Back on track/Ideas to keep horse healthy on boxrest

Vickijay

Vickijay

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Hiya.

Ive done a search on back on track products on here but wondered if anyone could help to advise me in my particular situation. (Sorry to offend the people who thinks this shouldn't be in the CR bit of the forum, she is my competition pony though and I figured more people in here might have BOT stuff!)

I want to try and keep Dot as healthy as possible while she's on box rest. I bought her a Equissage machine (2nd hand) which she likes. But I was wondering about getting her a magnet rug or something similar. I'm not really sure that I buy into magnet things doing anything though! I spoke to someone else who said if your going to have a magnet rug it should be a electro pulse one, well I don't have 3k to spend on a rug so that's out!!

I have done some reading about the back on track products so wondered if that would be a good thing for her to have. The things I've read on here about them seem pretty positive. I'm not really sure they will help her that much though? I quite like the look of the BOT pillow wraps, but I don't think she could wear them at the moment because her injury is still warm, so I doubt I would want to put something on her leg that would increase that.

Would you go down the BOT route?

Is there anything else I can do? Its mostly to break up the day for her, because she is boooooooored and she is going to be in for an awfully long time. I cant really think of much else! I have been grooming her lots, equissaging her, hand grazing her (although she is on proper box rest at the moment) but I cant really think of anything else to improve her life day2day. She has a lick thing in her stable, but don't want to give her the treat ball as I don't think that will do her leg any good, bashing that round her house!!

Any ideas? Have you done a long box rest? How did you break up the boredom? How did you keep your horse as healthy as possible? And would you go down the BOT route?

Any help would be amazing, I can offer gin as I seem to be having a great deal of it at the moment!!
 
I have done too much box rest in the last 12 months, one was a tendon injury the other a fractured splint bone, both were really settled and accepting of their lot, they had adlib hay and haylage for variety and a salt lick but nothing else as I am not sure treat balls etc help in the right way, they need to relax rather than be over stimulated, they may seem bored but as long as they always have forage they should not get too stressed and can eat when they want.
The worst part is when you are walking out, mine were ok but not easy once it got to about 15mins plus, I couldn't wait to be able to get them turned out before they either injured me or themselves.
The bonus for the racehorse with the tendon was having his shoes off, his feet improved beyond recognition from when he arrived, he has just done 10 weeks steady work and gone back into training with the leg looking great on its last scan.
 
I have suffered for years from lower back pain, when I wake in the morning my lower back is stiff and sore, about 2 years ago I came across BOT, I purchased there shorts and back support and wore them to bed. I'd wake with zero pain or stiffness yet if I don't wear them I'm stiff and sore

So for me it was proof the product does help, with chronic pain/stiffness anyway.

So knowing this I purchased the rug for my horse who was difficult and tense to mount. I defo found him less tense when he had been wearing the rug.

So for me they are a brilliant product. Worth the expense.
 
be positive said:
I have done too much box rest in the last 12 months, one was a tendon injury the other a fractured splint bone, both were really settled and accepting of their lot, they had adlib hay and haylage for variety and a salt lick but nothing else as I am not sure treat balls etc help in the right way, they need to relax rather than be over stimulated, they may seem bored but as long as they always have forage they should not get too stressed and can eat when they want.
The worst part is when you are walking out, mine were ok but not easy once it got to about 15mins plus, I couldn't wait to be able to get them turned out before they either injured me or themselves.
The bonus for the racehorse with the tendon was having his shoes off, his feet improved beyond recognition from when he arrived, he has just done 10 weeks steady work and gone back into training with the leg looking great on its last scan.
Click to expand...

She had started walking and that was helping her brain I think but she's back indoors for a while now before starting again. She also gets adlib hay so always has something to eat.

Your right about not over doing it. I suppose all I was thinking was about how to improve her indoors life, but maybe I can't really because in all honestly, it is a bit crap!!

Daytona said:
I have suffered for years from lower back pain, when I wake in the morning my lower back is stiff and sore, about 2 years ago I came across BOT, I purchased there shorts and back support and wore them to bed. I'd wake with zero pain or stiffness yet if I don't wear them I'm stiff and sore

So for me it was proof the product does help, with chronic pain/stiffness anyway.

So knowing this I purchased the rug for my horse who was difficult and tense to mount. I defo found him less tense when he had been wearing the rug.

So for me they are a brilliant product. Worth the expense.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty good review! Does your horse have the neck rug too? I guess I could always Ebay it if it didn't work for her (I always say that and I never ever do it!!)
 
I have a mesh rug for my horse... Can't really say if it makes any difference or not. Have also bought a saddle cloth to see if it will help with ridden work. See my post below for horses problems. Not ridden in saddle cloth yet so can't comment
 
Nope No neck, just mesh rug and saddle pad. I've not got that horse but sold the rug (too big fir new horse) and using money to buy a smaller one for my mare, I think they are fab ESP in thick of winter. I warm my horse up with it wrapped round him.
 
Ive got the mesh rug and ive also used the leg wraps on a Ligament injury before and would recommend both :) If nothing else, they are good quality rugs/boots and will help with circulation.

My boy is on month 6 of boxrest folling multiple tendon injuries (he likes to do things properly)! when he has to do total rest I have found he is best just left alone as much as possible - if I strat to fuss he gets irritated with me, so he has his mirror, as much hay/haylage as he can eat, a Himalayan Salt Stone and a Redmond Rock.

I use herbs to boost his vits/mins and help him recover... a really cool thing to do with them, which also gives you some 'bonding time' is zoopharmacognosy (google Naturally Animals)... my boy loves rummaging around in different herbs and having a sniff of some oils!

When we started walking out it was tough as I had done such a good job of keeping him healthy, he felt fantastic and wanted to leap and run and play! He is now into a walking routine though and has settled right down again. Sadly because he is soo exhuberant, the vet said he cannot go out until he is back in full work (we tried a stable sized pen but he practised his spinning, leaping on the spot and sliding stops, so that put and end ot that)
 
There isn't a great deal you can do tbh. Box rest is rubbish :(

Plenty of hay. Radio on. A good daily groom to get all the itchy bits. A few carrot stretches maybe.

I like my BOT mesh rug, but it's no miracle worker unfortunately!
 
I've just had my horse on box rest. Thankfully it was only for 2 weeks for a cut on her knee joint which was stapled so vet didn't want any movement at all and risk it pinging open so complete box rest with no walking at all. Luckily I am on a yard where most of the horses are still out at night and in during the day before we swap for the winter but some are the other way so she always had horse in with her no matter what time of the day it is- she's stabled in internal stables in a barn. She would never have coped so well without company. The yard also has staff who are about all day so she was never alone and always something going on.

I felt like I was buying up the whole of ASDA every 2 days in fruit and veg but I wanted her to still have succulents to keep everything moving. I would hide them in her haynet, scatter them in her bed (once clean obviously!), tie them on a string.

Adlib haylage but using a very small holed net and also a trickle net. Expensive just for a haynet but worth it IMO, especially if you've got a fatty that will balloon on box rest- mine isn't a fatty but it keeps them amused for hours.

I also picked her a lot of grass everyday to keep her used to it, she loved that and would watch me out of the window and wicker because she knew what was coming!

As everyone else has said, a really good groom everyday to get the circulation going- I used one of those spikey rubber things all over her, gives her a good scratch too.

I know mine was only 2 weeks but I've done 6 months with fractured pedal bone and several months with tendons etc in the past with previous horses so do know how you feel. It's rubbish but sadly they do get resigned to it and it will be over before you know it. Hard to think of light at the end of the tunnell at the moment but you'll get there :)
 
I really like the look of those BOT rugs, definitely have one on my wishlist for when I have the cash!

You could also do "carrot stretches" to help her retain core stability and keep her supple - assuming they are safe to do with her injury (ask your vet). I've recently re-started doing them with my gelding as he is coming back to work from a fracture and I want to get him as fit and strong as possible. Here's my blog I've just written on what we're doing and I have linked to a couple of good articles I found and a video: http://serendipitydressage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/pilates-for-horses.html Obviously you can't do the pole exercises right now, but some of the stretches should be ok as long as you aren't going to put too much pressure on the injury - but I'm sure your vet will be able to advise you.
 
As you know, I am very pro the BOT products but really their purpose is to support chronic problems, help with healing etc. They are more like heat packs than massage pads. I'm sure Dot would love one and it can't do any harm but it's also unlikely to do much 'for' her.

I also second the warning about winding a box resting horse up. If the horse is already wound up then it can be useful to channel that energy with toys etc but ideally you actually want the horse to 'check out' a bit. If you watch horses outside they spend very little time being 'busy' and there are lots of competitive horses that live comfortably without turnout. True, they have an outlet in their work but you could substitute the stretches or maybe a bit of clicker training in a structured way.
 
Can't comment on the BOT products but just wondered if she had a stable mirror?

How long do you think she'll be in for?
 
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