Box rest - do calming supplements help?

[Cazzah]

My boy has to be on box rest for a few weeks and is prone to being grumpy at times - and especially when kept in. He also gets quite stressed and I'm looking at as many ways of making it more bearable for him as I can. Just wondered if anyone has experience of any of the herbal supplements designed for box-rest and what affect (if any) they had?
Thanks

 

[carthorse]

We used a stable mirror and it really helped but it must go on a flat wall, high up and away from where they feed.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Have just used Global Herbs Supercalm (i think thats the name) and it did what it said on the tin!

 

[Cazzah]

That's the one I've been looking at - might be worth a punt then!!

 

[RachelB]

My horse was on So Kalm, and it kept her handle-able (she is a big girl!) during her four and a half months in. I dread to think what she would have been like without it! I only needed to use actual sedative once or twice as most of the time she had enough edge taken off of her behaviour by the So Kalm.
I hear Global Herbs stuff is good (usually works) but I wouldn't give it to my horse 1) because they never publish the ingredients, and I'll be damned if I have to spend money calling their vet to confirm what is in it (I thought ingredients HAD to be shown on the label anyway?!) and 2) everything stinks to high heaven... I wouldn't eat it, so my horse shouldn't have to

 

[Magz]

I take it that your horse is just getting ad lib forage and no hard feed?? As mentioned Global Herbs are fantastic if you want to try them out!

 

[Damnation]

I find that it is more keeping them occupied on box rest rather then giving them calmers.
What about a snack ball with pony nuts in it? Or a likit? And do you feed him from a haynet or the floor? I find that feeding them from the floor is alot more natural and keeps then occupied because they can forage through the hay/hayledge.
Also are you allowed to walk him in hand? If so I would let him graze in hand, alot of horses on box rest are quite appriciative of soemthing like that

Izzi

 

[sevoflurane]

I fed my boy as normal (I was trying to put weight on at the time of box rest) but gave him Magic calmer and we played hunt the carrot. Everyday I would put carrots in his hay for him to forage and relieve the boredom....I also bought dried grass too for some variety. I was lucky I could put him in an outdoor pen during the day with a straw bed so he had something to look at.