Box Rest & Poor Doer - Feed Suggestions Please

3Beasties

3Beasties

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My horse has injured his leg badly so will be on box rest for the forcible. I'm very lucky in that I have never had to properly box rest a horse, other than a week here or there, but that leads me to being a bit mystified about feeding!

He's a 19 year old, 16.2hh TB. Currently OK weight wise although does always need more topline and he is very likely to drop weight with being stuck in. He's currently fed a handful of chaff, a scoop of conditioning nuts and 1/4 scoop flaked barley.

I'll obviously give him ad-lib hay but what else shall I give him? I don't want to over feed but equally don't want him to lose loads of condition going into Winter.
 
I would drop the barley and cubes as they will be heating him up when you want him relaxed and quiet and may make his legs fill, he looks as if the box rest will be fairly long but hopefully he will be able to get some grazing in hand as it starts to heal.
I would give him either a big tub of soaked speedibeet or grass nuts that he can pick at as and when rather than as a feed, one of mine was really good at just having a little then going back to his hay so he browsed between the tubs and the net as he wanted to. I also used readigrass, another tub full in a similar way, if they are not greedy they don't tend to eat it in one go, you wouldn't get away with it if you had a cob or native pony but the tb types are less piggy.
I gave mine a Dengie stable block, not too highly molassed, as well, again he only used it a little at a time but it helped break up the day with some variety, if you can pick some grass, nettles, bits of hawthorn he may enjoy having that as well.
 
I just feed fibre foods lots of different types .
Haylege , hay bloks , alfalfa cubes and chopped straw and some speedibeet and chopped dried grass .
I give a small feed of something the horse likes if drugs need to be given but apart from that I keep them grain free .
I give a salt lick and a good general mineral supplement .
I would rather manage a skinny mini that a fatty on box rest .
 
Thank you both, some great suggestions!

I've got some readigrass already (bought for the rabbits but the ungrateful things won't eat it!) and will get some speedibeet and alfalfa cubes (or similar - would fast fibre be OK?).

I'll also get some sort of light mix that I can give him his supplements and meds in and I'd already planned on getting a salt lick before the accident.

He'll be in for about 6 weeks I think.

He's not a pig so the tub trugs should work :)
 
Micronized Linseed is good for keeping weight on and will not heat him up.

Get him a snack ball and fill it up with fibre nuts twice a day. Stay away from any cereals as they will not do him any good.

Fibre ,Fibre and more Fibre, you need to keep his guts going.
 
I had a TB on box rest for about 3 months, fed him rowan barbury ready mash. He was a really poor doer and he managed to keep weight on over his box rest. Its really none heating and is good for horses who might be sensitive to other foods!
 
Only thing with snack balls is that it can mean a truly mashed bed, as it did with one of my horses and the other horse annoyed the wotsits out of the yard by rolling it back and forth and banging it in a corner to get the nuts out....
 
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