser that might be even more effective at transecting the muscle and result in more aesthetically pleasing outcomes, as horses do still experience some scarring. He also will perform nerve-conduction studies to investigate the motor function of other muscles in the neck area where the surgery is performed. Collars and Straps If surgery doesn't fit your budget, crib- bing collars and straps are still common approaches to try to eliminate or reduce cribbing. They fit around a horse's neck, restricting the muscles at play and inhib- iting the ability to crib. Collars and straps come in a variety of styles. Typically, owners use a cribbing collar or strap when the horse is stalled. They must take care to fit the collar or strap properly—tight enough to be effective but not so tight that it hurts the horse. Cowles and Smith agree that no col- lar or strap works on every horse. The Houdini horse that can escape stalls and pastures might also find a way to render a collar or strap ineffective. Some horses are so determined to crib that they will do it even while wearing a collar or strap. "We've tried to manage cribbing on our farm and with our clients with cribbing collars," says Cowles. "I think it helps some, but it doesn't prevent that many" from cribbing. While more controversial control methods, such as shock collars, are still on the market, Cowles says he doesn't see them in use. Take-Home Message Researchers still aren't completely clear on what causes cribbing, but they know it's highly individual—as is the appropriate technique to manage it. The more solutions and preventive methods researchers develop, the more options owners have for their horses. If one approach doesn't workfor your horse, don't give up. You might discover the right technique that, if it doesn't elimi- nate the habit, might at least reduce its frequency. h ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tracy Gantz is a freelance writer based in Southern California. She is the Southern California correspondent for The Blood-Horse and a regular contributor to Paint Horse Journal, Paint Racing News, and Appaloosa Journal. DUSTY PERIN PHOTOS Taking a Bite Out of Cribbing The Forssell's procedure seen here for controlling cribbing is often effective, but it leaves scars. Surgeons have developed a laser-assisted version with more cosmetically appealing results. I think that the habitual (cribbing) cycle is easier to break in a horse that has not done it as long as one that has. It is like trying to get a smoker to quit." DR. DANIEL J. BURBA