Gutted! Advice on how to keep a very fit, very bored horse entertained for 8 weeks?!!

[starryeyed]

I'm gutted! After a year of very hard work, a miserable winter of cold dark nights, and our first event planned for 2 weeks time and a summer of fun ahead of us - my horse has gone and broken herself

Basically, she's bashed an old injury by messing about in the field, and is now very lame on her front leg. The vet is going to do x-rays next week to confirm exactly what it is that she's done to herself, but it's currently looking like a minimum of 8 weeks rest (fingers and toes crossed that it's nothing nastier ).

Now this is my worst nightmare!
She is an incredibly fit, athletic horse who isn't the easiest to manage - she's exercised 6 days a week and gets very full of herself & difficult to handle after a few days off. So I can't wait to see her after 8 weeks of nothing! The vet has agreed that she will do a lot more damage to herself being inside than outside, so rather than 24/7 box rest he has said to keep her stabled overnight and let her have turnout in a paddock during the day (I'm working on a maze for her so that she can't get up any speed).
Her shoes got taken off today, she's being fed just the very basic low energy feeds (topspec lite chaff / lite balancer, soaked hay / high fibre haylage overnight).

However, she's only had a week off and it's already affecting her very badly - she's always been a very intelligent, happy bouncy horse that loves her exercise, loves being out and doing things, and obviously she doesn't understand why she's suddenly being left in a field. She's already seeming to slip into horsey depression, she spends all day stood in the corner of the field with her head down, she's gone completely off her feed, she isn't interacting with the others - and just looks so sad. She's started to weave at the gate when I come home from work as this is when I used to ride her, she's cribbed everything to pieces and is getting so frustrated at not doing anything. She's started to snap and toss her head in annoyance at everything, and just looks a very unhappy girl. Handling is currently under control (leading in a bridle) but we are now going out to the field on 2 legs each morning.

I just don't know how I can keep her entertained for 8 weeks and would be so grateful for any ideas. I'm more concerned about her mind than body really, she needs things to think about.
I can't take her for inhand walks at this stage as she's meant to be kept as still as possible. I'm already practising very basic/low level groundwork with her to try and combat her ever increasing bargy-ness ..... She's had a big increase in her grooming / pampering, I go out and talk to her / sit with her whenever I can as she does seem to like my company and does at least start to graze around me when I'm there but goes back to her corner when I leave.
I was thinking of clicker training as she picks things up so quickly - but I'm not sure what exercises / "tricks" I could teach her? I don't want to teach her anything potentially risky (ie - shaking hooves!) as she's a big horse and I don't want her to get any bad ideas!

She has a paddock likit, a decahedron ball with nibbles inside, stable toys etc, but she's not interested in them anymore. Would be so grateful for any suggestions on how to keep my gorgeous girl entertained - I know it could be much worse, but it's breaking my heart to see her like this! xx

 

[neweventer]

I have a 6 year old gelding that had 8 weeks box rest last year. He was very similar to yours. I tied things around his stable, cabbages, swede, carrots all from the roof etc. after week three he had a complete behaviour change and almost accepted his lack of exercise/turn out ( mine was in bandage up to the knee so wouldn't go out). The only down side when we came out of it is that he started weeving. This did eventually reduce now he just weeves at feed time.

hope that helps

 

[EllenJay]

Can you do lots of groundwork, clicker training etc just to keep her brain going

 

[brigit]

definitely clicker training- i did that with my lad when he was on boxrest and it kept him entertained for hours. all you need is a dog training clicker from a pet shop and a low cal treat or reward- then google some exercises

 

[Waffles]

Yes - I agree about the clicker training. You can do stacks of stuff to keep the horse entertained (and you too) including a couple of "tricks" such as picking up cones etc.

 

[Marydoll]

Get an arc equine on her if you can, my nutty tb who is on field rest used to spend every day tearing about like a loon, and since using this on her injury, her behaviour has makedly changed for the better, less stressed and also very settled. Before she had this on rest it was like handling a quarter ton of fish on a rope

 

[putasocinit]

I find it really strange that the racehorses where i work when on box rest are as good as gold, they are still fed x 5 times racehorse mix in a 24hr period, the do not go out other than to trot up for the vet, and when they went on box rest they were extremely fit. Some remain like thos for up to 6 months. Just keep their nets filled with haylage and let them get on with it, because the reacting at the door and weaving will only happen when peeps are around so they can get attention. I bet if you hid around the corner when the yard was quiet you would find them relaxed and content.

 

[Marydoll]

I find it really strange that the racehorses where i work when on box rest are as good as gold, they are still fed x 5 times racehorse mix in a 24hr period, the do not go out other than to trot up for the vet, and when they went on box rest they were extremely fit. Some remain like thos for up to 6 months. Just keep their nets filled with haylage and let them get on with it, because the reacting at the door and weaving will only happen when peeps are around so they can get attention. I bet if you hid around the corner when the yard was quiet you would find them relaxed and content.

Possibly because theyre used to being stabled, or they always have someone around them my girl was a fit event horse who was put almost 10 hours + a day, she stressed if there was nobody in with her as it was only her and another 2