Have you ever used a rehab yard after box rest?

Shooting Star

Shooting Star

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As per the title interested in any experiences of sending to a rehab yard to help bring a horse back into work after box rest.

I've currently got a cross between a fire breathing dragon & a ninja that I'm supposed to be bringing back into work but the explosions that occur as a result of anything from somebody walking another horse past us to a leaf blowing across the yard are getting ridiculous and dangerous so I'm seriously considering sending the beastie away but interested to know if anybody else has done this and if it worked well :(
 
Yes my thoughts too

We've actually got a walker at our yard but having only been put in this summer and the boy having been broken for a while he's not ever used it and based on this mornings reaction to seeing it moving with a horse in it I don't have high hopes of being able to get him in without sedating him though will be talking to the vet about that option too.

Really wish he'd work out that being calmer means we can go and graze in hand and have a bit more exercise, would be a lot less stressful - and cheaper!
 
Yes! My horse went to a rehab yard after spending 4 months on box rest on DIY. It was the best thing I could have done.

Like yours, I had to walk her out twice a day down a country lane and she was just impossible. Definitely fire-breathing dragon. So off she went, and it was the biggest relief ever. She had a lovely big stable, strict routine, and she was either put on the horse-walker or lead around the barn twice a day. I found she settled down really quickly and she was much more manageable. She spent around 3 months there and I've just moved her back home.

My main reason for sending her away was her fire-breathing dragon impressions mostly, but also time as I work a lot of nights and weird hours, and I have others on DIY so found it very difficult to fit her extra care in, and had no time for my other horse. I also didn't feel capable enough to get on her and start riding her myself.

If I hadn't sent her away, I don't think she'd be where she is now with her injury (pulled suspensory ligament off the bone and chipped bone). She still isn't sound, but having her ridden at first by a professional who is far more capable than I am put her on the right track with her ridden rehab and now I have a much more level-headed and easy horse to deal with!

If you want to PM me about the yard I chose or anything else please feel free. I absolutely wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
 
Too loopy I think, I had to sedate yesterday after he completely lost it and even then he was only just manageable to walk in hand.

All the paddocks are really sodden & slippery too otherwise I'd fence off a tiny patch but it's too dangerous at the moment, can't wait for the summer as the lack of daylight and constant rain is not helping!
 
Thanks sirreal, sounds like you've been through something similar too. We've only had 6 weeks of box rest but had another problem a few months before which resulted in 4 weeks rest and I think the poor lad has just hit his limit. I got him back into work with minimal explosions the first time but this time I've got a monster!

We've got a rehab yard locally that my vet is associated with and I've been to to get X-rays done although haven't spoken to them yet too see if they can do exactly what I need as ideally I'd want them to get him to the point of doing some trot work and being turned out.

Will certainly be relieved when sanity is restored and I'm prepared to do it by any means available!!
 
Yes I sent my horse to a rehab yard after box rest when she had an operation to remove a large bone chip from her fetlock. I led her from the stable to take her for a walk, she reared vertical and went mental. I turned round, put her back into the stable and phoned the rehab yard. She went up there the next day. They had a huge walker (not one of the little ones) and a swimming pool. She stayed up there for six weeks and had her first turnout session up there as well. It worked well and was well worth the money. I value my safety more than the money it cost me to send her there!
 
Thanks holly hocks, our troubles all started with a large fetlock chip too. So glad it worked for you.

I have a similar stance to you, I rather value my safety as well as the others on the yard and I'm starting to think that sending him away will be cheaper in the long run if I can stop I'm doing himself any more damage so it's likely to be the route that I take unless the vet can prescribe us some amazing chill pills!
 
Shooting Star said:
Thanks holly hocks, our troubles all started with a large fetlock chip too. So glad it worked for you.

I have a similar stance to you, I rather value my safety as well as the others on the yard and I'm starting to think that sending him away will be cheaper in the long run if I can stop I'm doing himself any more damage so it's likely to be the route that I take unless the vet can prescribe us some amazing chill pills!
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Can you send him to one with an equine swimming pool? It really helps get rid of some of the excess energy!
 
They haven't got a pool at the local one but will be investigating if there are any other places within a reasonable distance so maybe ... Although he's not a lover of water so a pool may result in more fighting!
 
If you can send away, just do! Biggest mistake I made was trying to rehab a 16week box rested 17.3 monster! There were often nights I'd get her back in her box and ram the bolt across then slump on the floor praising the gods I was still alive, in one piece and the horse was safe!

If I ever get another tendon injury it will be going the next day!
 
TandD - I'm lucky in that once the beast is back in his box he comes normal again and is just shy of 16hh so nowhere as big as yours but plenty intimidating enough that I do dread walking him at the moment, just hoping he either calms down over the next few days or we survive Xmas so that I can pack him off to boot camp!
 
My wee tb was like this after 6 months pen and box rest, walking in hand was out n out dangerous, sedated, she just exploded out of it and went ape at the end of the rope, after a week where she managed to boot me twice during her Tazmanian devil displays i spoke to the vet and booted her up then just turned her out and held my breath, she was so dangerous, even in a controller halter or bridle it was my only real choice, she went absolutely ballistic then settled down after an hour or so took her boots off and eft her out for a couple of days then started bringing in and out as usual routine, 6 month field rest on top of that and came back in to work a few weeks ago, just tacked her up, body protector on and started back in walking work, we had our first proper hack of about 30 mins a few weeks ago :-)
I must admit a rehab yard wouldve been a consideration for the in hand stuff, but a walker wouldnt have worked due to her injury
 
Hi,

someone I know did. The horse had an injury which constantly nearly healed, and as the work went up the horse went mad and re-injured.
The rehab yard did not have a pool, but a water treadmill. Ideal as I think the horse went in while it was dry and it was then filled up. I saw the horse IN the treadmill, it looked like jolly hard work!
Once the horse had the edge off in water and in straight lines on the treadmill then it was also lunged lightly and ridden out.
When the owner got it back it was FAB (aside from a rather nasty mud fever) and ready to continue. It did so and was sound for a good few years.
 
Thanks MC & red-1 nice to know I'm not alone!

Survived nearly 20mins of walking tonight before we had a minor explosion so slightly better, I'm just going for the tactic of whilst he's quiet keep on walking so that we get as much energy out as possible then hopefully I'll be able to come up with a solution with the help of the vet and / or rehab yard.
 
Sirreal said:
Yes! My horse went to a rehab yard after spending 4 months on box rest on DIY. It was the best thing I could have done.

Like yours, I had to walk her out twice a day down a country lane and she was just impossible. Definitely fire-breathing dragon. So off she went, and it was the biggest relief ever. She had a lovely big stable, strict routine, and she was either put on the horse-walker or lead around the barn twice a day. I found she settled down really quickly and she was much more manageable. She spent around 3 months there and I've just moved her back home.

My main reason for sending her away was her fire-breathing dragon impressions mostly, but also time as I work a lot of nights and weird hours, and I have others on DIY so found it very difficult to fit her extra care in, and had no time for my other horse. I also didn't feel capable enough to get on her and start riding her myself.

If I hadn't sent her away, I don't think she'd be where she is now with her injury (pulled suspensory ligament off the bone and chipped bone). She still isn't sound, but having her ridden at first by a professional who is far more capable than I am put her on the right track with her ridden rehab and now I have a much more level-headed and easy horse to deal with!

If you want to PM me about the yard I chose or anything else please feel free. I absolutely wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
Click to expand...

Oo! I think my horse was on the same rehab yard :) we've just brought him home too and I wouldn't hesitate to do the same again - in fact I'd happily have stayed there if it wasn't 25 miles from home!

I hope Sirreal doesn't mind me saying - it was Taylored equestrian in Shropshire - very thoroughly recommend, plus my rotund cob lost some weight and gained some muscle using the walker after his rehab and walking in hand.
 
I did, and luckily the vet signed it off as a good thing, so got it mostly paid for by the insurance, although by that time I wasn'tworried about money, I just wanted both of us to survive!

It wasn't that big an injury, and infuriatingly I had been leading him out every day to graze in hand, so it wasn't as if he hadn't been out of the stable. Still, the vet had scanned the injury and given the all clear to start work,and he was to be having one hour's ridden exercise per day BEFORE being turned out in a field. So I tried, I really did, with lunge rein and side reins and bit and tried walking in hand in the field and down the lane, with sedation -and he nearly killed both of us and bucked and reared and twizled round at the gallop at the end of a lead rope and generally was a great big PRAT. Sqeals, bucks, rears, horrors.

So after 2 weeks of trying by myself and STILL no calmer, I rang local livery yard with a horse walker in desperation. YO knew him and taught him to jump. I was obviously being a bit feeble. After about 3 days I had a phone call from YO, obviously in shock. "I think I will have to ask the vet for some different sedation." She had long reined him round the yard - OK. On the horse walker for a couple of days x 2- OK.
So she took him down tothe arena, well tacked up for some quiet work = not OK, apparently exploded and she said it was a good thing she was at the end of the lunge lines and not one of her staff. Vet gave different, very cheap sedation, and nearly gave the horse colic as it stopped him eating anything. Big rosette to YO who was up at 11.00 p.m walking him round to try and get him to eat something. "Oh, yes it can have that effect" said the vet.

To cut a long story short, on the sedation and after about a month I took him home, having ridden him 2 or three times in company and alone in the arena. I rode him at the yard, took him home and turned him out with his friend and then never looked back.

If he has to have box rest again I would do the same again as he was dangerous, to himself and to me.
 
The problem is 99.9% of vets never have to rehab a horse and do the day to day rehab care! If. They did I think they would recommend something totally different from 'in hand walking' (rearing)!
 
Completely agree that the vet 'ideal' version of walking inhand just isn't practical for many horses on box rest. I did rehab livery for a horse who had a stress fracture and needed strict slow walking for 16 (!) weeks. He went on a walker only and then we slowly started ridden walk. The yard wasn't a fancy or specialist place but the routine and control of it worked for us and I would do the same again with that horse. I have at other times done box rest and walking inhand but only with a horse where I have a hope of survival. Sometime you have to do the safe thing, even if that means restricted turnout regardless of the vet. Good luck. x
 
Ive moved my lad to a livery yard, its not a specific rehab yard but it does have a walker. He was getting worse being at home, he was horrible; biting constantly weaving and box walking and generally lost his manners... The walking in hand was getting more and more entertaining and dangerous! Its the best thing ive done hes lovely again now! The yard is busy so he always has something to watch and the walker is a godsend!! He will be coming home in march as soon as hes allowed back out in the paddock :)
 
Yes, it is the single best thing I ever did and we ended up moving back there permanently. They were recommended by my vet as they are used to noggins/idiot TB's, plus had a horse walker which he went on for a month. It meant when I took him away and he was still too silly to be ridden I wasn't quite as fearful for his legs when I turned him (he had 14 months of box rest almost continuously bar a couple of spells).
 
I've been following this post with interest as I have a 6yo 16hh ISH on box rest (torn ligament in his hind at his hock). It's been 4 months now and we are starting to walk in had but I need to sedate him every night before trying to walk or he ends up leaping all over the place, up/down/round.

When behaving his walking is going well and I'm sure when I go back to the vets next year for more scans they are going to suggest a walk under saddle with terrifies me! I have him, and another 6yo on diy and work full time so cannot let myself her hurt, or deperatly don't want him to be hurt anymore. The vet has suggested sedating him and putting him out in a tiny padock but he was injured trying to jump out of his field in the first place so am not keen to do this yet.

Would those who have used a rehab yard mind PMing me the details and average monthy cost so I can weight up the options.

Thanks so much in advance.
 
Mine is currently on full livery for box rest plus hand walking 3x a day for 5-10 minutes, recovering from a fracture. I work full time so would struggle to give him the care he needs. I am hoping insurance will pay for most of it. I am taking him home once he is on small paddock rest, only 2.5 weeks to go! :-) Mine is rather bouncy on the road, but fine in the arena so far. Can't wait to get back on after 2 months small paddock rest with hand walking - it will be so much easier, as he is a bot of a bargy sod!
 
Every horse is different and you know your own horse. My horse had op on his check ligament and then had box rest for months we started him back with 5 minutes walking in hand slowly building up the time each week. After about 4 weeks he spent more time on 2 legs than on all 4 and nobody else would touch him. So after a very bad morning I did the bravest thing I have ever done. We tacked him up and with company rode him out for 20 minutes he was a saint! no bucking, no rearing and boy was he tired Not for every horse I know, but sometimes they are better being ridden than in hand. Good luck.
 
I almost sent mine for rehab at the centre she came from as she was becoming a handful to walk out in hand. If it was covered on insurance she would have gone but as it was quite expensive i perservered with sedalin and happily she is now allowed time out in turnout pen so settled down. Wish it was available on insurance as coping with an ex racer on box rest is not fun :)
 
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