Box Rest and murderous owner

Denbob

Denbob

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Hello! Following my last post about how my boy is a hacking superstar and we'll be galloping round the Blackdown Hills in no time, he's managed to injure himself. Thankfully nothing too serious, vet seems to think he tried to jump something and got stuck? But it's a fair old impact on the inside of his Off hind so potentially a kick, but honestly just thanking my lucky stars it wasn't any lower.

He's on box rest, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, but is preventing it from healing by scratching it and chewing the skin around it, largely from itchiness in the heat but also I'd imagine from a little bit of stress? I've tried covering it in Filtabac but that didn't stop him and I don't want to compromise the healing by covering it in stuff?

Any handy hints or tips, he has a treat ball and plenty of (soaked) hay.
 
Having endured 11 months of box rest here are my top tips!
Keep him in a routine, stopped my mare being stressy knowing what was going to happen and when.
If you are walking out in hand, wait until the yard is quiet - absolutely no point in stressing you both out!
If your horse likes a radio, that can help chill them out, Crystal was partial to radio 2.
If you are allowed, magnetic boots are great at keeping filled legs down.
A treat ball for a period of the day where the yard is busy and he is likely to get stressed, my mum used to give crystal hers whilst she rode her horse.
Lots of grooming from you, helps them feel relaxed, I also found she was much happier naked during the day. (We box rested June- May so a variety of temperatures)
Another thing she loved, we read up on what meadow herbs to feed and went foraging for hawthorn, rosehips etc, and she loved these!

If you are able to maybe try an arc equine, i found this helped amazingly.
 
Denzel2017 said:
Hello! Following my last post about how my boy is a hacking superstar and we'll be galloping round the Blackdown Hills in no time, he's managed to injure himself. Thankfully nothing too serious, vet seems to think he tried to jump something and got stuck? But it's a fair old impact on the inside of his Off hind so potentially a kick, but honestly just thanking my lucky stars it wasn't any lower.

He's on box rest, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, but is preventing it from healing by scratching it and chewing the skin around it, largely from itchiness in the heat but also I'd imagine from a little bit of stress? I've tried covering it in Filtabac but that didn't stop him and I don't want to compromise the healing by covering it in stuff?

Any handy hints or tips, he has a treat ball and plenty of (soaked) hay.
Click to expand...
Having done 1 year + box rest I picked up some tips.


Ideas for box rest

(l) stands for ok for Laminitis horses
leave a radio on (l)
float apples in water buckets
get a treat ball
hang vegetables and fruit in a home made mobile
dot treats round the stable on ledges etc for the horse to find
put likits in
boredom breaker
stable mirror (l)
put hay into a small holed haynet or hayrack
hide treats in the hay / haylage for horse to find
dog pulls can amuse some horses (l)
hang a small bottle of water on a string by the door for horse to play with (l)
put some apple juice into manger for horse to drink
put a football or horse ball in stable (l)
give the horse lunch time scoop of ready grass ( something to look forward to )
cut some fresh grass and put on the floor for him to eat
cut some dandelions and put in stable.
if you can cut some nettles and when dry put in stable.
dot some licorice around the stable the strong smell will keep him amused.
put some crushed polo's into a bottle with a screw top make a few holes in it so smell comes out
hang some wind chimes near his stable. (l)
have the owner make a cd/ cassette of his voice ( reciting a poem etc ) (l)
cut a horse friendly small branch for horse to chew on
get a small water feature, the sound of running water calms horses (l)
if at all possible try grazing or turning horses friend out in paddock where box rest horse can see him. (l)
put some clear apple juice in his water to make his drink tasty and to make sure he is keeping fluids up
hang a familiar rug over his door like his best friends or girl friend to make him for relaxed (l)
hang a Scandinavian salt block up
put a window in the back of the stable if they are due for long term box rest
Put a football in its stable
two haynets each side of stable so he can wander between them both
Have a visiting masseuse treat him weekly or once a month
Sedaline - a mild amount to keep the edge off
Get a small handfull of hay twist it both ends opposite way so like a long sausage, once its twisted as much as you can make a knot in it and pull tight, the horse will chuck it around and spin it around giving fun times.
fill a haynet and bury fruit within the hay net
 
We have a little mare at the yard who has enforced box rest.Owner bought her an electric fan .Not some little desk top thing but a stonking great thing . It sits just outside the doorway (chain across.) Laminitis is the problem . Owner switches fan on first thing and mare immediately stands in doorway ,mane blowing in the breeze. Happy all day !
 
Stable mirrors seem to do the job. You don't have to get an actual mirror, just a reflective foil thing that you can get cheaply on eBay. Haven't had to use one but it's supposed to keep them entertained for hours.

I know for human wounds covering them is no longer thought to slow healing , it's actually the opposite. Scab formation keeps out infection but has properties that slow down healing so I would go ahead and cover it. (If vet agrees)
 
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