Feeding on Box Rest

AmyMay

AmyMay

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What would people feed a 16.2hh good doer likely to be on box rest for 6 weeks?

Horse is a very good weight and must have hay in front of him all the time.
 
I kept my (very!) good doer on ad lib soaked hay and baileys lo-cal whilst she did her 8 month stint of box rest. Supplemented with the occaisonal succulent, like apples in the water buckets.
 
When mine was on box rest he couldn't have hay because he comes out in lumps so I had him on hi fibre timothy haylage.

I couldn't have done as lib as although he is a tb he is a good doer. So I split the haylage between 5 or 6 small holed haynets (bigger one at night obviously) so it evened out his food over the day.
You have an advantage in that you can give soaked hay, if he is still getting fatter then maybe split it between on the floor and a small holed haynet.
I had a treat ball and put alfalfa pellets in that to waste time pushing that around.
I drilled holes i swedes and hung them up from the ceiling so they took a while to eat.

Feed wise he got the minimum of chop to carry his supplements and so he didn't feel left out at feedtime.
 
I'd do ad lib hay and perhaps a handful of HiFi once a day with a vit/min supplement. To help with boredom issues you could put some high fibre cubes in a snackball, tie up swede (if he likes them) make ice lollies with carrots/apples in etc. Don't be tempted to make up feeds just because he looks bored.

Unless horses are in pain or are worriers and don't settle they don't really lose weight by being in as long as they have plenty of fibre, I've seen more people exacerbate problems by overfeeding horses on box rest to be honest.....
 
amymay said:
What would people feed a 16.2hh good doer likely to be on box rest for 6 weeks?

Horse is a very good weight and must have hay in front of him all the time.
Click to expand...

Oh dear, I hope your lad isn't injured?

Well Be, who is a super good doer, is only a touch smaller and on boxrest atm for 5 weeks. She has ab lib hay (sometimes up to a whole bale a day :o) and then she just has Bailey's Lo Cal with a handful of good doer chaff, and her arthritis supplements (blue chip dynamic, synaquin, and sometimes bute). I only allow her the odd carrot as a reward. Her weight is staying pretty stable, I'm pleased to say, and she isn't hotting up (Phew!) I especially like that the Lo Cal stops her getting a runny tummy, despite all the hay she's putting away. :)
 
Thank you all - we are all more or less singing from the same hymn sheet - but wanted to check myself.

Puppy, yes, the grey horse has a puncture wound the size of a 50p piece on his fetlock which has punctured the joint capsule. No infection as he has been treated very aggressively - but is stuck in indefinately......
 
Poor lad. :( I had one puncture his knee joints once, a very worrying injury :( Wishing the big boy a speedy recovery. xx
 
As others have said soak your hay and feed it in small holed haynets hung at different locations around the stable if possible.

I would also look at feeding a partial hay replacer (I usually go for something that's suitable for laminitics with good do-ers or overweight horses as these are low calorie and usually low energy).

My horse whose has been on box rest since November either has high fibre cubes in a treat ball or a scoop of sloppy Happy Hoof to keep him from running around the box during stressful periods such as when the other horses get turned out etc.

He also has swedes sometimes hung from a rope but doesn't get these often as he's fat.

I have to admit I'm really struggling as I need to feed him to stop him stressing and making his injury worse but would also like to keep his weight down.

Fingers crossed your boy makes a speedy recovery.
 
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