Back into work after box rest

[Sianio]

Hi everyone. I’m quite experienced with bringing back into work after serious injuries (operations, tendons etc) but that’s not the situation I’m in so would appreciate any tips or advice!

My horse has been on box rest for a little over 3 weeks after a field injury that needed stitches. Before this she was fit and normal, doing a combination of schooling, lunging, groundwork and hacking.

She is completely sound and has been since the day of the injury so my vet recommended 10 days to get her back to some level of normality and then turnout can resume. My question is what to do in those days. I feel like after only 3 weeks and 3 days off she won’t have lost much muscle or fitness so would be thinking of a couple of days walk in hand and then fairly quickly progress to some trot on the lunge the first week, then maybe canter the second. Does this sound about right? She is used to being in work every day.

 

[AmyMay]

I’d just get on and walk for the first week, building up the time and walk with short spells of trot in the second week (again building up the time).

That (IMO) would be better than lunging.

 

[Sianio]

I do have some Sedalin, but riding is potentially a no even with that as if I come off it’s too big a risk of her hooning around! We don’t lunge in circles anyway but assuming the risk is extra strain I might replace lunging with groundwork. Thanks for the tip!

 

[AFB]

Personally if hooning around is a risk I would be concerned that the injury isn't fully healed - I had quite a nasty flesh wound to deal with about 18 months ago (about 10 stitches which then failed due to box walking so had to heal itself), we had about 3 weeks box rest before turning out and he was bought back in to work a couple of weeks after that, hacking first of all.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

A week for every week they are off. So first week walk for 5 days before adding in a bit of trot. Then trot for 5 days along with the walk. Quiet canters from day 12-ish. Basing this on 6 days a week of work. You need to do the walk to avoid tying up.

What/where was the injury that they can't go play in the field? Is turning them out on sedaline and letting them wake up quietly in the field going to help you? Less likely to go mad then!

 

[Branna]

I’d just get on and walk for the first week, building up the time and walk with short spells of trot in the second week (again building up the time).

That (IMO) would be better than lunging.

I agree with this. Personally I prefer where possible to bring them back into work under saddle than in hand/on the lunge, so I would walk a bit longer and introduce trot under saddle.