Broken legged horse is home - small paddock rest?

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Lucyad

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I have posted a few threads about my horse who fractured his tibia towards the end of September - he was cross tied in horsepital until early December, then had 1 month at a local equestrian centre on box rest with 3x a day hand walking. He is now home! :)

He is to have a further 2 months small paddock rest - to be the size of half a tennis court. Lovely OH gave me 2km of (giftwrapped!) electric fence for xmas, and lovely neighbours have agreed for us to make pens in their un-grazed wildflower meadow. He is in at night, and is currently in the hardcored 'lane' that runs down to his field gate, with his pony companion, as I wanted to have him in a familiar place to settle before moving him about.

However he just really wants into his field with the rest of his mates. They are all just standing around their round bale feeder - 2 of them are ancient so certainly don't hoon about. I am very tempted to just turn him out after 1 week in the lane. I can forsee putting him in a small electrified pen by himself as a recipe for disaster, but can also see potential disaster of putting pony in adjacent electrified pen, and putting them together in an electrified pen. As far as I know he hasn't met electricity apart from when he accidently touched a fence as I was mounting, resulting in huge explosion. He has got hugely more clingy to company since his return (as you can imagine after such upheaval), so putting him in a pen by himself is not really an option I don't think.

He is walking out sound, is lame in trot and canter (I know he is only supposed to have been walking, but particularly in the storms he has been rather 'lively' on the end of the leadrope!). On the basis that this, as well as the rearing, bucking and spinning around the stable hasn't snapped his healed leg, will it really do any harm for him to be turned out with his friends?

I will of course speak to my vet (who's house overlooks his field - turn out under vet's supervision?) and the horsepital vets, but wondered if anyone had experiences on here to share.
 
You've got this far so wouldn't risk it. When you speak to the vet they may have some ideas about calmers if he's getting a bit frustrated - they must have come across this situation loads of times.
 
You have come this far and spent so much money I wouldn't risk it either. I know how hard it is my horse did a year box rest then only allowed to walk very heavy sedated I was busting a gut just one little trot just to see if he was sound. But could have ruined the lot. Hes now sound and riding so the wait was worth it.
 
Knowing Oscar and his little herd, I would be for temporarily fencing off the muddy deep bit around the bridge, then turning him out with the group on the level part of the field. Even for half a day that would be fine. I would probably put out loads of piles of hay to begin with, and I think after the excited welcome homes, he will settle down within about 5 mins and eat.
I calculate that will be less frantic running around than the small paddock equivalent, which may only serve to prolong the frantic running around as it doesn't actually get him any nearer to his pals.
 
Good news that you have him home :)

I can only say what I have found with horses/box rest/turning out again, I wouldn't presume to advise you, only you know your horse/other horses/field etc.

Had a mare who had colic surgery, then box rest, she was to be turned out with a v quiet pony in a small paddock, away from the other hooligans, with sedalin.....did all this the first day, left her grazing quietly after watching for a while, I thought I'd give her an hour in total and get her in, came back 10 mins later and she had jumped the fence and was merrily galloping up and down the next field, doing sliding stops at the gate on each circuit. Gave up and put her and pony into the field next to her pals and she did set off for about 5 mins bucking etc. but then settled and was 100% fine. No damage done.

This summer I had one on box rest which he couldn't tolerate, so I put him into a pen of 8 security fence panels i.e. about 6m square and moved it every day. He didn't love it and got very hard to handle getting him out and in, but we got through the summer that way. At least I knew once he was in there he couldn't do much except eat.

It is really hard to know what to do for the best, and I do think that vets tend to recommend tiny paddocks etc. but they don't have to deal with the horse.

Meant to say, the first horse, the mare, was the one who also had a fracture to tibia, but just a large chip. She was on box rest for months after surgery that time, I think it was Dec. to April, she then went to the stud and they turned her out for me :)
 
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Glad your horse is home you must be very relieved, I have my mare on box rest at the moment and sedalin has been a godsend, I had her on about 4mls a day to start with so I could get my other horse out, and slowly reduced it down over a few weeks and she now doesnt need any I have to do a bit of stage managing but she has been fine, and this is a horse that will try and jump out if left alone.
I hope you manage to find a soloution for the turnout situation.
 
Just off the phone to my vet who knows him well, and she has recommended that he stay in the small lane this week, to settle and reacquaint himself with the herd, who he is speaking to over the gate, then on Saturday, just after hay delivery (so the herd will be too busy munching to take any notice), try turning him out in the big field with them. This gives him a week of restricted turnout to build his strength and calm down, but avoids the 'mad fire breathing horse galloping about small pen electrocuting himself and others' scenario.

Might try building a pen anyway just to give it a wee go (starting off in hand, and not leaving him alone), and to get to use my xmas present. If he is too much of an eejit, into the big field he goes.

Thanks fully he was as good as gold in horsepital, and also very good on box rest livery apart from a few mad bouncy moments when hand walking in the terrible storms that we have been having, but as I suspected is more troublesome at home because he knows what he wants here (this is why he was on livery for his box rest).
 
I know MY horse and being fenced off from her mates would make her very unhappy. Especially in a meadow she doesn't know. I would also be putting her out with her mates and an enormous amount of hay to keep them occupied.
 
Mind you, having blithely said "oh just stick him out with lots of hay", I have to say I am currently having awful trouble with the new horse who has joined J and his pal. He was on box rest in the same place as Oscar for 3 months then turned out in our field. He has attached himself to J, and I cannot now take J out without absolute hysterics. Can take Murph out, just not J. Today new horse galloped blindly up and down the fenceline shouting while we were out for no more than 10 mins, and when we got back, he was dripping wet and caked to the belly in mud from galloping the fenceline, so I have to say if I thought Oscar would do that, I would be saying dope him to the eyeballs...

Fortunately, and knowing Oscar, even feeling a bit clingy I don't think he'd be daft enough to do that, so I would be taking vet's advice and giving it a try at the weekend :)

If you have any good ideas about how to hack out a horse without risking life and limb of horse left behind, do let me know...
 
Err...have a field where your horse is the only one who ever goes out of the field? Works for me! (hence why I am not worried about him getting stressed if he is in the herd - none of the others will be leaving him - and he is used to leaving them to come in at night as long as he has his pony with him!).

But that is the type of reaction I am aiming to avoid by not leaving him on his own - even if I do go down the pen route it will be with company.
 
My horse fractured his Radius about 8 years ago. We were advised to turnout in a small pen, then bigger area before returning to the herd. The pen worked on day 1 as he had grass :), day 2 despite Sedalin he was so excited to get out and tripped the light fantastc round the small pen, churning it all up, day 3 we tried again, much calmer but no grass as he'd wrecked the small area the previous day, so we put him in the adjoining field and he spent the first 10 mins galloping up and down the fence with his mate, I was terrified of his leg going. After that day he was fine, he went out alone and grazed.
Hope everything goes well whatever you decide to do, the worse is over and fingers crossed your horse goes on to make a full recovery.
 
Well as an update we have sacrificed half the back garden to form a small paddock for him as his pony friend. very handy to keep an eye on him, and he can get in and out of his stable too (which they are using as a toilet!).
 
Quick update on broken legged horse - he lasted 2 weeks penned (one week in the hardcored lane, one week in the small paddock AKA part of my back lawn), then on vet's approval was turned out in the big field with the herd. He has been doing great, and is now about to be booked in for his (hopefully) final xrays before commencing ridden work (walking in straight lines!).

He is going for long walks in hand, or was until I tore both calves skiing - horse physio has suggested I sit on him while he walks, as I am only little and he is huge, but think I will wait until after xrays, which will be next couple of weeks.

Quite hopeful that he will make a full recovery! Will keep updating, in case anyone else has similar injury and searches for cases on here.
 
Lucyad said:
Quick update on broken legged horse - he lasted 2 weeks penned (one week in the hardcored lane, one week in the small paddock AKA part of my back lawn), then on vet's approval was turned out in the big field with the herd. He has been doing great, and is now about to be booked in for his (hopefully) final xrays before commencing ridden work (walking in straight lines!).

He is going for long walks in hand, or was until I tore both calves skiing - horse physio has suggested I sit on him while he walks, as I am only little and he is huge, but think I will wait until after xrays, which will be next couple of weeks.

Quite hopeful that he will make a full recovery! Will keep updating, in case anyone else has similar injury and searches for cases on here.
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This thread is worthless without pictures ;) Get 'em posted (esp the mud covered one!). So happy the big lad came through it all so well!
 


You mean this one? Then everyone will see his mess of a field! (and his bottom!) This is when he was first turned out - I spent hours watching him to make sure he was OK. He, of course, found the muddiest patch and rolled and rolled - at least 5 times in quick succession for starters. He was obviously missing the mud.

and one of me handwalking him in the arena at his rehab livery before he came home off box rest.


Hopefully we will be back to action shots soon!
 
Cant you just leave him as he is now on part lane/field with his companion, would be less stressful/exciting and he can just settle where he is. He has an companion so no need for him to go out with others until he is completely better. My pony fractured her knee (now retired) into a 2m x 2m box on vets orders until otherwise told so.
 
How lovely, I hope it all goes smoothly for you. I have been following your post, you may remember me writing that I wasn't so lucky and lost my five year old due to a field accident - compound tibia fracture.

Continuing to keep fingers and toes crossed for you xxx
 
ktj1891 said:
Cant you just leave him as he is now on part lane/field with his companion, would be less stressful/exciting and he can just settle where he is. He has an companion so no need for him to go out with others until he is completely better. My pony fractured her knee (now retired) into a 2m x 2m box on vets orders until otherwise told so.
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He has been in big field for the last month, on vet and horsepital's approval - he is a sensible chap, leg was doing really well (bearing up fine for long / hilly walks, and he is much happier and more settled. I am hoping that he IS completely better (though obviously needs built back up very gradually) - almost time to get back in the saddle!
 
applecart14 said:
How lovely, I hope it all goes smoothly for you. I have been following your post, you may remember me writing that I wasn't so lucky and lost my five year old due to a field accident - compound tibia fracture.

Continuing to keep fingers and toes crossed for you xxx
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Thanks Applecart. Sorry the outcome wasn't so good for your horse.
 
No, it's not you - HHO changed the way picture links work, I think. Here you go :D


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Another wee update on broken legged horse - he had his follow up xrays at horsepital last night and they show that his fracture is completely healed and the remodelled bone looks strong and normal. So he is discharged with a fitness plan and I can start riding again! :)

Two weeks walking, then introducing short trot, then gradually extend the trotting over a 2 month period, but which time he will be able to be back to normal activities!

Highly delighted is an understatement! They called him 'the miracle horse' :)
 
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