Retrospective evaluation of crib-biting and windsucking behaviours and owner-perceived behavioural traits as risk factors for colic in horses.
Authors: Malamed R, Berger J, Bain M J, Kass P, Spier S J
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Crib-biting and windsucking have long been suspected as colic risk factors, yet their relationship to specific types or severity of colic remained unclear. Using a matched case-control design, researchers reviewed three years of hospital records alongside owner questionnaires to examine whether these stereotypic behaviours, along with other temperament traits, correlated with colic presentation. The analysis confirmed that horses with a history of cribbing or windsucking were significantly more likely to experience colic, though the behaviour showed no preferential association with medical versus surgical cases or with colic severity—a finding that challenges the assumption these vices predispose to particular colic types. Interestingly, owner-perceived anxiety was not a significant risk factor, and no other repetitive behaviours emerged as predictive markers. For practitioners, this means crib-biting history warrants closer monitoring and colic prevention strategies, yet the underlying mechanism linking the behaviour to gastrointestinal dysfunction remains unknown; clarifying whether cribbing causes altered GI function or reflects it could lead to more targeted and humane treatment approaches that benefit both welfare and clinical outcomes.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Owners of horses with cribbing/windsucking behaviour should be counselled that their horses are at elevated colic risk and warrant close monitoring for gastrointestinal signs
- •Anxious temperament alone does not increase colic risk, so behaviour modification strategies should focus on humane management of the stereotypic behaviour itself rather than anxiety reduction for colic prevention
- •Aged horses (≥20 years) warrant particular colic vigilance regardless of behavioural traits
Key Findings
- •Cribbing/windsucking was significantly associated with increased risk of colic overall
- •Cribbing/windsucking showed no association with specific colic type or severity
- •Age ≥20 years was significantly associated with colic risk
- •Anxious temperament was not associated with increased colic risk, and no other repetitive behaviours showed significant colic association