THE EFFECT OF DIET ON CRIBBING BEHAVIOR AND PLASMA BETA-ENDORPHIN IN HORSES

Five cribbing horses and six control horses were used in a latin square design dietary study to investigate the effects of different diets on the frequency of cribbing behavior and plasma levels of beta-endorphin in the horse. Feeding grain or sweetened grain rations was found to cause a significant increase in the cribbing frequency whereas alfalfa pelleted hay was without significant effect on the frequency of the behavior. Baseline beta-endorphin levels in cribbing horses were half those of the non-cribbing controls and remained significantly lower during the feeding trials. These results are discussed as they apply to treatment of cribbing horses and in terms of the underlying mechanism of cribbing.