box rest help!!

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rosiev

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1 February 2008
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hi there, my tb has got a punctured toe and so needs to be on box rest as he can't be trusted to not gallop around in his field! The issue is that he hates been left alone. It is only him and two other horses, so i put one of them out in the field that his stable is in with a haynet tied to the tree 5m from his stable. However, he has still box walked all day grabbing mouthfuls of food and has ended up sweating and pulling off two poultices and hitting his knees against the stable door. Any ideas on how to keep him occupied/ stop him being quite so hysterical?!?
thanks
 
Mine had three months of box rest last year, and 3 months about 6 years ago.

I give them a radio, a SnackaBall with plain fibre or grass nuts in, and if they have haynets they get them at intervals around the stable. Mine just has a hay pile in the corner though.

If he is really stressy a calmer or a bit of ACP might be needed to take the edge off.
 
Also try hanging swedes up around the stable, I have a mare that box walks so she has to stay tied up if she stays in during the day, which she doesn't mind as she has haynet and water at her disposal.
 
I know just how you feel! My girl is four and not happy about having to be on box rest
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We've got various different bits of different forages around the stable, in small tub trugs and just on the floor. I hide large slices of swedes, carrots, parsnips, etc. in the forages.

A snack ball. A mirror is going up at the weekend. I'll get either a medicine ball or basketball for her to play with.

Someone suggested a plastic bottle half filled with water and hung up, so's she can bat it around with her nose. And someone else suggested hanging up a plastic bottle with a hole in the bottom - when the horse bats it carrots fall out.

Also got a natural calmer today, but couldn't get the one recommended on here, so ended up with EquiCalm (hubby got it, so not sure).

Hope it goes well. PM me if you need a rant
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you have some good tips for keeping him occupied but what about putting a bale of straw in front of the door to stop him banging his knees
 
I know this sounds wierd, but what you want is some Horlicks powder.

I was introduced to it when my neddy went off to be backed. He had already bucked me off and boken a few ribs, so the guy fed him a mug full of powder twice a day. It made him really dozy, they had no trouble backing him, much better than a battle.

I've used it on several horses who are on box rest now, (the same one as above had to spend 6 months in after shoulder surgery). It just makes them 'chilled' about life.
 
my mares on box rest, and is a total pain, she has various things in her stable, but the ones that amuse her are, a rope dog toy soaked in melted mollases, and ballons, she sniffs the ballon it moves she follows.
 
I can highly recommend a mirrir, my girl has just come off box rest, and she loves her mirror, quite happy to stand and look at her self all day!! I also used the snack ball, swedes and readi grass!! Hope your boy gets better soon!
 
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