Field Injuries

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Princess16

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Just wondered what those of you who have your horses out 24/7 do if say unfortunately one of them got injured and needed box rest?

Not happened to me Thank God but always worrying as to what we would do as all we have is a field shelter and no stables.

For those of you who unfortunately have been in that position how did you get around that problem?
 
gate over the front of the field shelter and or an electric fence 12x 12 pen in the field so they are 'out' but still restricted in the space they can move around in - may people with stables take the pen option as it's much nicer to breath fresh air and nibble on grass (pen can be moved around) rather than stuck in a box (in summer obviously!)
 
I am not not in this situation because I always plan because any horse may end up on box rest and I feel it's my duty to train them so they could cope with it .
One of mine would be hard to box rest , for him we would be looking at criss cross systems using electric fencing and a friend in a pen on either side.
And sedatives if necessary .
If you don't have stables it's worth considering building a small corral with a hard standing and high sides and getting the horse used to it but using it for grooming and feeding .
Modern rugs mean that a roof is not an absolute necessity but a proper draining floor ( like a mini school ) would be .
 
I used to have a mare that you couldn't stable (no chance of getting her used to it) and when she did a tendon, she was restricted to a small, flat area of land with an electric fence. She recovered fully.
 
I always make sure that I can, in an emergency, provide an individual stable or shelter for each horse in my care, even though mine usually live out. The stables/shelters needn't be smart or in regular use, but as horses always seem to able to pick the least convenient time to injure themselves, they must be able to be used with a minimum of preparation.
 
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Can you gate the field shelter if necessary? If not then can you install gates in case of emergency? Or slip poles at least?

Mine are out 24/7 but when one ran through a fence 2 months ago it was box rest for a month. Thank goodness there was one - though we had to empty the hay bales and general junk pretty sharpish! Alternatively then livery; but if the horse can't be moved (like mine) then it's not much use.
 
Having had a horse that needed box rest, I would never be in a position whereby I couldn't do it. He was quite happy in his box but would jump out of his outdoor pen when we tried that-not brilliant for stifle rehab. All of mine are used to being in by themselves for finite periods of time-having a horse on box rest is stressful and expensive enough without having a stressed horse on boxrest.So a contingency plan of gating the field shelter etc would seem like the best idea.
 
Ive just been through exactly that problem. Planned field shelter isn't up yet, because we;ve only just moved, and one of them decided it would be fun to lacerate his chest, stke himslef down to the bone, and fracture a splint bone. We whisked him over to a friends yard at 2am that morning, where he has been for the last few days. He is coming home today, where he will be in a Heras panel pen around an old field shelter for a week, while we wait for his new stable/shelter to be delivered.
 
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