Bedding for a box Walker

[Carlosmum]

Loan cobby is a box walker, He has rubber mats over concrete. I have tried shavings, but admittedly I did not lay a full bed, he shouldn't have straw as he coughs, cont leave him out this time of year. So..... should I just carry on with 1 bag shavings which i can stretch to last a week just, as he flings the dry to the sides & i can pull it in each morning. Do I use 5/6 bags shavings to start & give him a really thick bed? Wood pellets as a thick bed or just go for the rubber mats no bedding. He has company he is just a fidget & wont stand still unless he is eating.

 

[SEL]

You might find he tramples wood pellets into quite a firm surface. Alternatively he'll just mash his poo in. If the shavings are soaking up the wet then mats and just taking out the trashed stuff every day isn't a bad way forward

 

[splashgirl45]

can you up his hay? then he will be eating for longer and trashing the bed for a shorter time.....when i got ny loan mare she box walked and her bed was really hard to muck out , i did have a thick shavings bed as that is how i have always bedded my horses down. i found that once she had settled in ( about 3 weeks) she stopped and became easy to muck out...of you havent had yours long perhaps he will improve in time..

 

[Pinkvboots]

I know it sounds weird but what is his view like from his stable?
I had a friend's horse I used to look after where I worked and he box walked terrible, I moved him to a stable where he could see the fields and he stopped doing it almost overnight just a thought!

 

[Shay]

Mirrors can help box walkers too - it all depends on why they do it. And the bedding response is probably just as individual. I tend to go for deeper banks and a thinner (not thin) base. Quicker to muck out the base each day pulling spare down from the banks then top up the banks as needed. Until you get one that likes to pull the banks down....

ETA - shavings.

 

[PapaverFollis]

OH's old horse was a box walker... we ended up using a thin layer of sawdust on top of rubber mats and just taking it all out every day. Not ideal as it's not much of a cosy bed for them but any attempt at more bedding was just a none starter. He was completely set in it as a habit and the stable, amount of hay, amount of turn out etc made no difference.

Your guy might get better as he settles in though.

 

[Red-1]

I had one who was a box walked when he first came. I used a deep shavings bed and simply took most of it out at the weekend. It was not easy to muck out daily as the poos were generally tramped in, but I did remove the worst. I used about 4 or 5 bales a week.

In time he gave it up as he became more settled.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Dave is relatively domesticated in his stable, but if I am late, he walks.
I use the shavings that come with my livery & I can get away with a bag a week. I take wet & poo out every morning & when adding new, I add it to the sides, so always fresh to rake in from the sides. Sounds like faff, but it works.

 

[Wheels]

Why can he not stay out? Is that yard rules?

Box walking = mental and physical stress and staying out is the obvious choice. Any chance he can even have access to an outside pen?

I always kept my boxwalker out but he did have to have boxrest a couple of times and he was better completely closed in with top door closed so he couldn't get freaked out by whatever was going on outside.

 

[Carlosmum]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, he has actually been with me for 18 months so should be well settled in by now!

I know it sounds weird but what is his view like from his stable?
I had a friend's horse I used to look after where I worked and he box walked terrible, I moved him to a stable where he could see the fields and he stopped doing it almost overnight just a thought!

Lives in a 'stable pen' next door to my other gelding in the farm yard, currently in the company of about 12 young rams!

OH's old horse was a box walker... we ended up using a thin layer of sawdust on top of rubber mats and just taking it all out every day. Not ideal as it's not much of a cosy bed for them but any attempt at more bedding was just a none starter. He was completely set in it as a habit and the stable, amount of hay, amount of turn out etc made no difference.

This seems to be the way we are headed, I think he has got a bit worse recently, but it may be because I am feeding him a bucket feed ( all forage based) which is improving his energy levels under saddle

Why can he not stay out? Is that yard rules?

Box walking = mental and physical stress and staying out is the obvious choice. Any chance he can even have access to an outside pen?

I always kept my boxwalker out but he did have to have boxrest a couple of times and he was better completely closed in with top door closed so he couldn't get freaked out by whatever was going on outside.

Kept at home not a yard, unfortunately if I turned him out full time there would be no field left for the summer. Currently he is turned out all day unless we are riding in the morning or the weather is so foul they have a duvet day

 

[Wheels]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, he has actually been with me for 18 months so should be well settled in by now!

Lives in a 'stable pen' next door to my other gelding in the farm yard, currently in the company of about 12 young rams!




This seems to be the way we are headed, I think he has got a bit worse recently, but it may be because I am feeding him a bucket feed ( all forage based) which is improving his energy levels under saddle






Kept at home not a yard, unfortunately if I turned him out full time there would be no field left for the summer. Currently he is turned out all day unless we are riding in the morning or the weather is so foul they have a duvet day

Could you not organise an outside hard standing area of some sort? Mine have a small fenced off area of hard standing for when they can't be turned out. I don't have the box walker any more but he was fine with an outside area that was about 12 x 24'

 

[asmp]

As Wheels suggested - we used to live in Germany where there was no winter turn out but each horse had an outside area attached to their stable. Meant the horses had to live in turnout rugs but they loved being able to come in and out. If I had my own yard it's something I'd like to do.

I have a bit of a box walker now and share your pain. Finding the poo is the game of the day. I keep mine on Laysoft as its heavier than shavings. Certainly wouldn't want to put in 4 or 5 bags as another poster mentions above ( couldn't afford it).

Now daughter's horse like to digs holes.............