A severe deficiency of phosphorus can cause abnormal chewing in many species. However, in most modern horse diets the likelihood of such gross deficiencies is uncommon. This can sometimes lead to bloat and colic. The strap is buckled around the neck in such a way that it will compress the larynx when the head is flexed, but not cause any discomfort if the head is not flexed.
Surgery is sometimes effective in stopping cribbing.
Compared to other animals, the horse evolved to travel quickly and consume small, frequent meals of fibrous vegetation. Cribbing and pica is common among horses kept in stalls and fed highly concentrated rations once or twice per day. A method that has proven successful in a number of cribbing cases is to replace about 5 pounds of grain with dried sugar beet pulp. Wet the pulp slightly before feeding to allow it to swell up. The extra fiber probably maintains a better gut fill on a 2x per day feeding program.