Box rest

[Kirstd33]

So as some of you may know my little coblet is going into the vets tomorrow in readiness for his annular ligament surgery on both hindlimbs on Wednesday, and after weeks of waiting the reality has really hit home now. I'm nervous for him having the actual op under general anaesthetic in the first instance and then I'm as nervous for when he returns home after 5 or so days and has to be on box rest for weeks, then managing his limited small paddock turn out and the in-hand walking 2 x daily building up each week from 5 mins to 30.

I work fulltime in term time and have 3 busy kids with their own demanding sports/social calendar and the eldest starts her GCSE's next week too and will need a fair amount of emotional support over the next month or so until they finish. Also hubby is supportive but non-horsey and works 60 hours/week in a demanding job, so the thought of 5.30 am starts to muck out twice daily (he's on DIY livery) and walk coblet so I can be home for 7 to get the kids up and ready for school and work is just overwhelming me currently.

I've only had coblet 12 months now as a returning rider and he was bought as a low maintenance/live out 24/7 chilled out dude to hack out 2-3 times a week for relaxation for me and the youngest to have some fun on, but we love him so will of course be committed to following the vets advice to the letter and giving him every possible chance of making the best recovery he can.

Does anyone have experience of box resting their equines and can give me some advice, he did stable overnight OK in winter but became a problem for the YO to handle to the point where she refused so we changed him to grass livery and being out 24/7 - I think he will adapt back to being in OK but i guess we'll see?

 

[TheMule]

I would suggest trying to get him onto specialist rehab livery if you can- insurance companies will often cover half the cost if the vet recommends it and you'll save yourself a huge amount of time and emotional burden

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

A huge big stable for the box rest is a bonus. If you can use a foaling box or something similar, that would be ideal if rehab livery isn't an option.

A friend went through something similar with her pony. She used a double sized stable for the 3 months box rest and also put her shetland in with the pony (companion, sensible shetland who would normally be turned out with, or next to, the pony). I realise this is not an option for the majority but you can think creatively.

Best of luck with the surgery.

 

[SEL]

I found my smallest pony box rested better when there was a lot going on at the yard so she had things to watch - we gave her a box with a view.

If your life is hectic and the horse has been a bit of a pain when in a lot before then a specialist place would be a better option.

 

[Birker2020]

For those with a horse/pony facing long term box rest (or even short term) here are some suggestions for you to keep your horse amused and his mind stimulated and to help pass the time.
DISCLAIMER: You might need to ask the vet about certain activities like a football or snackaball if it has a limb/foot injury for example, or treats or turf/grass if the horse is recovering from colic.

• If you are on a livery yard ask the staff to give the horse three or four small feeds (something simple like readigrass) during the day. This will give the horse something to look forward to.
• 
  
• Small holed nets hung all around the stable. This encourages the horse to move around in search of food mimicking its natural behaviour.
• 
  
• Fill the nets with pulled grass mixed with the horses usual hay/haylage (just don't store the grass beforehand or it will ferment and can cause colic).
• 
  
• Leave some gorse in the stable, some horses love gorse. They also like willow bark.
• 
  
• Float a couple of apples on top of the water. That will keep them amused!
• 
  
• If the horse has a straw bed hide bits of carots/apples/treats in the bed to keep them amused (if their injury permits her to move around to this extent).
• 
  
• Leave a radio switched on to a classical station (horses don't like rock/pop music) and prefer less dramatic, slower types of music.
• 
  
• Ask everyone at the yard who walks past to spend five minutes giving her a fuss/talking to her. If you have a spare 20 mins sit with her in her stable and read a book or magazine. Think how grateful you have been for company stuck in a hospital bed with nothing to do.
• 
  
• Put a piece of log or branch with the bark left on - willow bark is a favourite.
• 
  
• Dig a clump of turf and leave that in their stable. She will love that and it will have essential nutrients in it.
• 
  
• Mix apple/carrots/swede/polo's into her haynets.
• 
  
• A specially designed shatterproof horse mirror in their stable. Research has shown using a mirror has been show to curb some horses vices by as much as 75%
• 
  
• Swedes hung from the ceiling (no good hung from stable wall as too easily caught and eaten)
• 
  
• Horse licks on rollers.
• 
  
• Snackaball filled with treats/pony nuts. The hexagonal ones are good as they go in random directions so are harder for the horse to work the treat out. Ask if any of your friends can lend you one save buying one.
• 
  
• Football left in stable to kick about.
• 
  
• Tie an old towel to the stable wall/bars of stable which will provide the horse with endless hours of amusement for her to tug and pull at.
• 
  
• Paddock licks/mineral/salt licks

Above all keep to a routine. Horses thrive on routine.

 

[Kirstd33]

For those with a horse/pony facing long term box rest (or even short term) here are some suggestions for you to keep your horse amused and his mind stimulated and to help pass the time.
DISCLAIMER: You might need to ask the vet about certain activities like a football or snackaball if it has a limb/foot injury for example, or treats or turf/grass if the horse is recovering from colic.

• If you are on a livery yard ask the staff to give the horse three or four small feeds (something simple like readigrass) during the day. This will give the horse something to look forward to.
• 
  
• Small holed nets hung all around the stable. This encourages the horse to move around in search of food mimicking its natural behaviour.
• 
  
• Fill the nets with pulled grass mixed with the horses usual hay/haylage (just don't store the grass beforehand or it will ferment and can cause colic).
• 
  
• Leave some gorse in the stable, some horses love gorse. They also like willow bark.
• 
  
• Float a couple of apples on top of the water. That will keep them amused!
• 
  
• If the horse has a straw bed hide bits of carots/apples/treats in the bed to keep them amused (if their injury permits her to move around to this extent).
• 
  
• Leave a radio switched on to a classical station (horses don't like rock/pop music) and prefer less dramatic, slower types of music.
• 
  
• Ask everyone at the yard who walks past to spend five minutes giving her a fuss/talking to her. If you have a spare 20 mins sit with her in her stable and read a book or magazine. Think how grateful you have been for company stuck in a hospital bed with nothing to do.
• 
  
• Put a piece of log or branch with the bark left on - willow bark is a favourite.
• 
  
• Dig a clump of turf and leave that in their stable. She will love that and it will have essential nutrients in it.
• 
  
• Mix apple/carrots/swede/polo's into her haynets.
• 
  
• A specially designed shatterproof horse mirror in their stable. Research has shown using a mirror has been show to curb some horses vices by as much as 75%
• 
  
• Swedes hung from the ceiling (no good hung from stable wall as too easily caught and eaten)
• 
  
• Horse licks on rollers.
• 
  
• Snackaball filled with treats/pony nuts. The hexagonal ones are good as they go in random directions so are harder for the horse to work the treat out. Ask if any of your friends can lend you one save buying one.
• 
  
• Football left in stable to kick about.
• 
  
• Tie an old towel to the stable wall/bars of stable which will provide the horse with endless hours of amusement for her to tug and pull at.
• 
  
• Paddock licks/mineral/salt licks

Above all keep to a routine. Horses thrive on routine.

Oh my word - this is brilliant and thankfully i have a good few days whilst he's at the vets to gather and sort out some of these ideas! Thanks so much for this xx

 

[ihatework]

Oh my word - this is brilliant and thankfully i have a good few days whilst he's at the vets to gather and sort out some of these ideas! Thanks so much for this xx

Personally I'd avoid the things that might over-stimulate or frustrate the horse - things like apple bobbing, nut balls, scattering food in bedding etc.
What you want is the horse to relax and zone out a little - so keep it fibre/chewing based enhancement.
The more relaxed you can keep the horse the easier the overall process.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Agree with above I've done loads of box rest and never used snack balls licks and scattered food about and they have been fine.

I soak the hay and they get as much as they want.

If your horse will behave just having them tied up outside your stable with a net can get them a bit of outside time while you are doing things.

 

[Kirstd33]

Thanks all those who have commented, yes I'm definately going to damp/soak his hay and let him have it ad lib as much as he wants, hes also not an especially good doer so will be having several small feeds/day of his fibre lite chaff and a small amount of balancer too along with his Vit E supplement - is there any other feeds that may be good?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Personally I'd avoid the things that might over-stimulate or frustrate the horse - things like apple bobbing, nut balls, scattering food in bedding etc.
What you want is the horse to relax and zone out a little - so keep it fibre/chewing based enhancement.
The more relaxed you can keep the horse the easier the overall process.

I agree, routine and quiet - even my late 'monster' who could have been a problem, after 3 days got right into the swing of 'rest'.
Fed only once a day by bucket - a tiny amount for meds etc, was far easier to haynet drop 5 x a day.

 

[vetsbestfriend]

When my TB x ID was on 8 weeks box rest following colic surgery, routine was the key and frequent visits/interactions, this doesn't necessarily need to be you yourself though especially if you work. I hung various strong dog toys up in his stable e.g. the rope ball and tuggy types toys so he could play with those, bite them etc. I also constantly chatted to him whilst mucking out (which he 'helped' with too by knocking the barrow over etc!). A quick groom a couple of times a day to help circulation and bonding. Hay in 2 places so he didn't just stand in 1 place but got a little bit of movement within the stable. The key thing about box rest is also watching for any signs they are becoming impacted due to lack of movement, especially if a horse has been used to 24/7 turnout. And also drinking enough water. A pony nut soup once or twice a day is a great way of keeping up their fluid intake, and most horses love slurping and sloshing the soup around the bowl, just add a couple of handfuls of high fibre cubes into a rubber feed skip and add about a litre or 2 of warm water, wait 10 minutes an give it a stir.

When starting in hand walking, be careful and wear a hat, gloves and have them in a bridle on a lunge line. Although my boy was generally ok, during box rest in hand walking he was an absolute nightmare and an absolute pain, grabbing hold of me, rearing, trying to drag me to grass etc. Got to the point that I had to learn distraction techniques to try and bring him back under control during the worst moments.

I hope the operation and recovery goes well for your horse.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Thanks all those who have commented, yes I'm definately going to damp/soak his hay and let him have it ad lib as much as he wants, hes also not an especially good doer so will be having several small feeds/day of his fibre lite chaff and a small amount of balancer too along with his Vit E supplement - is there any other feeds that may be good?

Soaked grass nuts can be offered in a trug for them to just eat and pick through.

 

[meleeka]

Mine had annular ligament surgery and I’ll be honest, It didn’t go well. The box rest was fine, mine had a big soaked net and one of straw and a snack ball and didn’t mind it as eating was his favourite thing. The hand walking was the issue and he turned from his usual dope on a rope to a fire breathing dragon, to the point it wasn’t safe. He had Sedalin which took the edge off, but I had nowhere else to walk him but his field so it was just too much for him. You can’t miss a day if it’s raining or if you are busy, because it’s essential to the recovery. If I had to do it again I’d find a rehab yard every time. Sorry to be so negative, but you did ask

 

[Birker2020]

Oh my word - this is brilliant and thankfully i have a good few days whilst he's at the vets to gather and sort out some of these ideas! Thanks so much for this xx

No problem.

 

[Kirstd33]

Mine had annular ligament surgery and I’ll be honest, It didn’t go well. The box rest was fine, mine had a big soaked net and one of straw and a snack ball and didn’t mind it as eating was his favourite thing. The hand walking was the issue and he turned from his usual dope on a rope to a fire breathing dragon, to the point it wasn’t safe. He had Sedalin which took the edge off, but I had nowhere else to walk him but his field so it was just too much for him. You can’t miss a day if it’s raining or if you are busy, because it’s essential to the recovery. If I had to do it again I’d find a rehab yard every time. Sorry to be so negative, but you did ask

Don’t be sorry this is exactly what o need to hear and tbh is why I’m feeling so overwhelmed by the situation. The vet hasn’t gone into the fine detail yet but outlined it as 2 weeks tots box rest, then 5 mins walk x 2 daily, adding 5 mins every week up to 30 mins x 2 daily. At which point I can probably get on and ride…./does that sound similar to your rehab plan? Did your pony come sound again afterwards?

I hope he’ll be ok walking round the quiet lanes hi vizzed up as he’s usually bomb proof although he will pull me to grass for sure!

 

[Kirstd33]

I also used a calmer on occasion which worked so have that in my toolbox also!

 

[meleeka]

Don’t be sorry this is exactly what o need to hear and tbh is why I’m feeling so overwhelmed by the situation. The vet hasn’t gone into the fine detail yet but outlined it as 2 weeks tots box rest, then 5 mins walk x 2 daily, adding 5 mins every week up to 30 mins x 2 daily. At which point I can probably get on and ride…./does that sound similar to your rehab plan? Did your pony come sound again afterwards?

I hope he’ll be ok walking round the quiet lanes hi vizzed up as he’s usually bomb proof although he will pull me to grass for sure!

Sounds similar. Mine ended up in a pen pretty quickly for both our sanity. Walking out nicely didn’t happen. He would either jog, tank off or buck and it’s quite important for it to be walk only. I tried a bridle and ended up with a chain over his nose which he only tested once. It was as if he could shut off in the stable, but the going out was just too exciting. He did eventually come sound, but not before another trip to the hospital where they found a bone chip. A high dose of bute for a week brought the swelling down and they left the chip where it was and became sound. He had no further issues for 10+ years until something unrelated meant he was PTS.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Don’t be sorry this is exactly what o need to hear and tbh is why I’m feeling so overwhelmed by the situation. The vet hasn’t gone into the fine detail yet but outlined it as 2 weeks tots box rest, then 5 mins walk x 2 daily, adding 5 mins every week up to 30 mins x 2 daily. At which point I can probably get on and ride…./does that sound similar to your rehab plan? Did your pony come sound again afterwards?

I hope he’ll be ok walking round the quiet lanes hi vizzed up as he’s usually bomb proof although he will pull me to grass for sure!

2 weeks of box rest is not alot in the grand scheme of things, 2 of mine have done 6 months complete box rest and then they had to be walked in hand or ridden without any turnout.

It was not easy as both were extremely hot horses anyway but we sedated them and I managed to do it just, my Arab was the most difficult he was fairly good in the school but when I started to hack he would turn himself inside out on the way home

 

[pistolpete]

Some sedation may not be a bad idea initially if he’s worried. Some take to box rest some really hate it. Definitely needs other horses in sight at least ideally. I used to split my boys feed into two buckets each feed so he thought he was getting more. Two or three smaller haynets to encourage gentle movement around stable. Some on floor too. Hand walking can be trick. Stable sized paddocks made with electric tape can be helpful once bandages are off. Good luck.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I don't know anything about the operation and recovery, I hope all goes well. Would a very small square on good level ground in the field with his friends be an option? He may settle better?

 

[Smogul]

Personally I'd avoid the things that might over-stimulate or frustrate the horse - things like apple bobbing, nut balls, scattering food in bedding etc.
What you want is the horse to relax and zone out a little - so keep it fibre/chewing based enhancement.
The more relaxed you can keep the horse the easier the overall process.

Depends on the horse's personality. OH's horse didn't "zone out" in a quiet box. He got bored and restless. Rehab yard gave him a stable which was in busiest part of yard, lots of people coming and going, food scattered around his stable, farriers to watch...

Know your horse.

 

[SEL]

Depends on the horse's personality. OH's horse didn't "zone out" in a quiet box. He got bored and restless. Rehab yard gave him a stable which was in busiest part of yard, lots of people coming and going, food scattered around his stable, farriers to watch...

Know your horse.

That was my pony too. The first time was post surgery (open wound left to drain) so we gave her a box where she could watch everything going on and I asked anyone visiting the yard to go and say hello

Second time was at my own place but fortunately I still had my livery with her ancient horse and she tended to come down at lunchtime so could give the pony some fuss.

Walking out was accompanied by a pocket full of bribes!