roll_along
Well-Known Member
Any ideas to keep a very active (in mind and body
) horse entertained whilst on box rest?
Box rest
- Thread starter roll_along
- Start date
NELSON11
Well-Known Member
Toys hanging in the box, ie balls, Veg such as swedes/turnips dangling. Radio on, maybe stable mirror so feel like have company around. ensure lots of grooming/massage to encourage tone of his/her musculature to rpevent stiffness. Magnesium calmer such as Nupafeed Liquid calmer can also help if bit stressy. Lots to look at in my opinion helps. Good luck
kittyandnewt
Member
its not entertainment, but if hes any thing like my boy last yr can i recommend some rubber mats screwed onto stable walls!! he thought removing the plaster with his heels was great fun!
Twizzel
Well-Known Member
If it's possible can you have a companion in too? Maybe alternate between 2 companions so one is in at night and the other during the day. We have a few in 24/7 for 1 reason or another and I think they keep eachother sane. I left the radio on classic fm one morning last week and returned in the afternoon to very chilled horses!
Other than that, carrots in haynets are quite a good idea, but try to break their day up a little bit... someone is normally on the yard from around 7.30am till 10:30-11am in mornings, then back at about 3ish till gone 6pm so there is only a short space of daytime that they are alone with nothing to see or watch... and when there's no people around they have lots of hay to get through
Other than that, carrots in haynets are quite a good idea, but try to break their day up a little bit... someone is normally on the yard from around 7.30am till 10:30-11am in mornings, then back at about 3ish till gone 6pm so there is only a short space of daytime that they are alone with nothing to see or watch... and when there's no people around they have lots of hay to get through
roll_along
Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone, he is on a busy competition yard so there are always horses in and people around but he is quite stressy by nature and usually needs his 'chill out' time in the field every day.
All good ideas - I shall be trying them all!
All good ideas - I shall be trying them all!
Puzzles
Well-Known Member
Classical music! Horses seem to love it and it is very balancing for the mind (for horse and rider!)
You could pop a (non-toxic) branch in for your horse to nibble at, hide treats in his hay, feed from the floor to stretch his topline muscles, put a mirror in his stable, give him a mineral or salt lick, scatter his feed in his hay to make him look for it ...
You could pop a (non-toxic) branch in for your horse to nibble at, hide treats in his hay, feed from the floor to stretch his topline muscles, put a mirror in his stable, give him a mineral or salt lick, scatter his feed in his hay to make him look for it ...