Losing weight on box rest

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newfy

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Hello

my girl has been on box rest for the last three months, but hopefully this is coming to an end in the next couple of weeks. My problem is that she is a good doer and when it gets to spring grass, she balloons. Usually I would get her to lose a bit of weight over the winter months but have not been able to do this this year. How can I try and get her to lose a bit of weight whilst on box rest and no exercise? I don’t want to leave her without Hay, and she gets a small handful of chaff for feed and handful pony nuts in a ball to keep her occupied during the day.

I always try not to overrug, but it has been quite cold lately. She has a trace clip and is not rugged during the day. Would my best option be to stop rigging her overnight when it is 4/5°?

I can try to soak her Hay but I don’t always go down morning and evening so wouldn’t be able to always take it out of the water, so wouldn’t viable option every day.

I just wondered if anyone else has any tips for managing weight loss on box rest!

Thanks !
 
I would substitute a fair bit of the hay for straw chaff in big trugs so she never runs out (unless she is a total greedy guts in which case she might run out sometimes, but hopefully not for too long!) but she's not eating calories. I wouldn't stop rugging at night - when they're in a stable they can't move around to keep warm so I think they can get colder than if they were out and unrugged. That's just what I'd try, anyway.

I wouldn't kill yourself trying to soak hay in the winter.
 
I’d be restricting access to grass when she is finally allowed out so that she doesn’t balloon. Turn out starts at a half hour at first and builds up when they ve been box rested for so long. Make her work for her forage whilst she’s in.
 
Could whoever does her when you don't take one lot of hay out and put another lot in to soak? Well soaked hay is your best bet imo, bt make sure you provide vits and mins to compensate for those leached out by soaking.

If you have access to good clean straw net some of that for her as well. Don;t bed on straw if you can he;p it. it's like an eat all you can buffet.
 
Horses can thermoregulate their temperature down to 5o so unless you stable is draughty I would cut down on the rugging. With a trace clip she should be fine but if it got much colder I would pop a very light weight rug on. Reducing hay and providing straw based chaff should also help. I find that hay for a horse can be like chocolate for me - I will just keep on eating what is in front of me. The chaff would give her something to nibble on if she was hungry.
 
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