I can't cope with her behaviour!!!

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Ilovefoals

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My mare is on box rest after surgery and is a total and utter nightmare. I'm running myself ragged trying to get her to settle but nothing I do works. She's kicked the back wall of her stable out which OH had to replace, broken down the door twice and bogged off across the countryside. Scraped the skin off both hocks, grazed her eye brow and taken a huge patch of skin off her neck. She constantly rams the door so I've had to close her in totally to calm her down. She has a mirror, snack ball, lick, ad lib hay and a horse next to her all day and night but nothing helps. She's hardly eating, just box walking and ramming her door constantly. Today she's already had 20 ACP in her brekkie plus 10mls of Sedalin and though her eyelids are heavy, she still keeps up the behaviour. She's not so bad when evening comes but during the day, she's like a raging bull. I'm so worried about her mental and physical health. She's supposed to be resting her legs, she still has staples in them and they are begining to swell with all the carry on she's having. There's another 3 wks of box rest to go before she's allowed turnout! I just don't kmow what to do with her. Do I just ignore her??? God, it's doing my head in. I can hear her banging right now!!!
 
What is she on box rest for? Our's was a nightmare on BR and vet told us to turn him out for a few hours on restricted grazing as he was uncontrollable being in 24/7 and doing more harm than good. Try speaking to your vet.
 
Can she not have a small pen in the field,surely that would be safer than what is happening now. Constant box walking is not really resting anyway and the staples are presumably holding up to what she has already done.
 
Have you tired playing her music? I've heard it calms some Horses.

Have a word with your vet and see if you can't turn her out. Section of a very small area with leccy tape, so she cant tear around and injure herself. She may settle down more then when she would in stable.

Sorry to hear your having such a bad time of it and I wish your mare a very speedy recovery!
 
She had surgery on her hind suspensories last monday. I spoke to the vet yesterday and they said no to a small pen. She's not allowed in one for 3 more weeks. I'm tempted to ignore them and do it anyway but I'd be gutted if she got out and did herself damage. I'm actually crying my eyes out with the stress and hardly slept last night. I find myself creeping out there to peek at her every 10 mins to see what she's doing. I hurt my back this morning trying to muck out around her and having to swap horses over so there's always someone to keep her company is doing my head in. The ones in the field are constantly shouting which just riles her up even more!

Lauren Bay - the radio is on all day :(
 
LaurenBay said:
Have a word with your vet and see if you can't turn her out. Section of a very small area with leccy tape, so she cant tear around and injure herself. She may settle down more then when she would in stable.

Sorry to hear your having such a bad time of it and I wish your mare a very speedy recovery!
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This is good advice.
FDC
 
Ring your vet and explain how bad she is.
You are totally wasting your time with box rest if she is getting in a right pickle and making herself worse.
She would be much better turned out in a small paddock with an adjacent friend and a pile of hay to pick at.
Good luck.
 
From what you have said about her behaviour, I would imagine that if the vet came out and saw her, even he would agree that she has got to go out.

Not long ago, my youngster had to have surgery on his foot, stitching straight through the hoof wall to realign the coronary band. He was on box rest for about 6 weeks and was going through the full list of stable vices, as well as bucking and rearing in his stable. We too did everything - mirror, playball, six hayballs (small haynets, well filled and tied tightly into balls) hung on walls and gate and cribox over everything (and everyone) else.

After seeing him one day, the vet relented and said that I could lead him out for some grass. Horse was so excited that he was leaping all over the placed and kicked me just above my hip. After that, I decided that I would dope him and turn him out. We bought the extra high posts and taped it to be like Fort Knox, but we made him a small paddock, doped him with sedalin and turned him out.

The vet actually agreed that we did the right thing. He was calm and relaxed out and we were able to bring him in at night and turn him out in the morning. There was no detriment to the healing of his foot either.

I know the injury and surgery is different, but if she is going nuts in her stable, then she is not doing herself any favours anyway. I think that your vet has to understand that although box rest is the prescribed treatment, sometimes it is not possible.

Best of luck.
 
I don't think the vet can appreciate how stressed she is. She'd surely get more rest confined to a small pen in the paddock ? There is more chance she'd settle there and it would be much better for her than constantly box walking.
 
agree with others that say talk to your vet, a smaller section of field has to be better than a stable. i've known someone use the big 'pens' (8ft high and about 12ft long) to put a horse in to eat some grass and see others, they couldn't jump out, it was still only about the size of a stable but meant they were more relaxed, also you can move the pen each day.
you say that you change horses over each day so there's always company for your horse, maybe it's you taking one out that gets your horse rattled as they know it's turn out time and want to go and join in.
 
I agree with all of you. The vet knows what she's like as she was exactly the same there after her surgery. She was at the hospital for 5 days post op and they had to sedate her every day. So it's not like he hasn't seen what she does. I'll ring again today as I'm at my wits end. The other horses are constantly shouting for her and it just upsets her even more. She'll quieten down for a bit and then the dog will go out for a pee or the postie arrives and she starts all over again!!!
 
had this with my gelding. he was admitedly on box rest following a pretty minor abscess...he turned into the horse from hell and was going to do himself an injury. we put him in as small paddock and he settled immediately. i m with the others i reckon shes going to herself more harm in her box. a small secure pen has to be the answer!
 
Riding high - but I can't keep the same companion in 24/7 either can I? I tried her by herself and she broke the door down so she has to have company. My yearling is in all night with her, and a friends horse has day time babysitting duties.
 
I agree with the sedation, you will have to keep her sedated. Have you got a mirror on the wall, that might help. One of mine was on box rest for a year but was allowed on a concrete pad/corral we built outside his stable. Radio up as loud as you are allowed to have to drown out the others calling. Is there a neighbour in the box next door/opposite that she can see. If its only for another three weeks give her as much sedation as the vet will allow. These needy horses are a nightmare!
Good luck and I hope you get her sorted.
 
Bare with me here....... what is she like tied up?

Pillar tie her up by the door, with bucket of water over the door and large haynet?

My friends horse is a total stress head box walker and she tried this and hey presto it worked.

Of course it isn't ideal and of course it won't suit a lot of horses but it might be worth a try as its fairly short term?
Maybe leave her untied at night....
 
Ilovefoals said:
Riding high - but I can't keep the same companion in 24/7 either can I? I tried her by herself and she broke the door down so she has to have company. My yearling is in all night with her, and a friends horse has day time babysitting duties.
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i wasn't for one moment suggesting leaving the same companion in so apologies if it read that way.

the thing is you know what triggers her going nuts, swapping horses over, movement on the yard, basically if she thinks she's going to get attention then she will kick off.

i don't know the layout of your yard but would it be possible for you to put rope/temp fence up outside her stable and the neighbouring stable so that they can both stand outside and have a groom with each other? the yard i'm on now i can do that with but my last yard it would have been impossible.
 
If a horse won't settle on boxrest then there's no point fighting them on it. I would be rather annoyed if my vet expected me to keep in such a wound up horse who is clearly a danger to themself, as well as those handling it. Dope up and turn out in a small paddock with quiet horses beside her. And whatever you do DON'T attempt to walk such a wound up horse in hand after boxrest - It's insanely dangerous and nearly killed me (I was kicked in the head by the sweetest horse I've ever known, trying to walk her, after 3 weeks in)
 
Ilovefoals said:
She had surgery on her hind suspensories last monday. I spoke to the vet yesterday and they said no to a small pen. She's not allowed in one for 3 more weeks. I'm tempted to ignore them and do it anyway but I'd be gutted if she got out and did herself damage. I'm actually crying my eyes out with the stress and hardly slept last night. I find myself creeping out there to peek at her every 10 mins to see what she's doing. I hurt my back this morning trying to muck out around her and having to swap horses over so there's always someone to keep her company is doing my head in. The ones in the field are constantly shouting which just riles her up even more!

Lauren Bay - the radio is on all day :(
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I had a horse had an operation on both upper suspensories (hocks) and ignored vets advice due to her constant box walking and made her a pen roughly twice the size of her stable. She made a 100% recovery. I have done this many times with horses on box rest as they settle much better so long as the pen is inside of another paddock with companions in. Just do it.
 
In a similar situation to you I set up a pen in the field with my horse's friends and put her in it. As the field wasn't too big and they didn't therefore wander too far away, it worked. It was a risk, but she certainly moved about a lot less in the pen than she did in the stable!
 
Riding high - sorry, I didn't mean to bite your head off. I'm just so stressed :(

Puppy and wagtail - Walking inhand is supposed to start next week. I'll be cr***ing myself about that if she's still acting like this. I have a field about the size of 2 tennis courts which I can make much smaller with tape. I'm going to ring the vet and tell him she's going out during the day. She's going to damage herself if I don't!
 
The behaviour she is displaying is not going to help her recovery at all. I would not do anything until you have spoken to the vet and made them fully aware of how potty she is becoming in the stable.

The pen is a good idea - not too big you could make it slightly bigger than a field shelter in size. I personally would take the mirror down - I know some people have had success with them but they freaked out my mare - i had to remove it and she was a lot calmer with it gone. xx
 
ilovefoals, no worries. :)

if at all possible keep her sedated for the first couple of times of her being turned out, IF the vet is still totally against you turning out in a small paddock and you go with his advice then sedate for the walking in hand and if possible have a second person with you to lead from the other side and make sure you are wearing hats, gloves and preferably a BP.
 
Really, please, don't do it!

Mine is the sweetest mare I could ask for. She was chilled about being in and that morning she'd stood on the yard having her feet and tail washed/stable mucked out, etc, for 2 hours before we set out for our walk but once spooked she was completely unmanageable, I lost my grip, she took off and I was caught in the crossfire, getting double barreled in the face. That was Xmas 2008, I just had the 4th operation to my face yesterday and I live in constant pain. I really can't stress how much of a dangerous idea it is, and I wish vets would stop recommending it.
 
be positive said:
Can she not have a small pen in the field,surely that would be safer than what is happening now. Constant box walking is not really resting anyway and the staples are presumably holding up to what she has already done.
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Yes, this ^^

Sometimes you have to evaluate which is the greater risk and it sounds as if your mare is at a greater risk being totally enclosed. Maybe a small pen where she can't gallop about but can see/touch other horses would calm her state of mind.
 
Puppy said:
Really, please, don't do it!

Mine is the sweetest mare I could ask for. She was chilled about being in and that morning she'd stood on the yard having her feet and tail washed/stable mucked out, etc, for 2 hours before we set out for our walk but once spooked she was completely unmanageable, I lost my grip, she took off and I was caught in the crossfire, getting double barreled in the face. That was Xmas 2008, I just had the 4th operation to my face yesterday and I live in constant pain. I really can't stress how much of a dangerous idea it is, and I wish vets would stop recommending it.
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I completely agree regarding walking in hand. It's a total nightmare. Instead what I do is keep them in a small pen (made with electric fencing) and when the time comes for walking in hand I just gradually increase the pen size every few days. This works well if they are out 12/7 in the summer, but of course in the winter it is more difficult as the pen becomes too muddy.
 
I agree with the others about the small restricted area in the field. I have a retiree who has to be in a lot at certain times of year due to cushings and so when we moved we built him a playpen with sand which connects to his stable via a back door. The pen runs along the back of the stables, and is about 30ft x 10ft and they are usually also allowed in to the 12ftx13ft stable. We use this when anyone gets an injury and as the pen connects to the fields the horses can see their mates and seem to be calm and happy. Every vet has said this is the perfect option for box rest, and I dont see how this is different to a secure pen of similar size in the field :) your safety and hers are paramount, could you maybe try to speak to a different vet at the same practice without causing offence to see what they think? Hope you get it sorted :).
 
Jees Puppy, that sounds unbelievably traumatic! I would be very dubious about having to walk her out inhand. The vets keep going on about how ridgidly I have to stick to the rest and rehab programme or the op could have been for nothing. I'd be devestated if I'd put her through all this for nothing. Waiting for the vet to ring me back just now.
 
Please take note of puppys advice. One of ours had to be walked in hand after box rest and we were very very lucky no one (especially my daughter who was walking him) was hurt. He seemed fine then completely flipped. Fortunately he got away from us and ended up on top of the muckheap:eek:where he went bonkers. He did not hurt himself but a friend suggested rehab livery at a yard with a horsewalker directly outside his stable. Worked wonders. They had experienced staff and the horse settled well for 6 weeks. Most of it was covered by insurance. It may not have been ideal but at least it was safe. In future if I could not do that I would increase small pen turnout a little each week for a while. It is not worth the risk.
 
becca - unfortunately my stables are not in a good position to have a pen right outside of them or that would be a great solution. Thanks for all the advice everyone. xx

misst - there is nowhere around here that offers such a service unfortunately. I could put her to a livery yard where I know there are always horses in so she'd have company, but I wouldn't forgive myself if she hurt someone.
 
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