Box rest - home or different yard?

Nari

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Jim will be coming out of hospital some time this week. Realistically I'm looking at seven weeks box rest with walking in hand - he may be allowed a little quiet, restricted turnout before then but it's unlikely simply because I very much doubt he'll do quiet.

So far he's done just over a week at the hospital & has been remarkably well behaved. He doesn't seem tobe stressing about Little Un not being there, is coping with the lack of turnout & is walking in hand sensibly.

It's crossed my mind that maybe the reason he's being so good is that at the hospital he doesn't have a routine that involve turnout. With that in mind I was wondering if I'd be better taking him to a different yard for his box rest.

It's doing my head in trying to decide. He's a stresser so a change of yard may well upset him and at the moment we want him kept quiet. But then seeing his pony go in & out every day & not being able to join him as he normally does is likely to upset him too. I don't want to upset my YO over this. I'd have to pay an extra livery. I'd be backwards & forwards between two yards because I can't keep expecting someone else to do Little Un for me. At home I could stable Little Un next to him at night (they can touch through a hole) but he'd be alone in the day, at the other yard he wouldn't have Little Un but there's another horse on box rest too.

Anyone fancy putting they're views or experiences down? I'm in a real dither
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Delarose

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Hi Nari,
I think it will be difficult at your current yard if he will be left in on his own with no company. So that is what I would be trying to resolve first.

I have a yearling on box rest currently. Every morning I bring in two ponies to keep him company. In the evening when I turn them out, I feed the little man first so that he is occupied. He gives a couple of neighs and then I hay him up and he settles. He has however got a large open fronted stable, facing onto a field with youngsters in that he knows.

Can you change Little Un's routine, in during the day, out at night (when presumably other horses are bought in on the yard?). Could you let another horse use Little Un's box at night so that he has company 24/7? Or at least have a horse next door to him?

My experience is that it is being left completely alone that stresses them and not particularly who they are with - this is probably why he has been fine at the vets - he always has company.

Hope you find a solution.
 

nikicb

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Hi there, pleased to hear he's doing well with a planned date to come home. My experience..... as mentioned before 25 yr old mare, major op, 1/3 gut removed. Although she got through the op and out the other side, it wasn't until I got her home that she really started to improve following the surgery. This is absolutely no criticism of the equine hospital she was in - they were fantastic and I wouldn't have her now if they hadn't been so amazing. BUT, she's a stressy mare and likes to know where she is and who's she's with. She's not usually outwardly affectionate with me (I've had her 28 years, and I know she loves me really!!) other than when we're alone at shows etc. but I went and spent most days with her when in the hospital and she made it quite clear to all the nursing staff who 'Mum' was and pulled the most horrendous faces at everyone else. She was so stressy that they let me go into the recovery room/stable with her (having spent the day in tears, and having her whinny at me when she came round - I just dissolved into even more of a wreck) and they said that noone is usually allowed in there when they are still down due to risk of injury etc. And although she's the kind of horse who likes to be busy (she's now 33 and has to be worked 3-4 times a week or she gets cross), she kind of knew she had to be careful and just did all that convalescing (sp?) thing so well. So, after all that ramble, I would say, take him home, he will want to be there and will adjust I'm sure. Having been through it all, I know exactly what it's like, and wish you all the best. Please if I can help anymore, do let me know.
 

Nari

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Delarose there wouldn't be anything else in at night either, at least by having LU in at night he's got me as company for a lot of the day. Putting another horse in LU's box, even if I could borrow one, may be disasterous as Jim's quite possessive about his box & may well get nasty with them through the hole. At the vet's he has human company but only sees other horses if they're led past his box.

His stable overlooks the field he normally shares with Little Un but I suspect this will wind him up rather than calm him down. They're very attached to each other, Jim in particular normally doesn't allow LU out of sight & will scream & shout if LU is taken away to be ridden.

He really isn't a horse that's suited to box rest, he's too active & stressy. But there's no option for at least the next three weeks & realistically I think it will be longer than that.
 

Nari

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Thanks nikicb.

It's amazing how well he's settled at the hospital because normal any change to his routine really upsets & worries him, I thought he'd be a wreck but instead he's been thriving on all the attention. Like you I've been virtually living there too!

Maybe he will realise that he's got to be careful. Maybe. Judging by the way he spooked to the end of the lunge line today when a bird flew off a roof I'm not betting good money on it though - all four feet of the ground, shot past us then spun round on the end of the line with his head up snorting. God I hope those stitches are strong!
 

nikicb

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Nari.
I really think they do know, but know what you mean about the stitches, because they have so many internal ones as well as the ones you can see. And just to warn you, Tiff got a bit of fluid underneath, it was near her teats, but obviously Jim won't have those! but watch out for the fluid. But she just needed another course of antibiotics (I think more of a precaution than anything as there didn't seem to be an infection, just this fluid (hardly surprising given what they've been through)). I actually had to walk her in hand for longer than the vet said as I tried getting on her and she kept exploding (not pain, just craziness). She had her op in the January and was still convalescing in April/May, I remember being so happy the first day it was warm enough to give her a full bath as her coat did something odd after the op. I can't really describe it, but she was really sticky/scurfy etc. and it smelt all wrong (not sure if you have cats, but they always smell different after being in the cattery for a couple of weeks). But I do think they know when you are trying to help. Keep us up to date with his progress. You're near Newbury, aren't you?
 

TayloredEq

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It sounds like you have made up your mind already!

We take horses in on box rest for people and as you say as they don't know the routine of the new yard then they don't know about going out and so can settle more.

My own horse had double colic surgery, 12' of his intestine removed and the vet didn't think he would make it. That was 4 years ago now. 4 months after the second surgery he was back out competing.

It sounds like you know your horse really well, let him make the decision for you. I was lucky with my boy as my vets don't believe in long term box rest for colic surgery and so he was able to be turned out very early on.

Good luck with it, it is a very worrying and stressful time. If you do move him is there perhaps a yard nearby with CCTV? Our owners here have peace of mind because they can log on via the internet and watch their horses in the stables.

Fingers crossed for you.
 

Nari

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TayloredEquestrian I really haven't made up my mind at all, there are huge pros & cons for each. I think one's best , then I see all sorts of problems & think the other option would be better, think about it some more & change my mind again. The trouble with knowing him is that it makes you realise just how inconsistent & unpredictable he is!

I think the biggest factor I can see in all of this is his pony. He dotes on that little cob & I'm fairly certain he's starting to miss him. But is having him part time better or worse than not having him at all? I don't know, I really don't know. And it doesn't seem fair to have Little Un in all the time just because it suits Jim.

If he was more sensible he could have some restricted turnout a lot sooner but he doesn't do sensible after even a couple of days in. He'll gallop & buck even in a very small space & that's not allowed. He's his own worst enemy at times.
 

madmuppet

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Hiya. I had a similar prob with my big guy when he was on box rest.. at home on box rest even with his pal right next door and they could see each other over partition he wouldnt settle, however when he was at the vet hospital he was the model patient and i think they thought i making it all up when i told them how he raced round his stable at home.. i deceided to move him to a different yard that had more going on almost like the vet hospital however he seemed okay there for a few days then he jumped out of the stable!! something he had never done in his life.. i ended up having to take him back home as the yard owner where he was wanted me to keep the top door shut on him and i refused.. he ended up back home and he just wouldnt settle there at all either.. he kept trying to come over the door of his own stable which i was shocked about as he has never done anything like that before. he ended up out in the flat paddock in a small electric fenced area,, he made a full recovery and is okay now... i really hope you get something sorted out for your horse. i dont envy you.. it affects your whole life when you horse isnt right.. good luck..x
 

TayloredEq

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My boy tried to jump out at the vets the day after his surgery!

I wouldn't worry too much about him missing the cob. He will already be getting used to not seeing him.

We had a mare in who at home would not settle as the pony companion was out. the owner stressed and worried about it. Finally she left her here and the mare was really settled and was not fussed at all. Some months later the mare was back whilst the owner was away. Then she asked if we could take the companion pony. The mare became a nightmare.

So basically what I'm saying is that in a new place it is new routine so they don't expect to see the companion pony, so I wouldn't give yourself extra stress over that part.

My boy too gallops around the field, but we just kept him in a smaller section with the shetland in with him as company. He was bucking and rearing in the box so anyway so it was a good job the vet thought he was best out.

Like I said before, really good luck with it. It is hard work and stressful but it will all be worth it when he comes right in the end.
 

Nari

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Well I've decided to try him at home first. The deciding factor today was how he reacted to seeing a welsh cob stallion that called in briefly. Most other horses (apart from one mare) he's shown very little interest in & past experience of him around stallions/colts has not been positive (he's manageable but you don't relax because he wants to declare war). However the second he saw the welsh cob shape he shot to the door & was chuntering away like mad, totally focused & not a death threat in sight. After he'd gone he was quite restless for a while though he did settle back down with some extra TLC. It didn't make his behaviour any worse when it came to walking out later.

I think he's answered my question for me. I'll try him at home, if he doesn't settle then I can always move him somewhere else but in most respects Little Un is a calming influence on him, hence why I have him.
 
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