Horse coming back BETTER after box rest?!

[Chloeap]

So my lovely boy had to have 3 weeks complete box rest followed by 2 weeks in a mini paddock after sustaining a cut and infection in the knee joint. He had to have surgery to sort it out and spent over a week at the hospital he's doing great now and I've slowly been bringing him back into work and he's been brilliant! No silliness at all.
We had really been working on contact before he went off ill, as he used to go round like a giraffe.. I thought he would return to this after over a month off but he is better than ever!

I have nearly owned him for a year now and last night he probably was the best he's ever been on the flat (he came from a showjumper and I don't think they did much flatwork really). And that is only about the 3rd ride since he's been back in work. We had a proper contact consistently, very very rarely breaking throughout the whole session. And we even managed a bit of medium trot which is a ridden first for him!

Over the moon that he is well now and seems to be enjoying work so much more sorry, pointless post really, but very happy and wondering if anyone else has experienced this with horses coming back better/happier after time off?

 

[ycbm]

My guess would be that your horse was hiding some other niggle that the box rest also cured. How nice for both of you that the cut has turned out to be beneficial.

 

[Chloeap]

My guess would be that your horse was hiding some other niggle that the box rest also cured. How nice for both of you that the cut has turned out to be beneficial.

Hadn't thought of that.. He was going really well before so not sure if it was that. But contact was definitely a work in progress, we had finally got to the point where we had consistent contact just before he went off. Can't describe it but he is doing so well now

 

[smja]

Has he had anti-inflammatories for the cut? That can help reduce swelling/stiffness elsewhere (e.g. hocks, back) that might have made work difficult for him.

 

[Chloeap]

Has he had anti-inflammatories for the cut? That can help reduce swelling/stiffness elsewhere (e.g. hocks, back) that might have made work difficult for him.

He did for his swollen knee. I don't think he had pain elsewhere - never lame, back checked recently and he has a lovely back. I think we had just had a breakthrough in his contact just before he went on box rest, I thought he'd forget it all but he hasn't and is progressing quickly he wasn't bad before, he was going lovely and coming on really well. But we had finally cracked our contact issues then he was off for 3 weeks!