Q. I have had my horse for fifteen years, and he has always been stalled with daily turnout (all-day turnout). He is a cribber, so he wears a cribbing collar 24/7. He's always chewed at wood, but lately it seems that his wood chewing is getting much worse. Could he be "telling" me that he would rather be outside all the time? He's always the first to line up to come in and can't wait to get in his stall. Any suggestions?

A. I'm afraid I have no good news for you. Cribbing is one of those stable vices which is nearly impossible to cure, and it's also frequently "contagious" from one horse to another. That's why many stable owners won't accept a boarder who cribs. Your horse has been cribbing far too long now to reasonably expect to change this habit. The cribbing strap will disallow him from swallowing air, but it will not stop him from chewing wood and damaging his teeth (and possibly his digestive system).

It doesn't sound like he's at a lack for visual stimulation if he's outside all day. You haven't mentioned how much exercise he gets, but that's not really likely to matter much at this point. The fact that he's suddenly doing a lot more wood chewing is far more likely to point to a dietary deficiency than to any lack of adequate exercise. In case you're not doing this already (and if he's not dangerously obese), give him good quality grass hay free-choice. Horses will often chew wood when they have no other way to occupy their mouths, and I assume there is no grazing available to your horse in the pasture at this time of year. Plenty of good hay will give both his mouth and hopefully the rest of his body exactly what it needs. Also, check his entire diet to see that he is getting all the nutrients he needs in the correct amounts.