My horse won't tolerate box rest, help!

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Toppy*10

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I have an exracehorse who has recently torn a ligament in her hind right. Problem is the vet wants her on box rest indefinately. This is fine by me but she just WILL NOT tolerate it :( She weaves until she slips because the floor is soaking with her sweat, she has jumped out of the stable before, jumps out of paddocks too. I have tried calmers but they only work for a certain time then she just goes mental again. She is super fit and is normally ridden 6 or 7 days a week and is just in complete meltdown at the moment. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Im open to any ideas!

Thanks
 
I have a very stressy mare on box rest, alot of very helpful people on here suggested a stable mirror, and very reluctantly bought one and it made alot of difference! can get them cheap on ebay! How long has she been on box rest so far? can she see others? my mare was very bad at first, trying to jump out of stable, but she has accepted it now, cant believe it really! i really do sympathise, i hope she settles down soon x
 
Thanks luckyjac.
I think ill try the mirror, i'm at my wits end with her! It started 5 weeks ago when she was on box rest for a week then the vet told me to put her out because she was spinning so tight in her stable she was damaging her leg more but after more scans and xrays they want her back on box rest :(
It makes no difference if there is other horses in or not. I have also tried leaving the barn doors opened and moving her to a stable at the door but this made her worse.
My phone rings all day in work with people at the yard worrying about her and im at the stage now i get so upset when i head to the yard because you never know what state she is going to be in. I'm just so stressed and i don't think it helps her at all!
 
Just going through this myself but for different reasons she dosnt tolerate box rest (sinus problems, lymphangitis and box walks continously). Vet has suggested a 10 metre x 10 metre paddock electric taped with high posts and then putting obstacles in the paddock so she cant move too much. Could you try this?

Put her in her paddock last night and this morning she seems happy as larry munching on her hay and leg actually seems OK - 4 months to go!

Vet did say that box rest would be better but only if she dosnt cause more harm. So we are opting for a longer period of paddock rest.
 
Have you tried proper dope rather than calmers? Ask the vet about Sedalin or ACP, you might need a higher dose to start with but then gradually reduce it as she gets used to box rest.

Might she be better with a box in a very quiet spot? Some horses are better for having plenty to watch, but others settle down more without disturbances.

If she's slipping on a wet floor then give her a reasonable deep shavings bed right up to the door & let the base pack down a bit so it isn't easily shifted.

I'd try to keep people away from her as much as possible & give her a strong routine as some find that reassuring.

Can you try offering her a choice of forage (different types of hay &/or haylage) & put several small nets up in different places but especially near where she weaves. Again it may give her some interest & distract her from the weaving (I know if my cribber is having a bad day that putting a net next to where he cribs will persuade him to take the odd mouthful & after a while he eats rather than cribs).

If all else fails you may have to tape off a very small corner of a field using high posts that she won't jump & maybe borrow a very quiet companion for her if possible. But that's a last resort as it isn't ideal for her recovery & will probably end up being even more work for you!
 
I did box rest in a small (very well fenced) part of the field, the vet referred to it as the 'sin bin' and was happy for him to be there rather than box walking in his stable as he said he'd do less damage to himself if he was calm.
 
We have found that if we have to box rest a horse our stables are great as all boxes have lower partitions so that they can talk & scratch a friend next door.

Is there any where on your yard that you can move your to that gives this closer contact with others? Or maybe consider moving temporarily to another yard that could give you a quiet atmosphere (with less people moving horses around?) and contact with another.
 
Daughters pony had to have 3 months box rest . She was on ever increasing acp throughout the time and that kept her reasonably calm. She also always had company, we rotated the other 2 next to her, one in during the day and the other at night. I would ask your vet if you can have acp or similar.
 
My young horse is on box rest at the moment, so I know how you feel. He had been away for schooling and after 10 weeks was very fit. His is an injury to a hind foot, but I was concerned about his weaving. After talking to the vets about his post op care and exactly how immobilised they wanted him, they are now happy for him to have a play ball. This has been a God send, and will spend hours pushing it round his stable.

I have also invested in a stable mirror, but was rather gutted that he started cribbing on this (the internal stable walls are about 6'2" high, so the mirror was fitted to the maximum height of the wall) The top is now smeared with cribox, as are the gates. I bought this through Ebay and the company I bought from were really helpful. Talking to them directly, they despatched that afternoon and I had the mirror the following morning and fitted it that night! Good service!

I was advised to treat my boy as a laminitic, due to the treatment for his injury and the amount of extra stress on his good leg. His haylage was soaked for 12 hours to remove sugar and I have continued with that, now the cast is off and he is more balanced and comfortable on his injured leg. I did email Likit about the sugar content of their little likits and suitability for laminitics. They have advised that they are ok (in moderation), but that there are Sports and Salt little likits that will fit in the wall mounted play ball, so I will get some of these as well.

We have at least another 6 weeks of box rest that I know of, so I am doing everything that I can at the moment. He is quiet enough in on his own, so I have not brought anyone else in at this point. If he does become stressy, then at least I still have this card to play. As far as toys and entertainment for him, he has enough things to play with, should he choose to play with them. He always has something to eat and he has a deep straw bed. Company and moving to an outdoor stable will happen if it has to, but we seem to be doing ok now - famous last words...

As someone else has mentioned, having a good deep bed right up to the door would help ensure that if she is sweating that extent, that she doesn't slip. Do you have a weaving grill? Otherwise, there is the trick of hanging up half filled plastic lemonade bottles so that the horse knocks them if they weave...

TarrSteps on here gave me some great advice, as I recently put up a post about my boy on boxrest. I'll see if I can boot it up for you again.

One other thing that I have used before is Valerian. You can buy it and make a tincture of it. The only thing is that it is quite strong smelling, so if your horse is at all fussy about what they eat, they may refuse it. Worth mentioning in case you are putting any meds in your feeds...

I think it was TarrSteps who said to me that you actually have to accept that you can only do as much as you can do. There will be some behaviours that the horse will exhibit that you might find that youn just have to ignore. Lets face it, if I stuck my boy in a cribbing collar - or a grazing muzzle, with a weaving or full grill, for the next couple of months, I could really understand him being seriously hacked off. Its the balancing act between trying to keep them sane whilst hoping they heal.

I think between us all on here, we should write a "Guide to surviving box rest". It'd be a bestseller!
 
You could try fencing a narrow strip of field then every 12ft or so have fencing nearly all the way across at a right angle to the long sides, every other side all the way along. like a chicane (if that's how it's spelt). So that the horse can only walk around it but has the freedom to move about a bit. A little like a maze.
 
My boy is having his hocks fused next tuesday and will be returning to box rest. Vet said I will be suprised at how short it will be but god knows how long it will actually. I'm hoping for a month at best. Mine is a VERY stressy boy, he will be given suede, apples in his water, feed balls, hayledge and hay. Anything to make things different. He hates a busy yard so luckily ours is very quiet so he wont be disturbed during the day. If all else fails the ACP will be coming out
 
Vetwrap said:
I think between us all on here, we should write a "Guide to surviving box rest". It'd be a bestseller!
Click to expand...
It certainly would be! I think most of the owners need sedatives never mind the horses lol

Thank you sooooo much for all the advice guys! I put her out in a pen type thing using high fencing but she was just as stressed in that as her stable :(

I didn't know about this sedative thing that yous are all suggesting but i think it will be worth a try.

After jumping out her stable again we have put her out in a paddock and although it is quite big she is hardly moving at all! I think because she has so much space shes not stressing at all (her 2 best friends are also in the field right next to her so they groom each other over the fence). Hopefully the treatment will work and she will soon be back to her normal self. Shes sooo miserable when she isnt in work!
 
POLLDARK said:
You could try fencing a narrow strip of field then every 12ft or so have fencing nearly all the way across at a right angle to the long sides, every other side all the way along. like a chicane (if that's how it's spelt). So that the horse can only walk around it but has the freedom to move about a bit. A little like a maze.
Click to expand...

^^^This sounds a good idea never thought/heard of it before!
 
my mare tore the tendon off her hock and was on box rest for ages. What the vet at the vet school said to me was that box rest doesnt have to be done in a stable a very small paddock the size of half a tennis court would be just as good and is more calming for some animals.
 
My mare had a kissing spine operation last year and due to an infection in the wound had to have prolonged box rest. I am lucky enough to have a grassy area outside of my stable which I was able to fence off so she had her stable and some grass, plus I kept my daughters horse on the same routine to keep her happy. was a bit of a nightmare trying to keep two horses happy. She would go potty for a while when the other was taken away to be ridden but it was only for a short period.

After box rest she was supposed to be on restricted turnout for a month but but she stayed in the paddock for only 2 weeks before deciding to jump back into her field ffs! I had had enough by then and just put her back in her field for the rest of her re couperation.

She now has a soft tissue injury in her off fore hoof :-( I have NOT put her on box rest and she remains in the field where she is quiet and happy. She has got 2 chances. 1 is to get better or the other is to get worse and I will call it a day. I have this horse for 3 years and only ridden her for 1 of them!
 
we have used a paddock, electic fenced into a maze, with great success to stop them running riot. you could incorporate this into an existing field for company, also, ask your vet about the jab they can give them similar to a human anti psychotic called modecate. in these situations it can help you out no end! worth a shot if ull excuse the pun lol! other paddock toys like a small shetland gelding can also help! :D x
 
Just a warning about modecate I gave it to my horse after a leg op last year 2 days after he had some very serious side effects the worst being he lost all his balance. We had to rush him back to hospital on Sunday afternoon a trip that should have taken an hour took two as he kept falling over in the lorry. We then found out that they had no idea how to treat him, he was put on a drip for 24 hours and I am pleased to say he pulled through I would never use it again.
 
my girl did a tendon in & was on box rest for 10 wks with walking in hand. I was very lucky - she was a delight in the stable. It was the walking out that terrified me ! LOL ! I got her one of those snack balls. The girl in the shop suggested filling it with fibre nuts - a much cheaper option than sweeties ! I also hung up a lickit. I did spend rather a lot of time with her. . . . .I felt that as she was having no contact with other horses, I had to be her mini- herd ! I spent a lot of time scratching, grooming & massaging her. She really enjoyed a visit from my spines & shihatsu lady - that chilled her out ! I had to use sedalin occasionally in order to walk her out in hand, but I don't think they recomend it for daily use. Hope your time passes quickly till your beastie is better.
 
Would your horse stay calmer if outside in the field with a smaller area fenced off with herris fencing with rubber feet like they use on the building sites,almost like a wee round pen with high sides so she can see but cant jump out. It can be moved around easily as well when she grazes the area down.
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the suggestions and support. You are all brill :)
Just to keep yous updated ... She ended up going back into the field as she became to dangerous (kicking out, crushing you when you open the stable door etc). The ligament damage healed well as when she was in her field she stood still pretty much all day! After being back in work for only 1 day she went lame again and has now been diagnosed with bone spavvin in both back hocks and kissing spines :( She is doing fab with her box rest this time! We only have 2 more days of box rest then she can be a happy camper in the field again :)

Thanks again everyone and happy horsing :) xx
 
Toppy*10 said:
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Im open to any ideas!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear the problems you have been having with your mare. Have you asked the vet if there is something he can give you for her as a sedative. My vet suggested this when I asked him for my horse recently - its a sachet of something that you mix in their feed - only trouble is it is around £5 a day. In the end I didn't need it. Not sure if you are on your own yard or whether you are at livery, but if you are at livery ask the staff to give her three or four small feeds (something simple like readigrass) during the day. This will give her something to look forward to.

She sounds a little bored to be honest. Have you tried these little tricks for stimulating her mind whilst on box rest:

Small holed nets hung all around her stable. This encourages the horse to move around in search of food mimicking its natural behaviour.
Fill the nets with pulled grass mixed with her usual hay/haylage. (don't store the grass beforehand or it will ferment).
Float a couple of apples on top of her water. That will keep her amused!
If she has a straw bed hide bits of carots/apples/treats in the bed to keep her amused (if her injury permits her to move around to this extent).
Leave a radio switched on to a classical station (horses don't like rock/pop music) and prefer less dramatic, slower types of music.
Ask everyone at the yard who walks past to spend five minutes giving her a fuss/talking to her. If you have a spare 20 mins sit with her in her stable and read a book or magazine. Think how grateful you have been for company stuck in a hospital bed with nothing to do.
Put a piece of log or branch with the bark left on.
Dig (I know its hard with the ground like concrete) a clump of turf and leave that in her stable. She will love that and it will have essential nutrients in it.
Mix apple/carrots/swede/polo's into her haynets.
A specially designed shatterproof horse mirror in her stable. Research has shown using a mirror has been show to curb some horses vices by as much as 75%
Swedes hung from the ceiling (no good hung from stable wall as too easily caught and eaten)
Horse licks on rollers.
Snackaball filled with treats/pony nuts. The hexagonal ones are good as they go in random directions so are harder for the horse to work the treat out. Ask if any of your friends can lend you one save buying one.
Football left in stable to kick about.
Tie an old towel to the stable wall/bars of stable which will provide the horse with endless hours of amusement for her to tug and pull at.
Paddock licks/mineral/salt licks
Above all keep to a routine. Horses thrive on routine.
 
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