Investigating the gastrointestinal physiology of mature horses with and without a history of cribbing behavior in response to feeding a digestive support supplement.
Authors: Arias-Esquivel Ana M, Vasco Ana C Cerqueira de Melo, Lance Jill, Warren Lori K, Rodriguez-Campos Luis A, Lee Megan C, Rodriguez Christina N, Wickens Carissa L
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Cribbing and Gastrointestinal Support: Limited Evidence for Supplement Efficacy Cribbing is a stereotypic behaviour linked to gastrointestinal dysfunction and ulceration, yet the relationship between GI physiology and this vice remains incompletely understood. Arias-Esquivel and colleagues conducted a randomised crossover trial in eight mature Quarter Horses (four cribbers, four controls) housed with restricted turnout, comparing a commercial GI support supplement against placebo over 21 days via fecal and gastric pH analysis, endoscopic ulcer grading, serum cortisol and gastrin measurement, and video-recorded cribbing behaviour. Whilst an interaction emerged between supplementation and cribbing status for squamous mucosa ulcers (P=0.003), the supplement produced no meaningful changes in gastric or faecal pH, serum markers, glandular ulceration, or cribbing frequency or bout duration; crib-bout length did vary significantly across time periods and hours of the day. These results suggest that this particular digestive supplement has limited efficacy in modifying either the underlying gastrointestinal environment or the manifestation of cribbing behaviour itself, highlighting the need for more targeted intervention strategies—whether pharmaceutical, management-based, or behavioural—and raising questions about whether GI dysfunction is truly a primary driver versus a secondary consequence of the stereotypy.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Digestive support supplements alone may not be an effective intervention for managing cribbing behavior in horses, despite theoretical links between cribbing and GI dysfunction.
- •Cribbing cannot be reliably predicted or managed through standard GI markers (pH, cortisol, gastrin levels) or addressed via supplementation targeting these parameters.
- •Further research into the underlying mechanisms of cribbing and multifactorial management approaches is needed before recommending GI supplements as primary cribbing interventions.
Key Findings
- •A digestive support supplement showed no significant differences in fecal and gastric pH between cribbing and non-cribbing horses.
- •An interaction between supplementation and cribbing status was observed for squamous mucosa ulcer scores (P=0.003), suggesting differential response by phenotype.
- •No differences were found in serum cortisol, serum gastrin, or crib-bite count between cribbing and non-cribbing horses or between treatment groups.
- •The GI support supplement did not effectively address cribbing behavior or alter the gastrointestinal environment in either phenotype.