Author: Amanda-Jo King, DVM

WRITTEN BYAmanda-Jo King, DVM Veterinarian Amanda-Jo King DVM is a native Floridian and has always fostered a love for animals great and small. Veterinary medicine was not always her…,Communication is an essential part of our lives, but not all communication is verbal. We can communicate with our horses through the use of body language. By being perceptive, we can learn what they are trying to tell us. And make no mistake, they can read human body language too. Learn how to read our horses from front to back: Ear Body Language We can learn a lot about how a horse is feeling by looking at his ears. If they are forward, it means they are alert and taking in new information in a friendly manner. Horses can move their ears in 180 degrees to receive information from all directions.  Ears that are erect and facing backward means they are listening to something behind them. However, when the ears are pinned down and backward–this is a sign of fear, aggression, stress, or pain. Proceed with extreme caution around the horse if you notice this behavior. Rapidly flicking their ears back and forth indicates a horse’s heightened state of alertness. He may be trying to locate a frightening or concerning sound; or be overstimulated. Horses have an extremely good sense of hearing and can hear things over a mile away. If the ears are hanging to the side in a drooping manner, a horse is relaxed, bored, and may be dozing off to sleep. If you need to approach your horse at this time, do so carefully as not to startle them out of sleep.  

WRITTEN BYAmanda-Jo King, DVM Veterinarian Amanda-Jo King DVM is a native Floridian and has always fostered a love for animals great and small. Veterinary medicine was not always her…,What Is Horse Cribbing? Cribbing is a behavior exhibited by horses in which they grasp onto a solid object with their incisors (front teeth), contract their neck, and pull back, while simultaneously sucking air into their esophagus. They often make a characteristic grunting sound during this process. Cribbing is categorized as a stereotypical behavior, which is a behavior that is an apparently functionless, repetitive activity. Other stereotypical behaviors include stall-pacing, weaving, pawing, and headshaking. Other names for cribbing include “crib-biting” and “windsucking.” Cribbing behavior is well-documented in domestic horses, occurring in 5-15% of the general horse population. The rate of occurrence varies by breed. The frequency of cribbing in Thoroughbreds is close to 15%, Arabians closer to 6%, and Standardbreds almost 0%. These breed differences may support the notion that there is a genetic component to cribbing; however, a specific gene has not been detected. Cribbing has also been seen in wild horses, like the Przewalski horses, when they are kept in captivity, but it has not been observed in wild, free-ranging horses. Is Cribbing Harmful to Horses? Cribbing can lead to a handful of unwanted side effects. Horses that crib may be at an increased risk for colic and gastric ulcers, though an exact cause-and-effect relationship has not been established. Horses that crib tend to lose weight and have an overall poor body condition. This is because they spend a large portion of their time and energy on this functionless behavior. Cribbing causes excessive wear on a horse’s teeth. However, in only the most severe cases does it cause detriment to the horse. Other adverse effects include: Development of abnormal neck musculature Arthritis in the temporohyoid joint Damage to property the horse cribs on (i.e., stalls, water/feed troughs) Negative stigma around horses that crib—it used to be thought that one horse will learn to crib by watching another horse crib, but this has not been proven

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