Turning horses out after box rest?

[bellaboo]

My mare has been on box rest for the past 8 weeks due to a bone chip just below the stifle. Her rest is up on Wednesday so i need to work out the best way for her to be turned out. She had the physio on Friday who said that obviously she is in quite soft condition and has muscle wastage over the site of the chip where she was kicked.

I have spoken to the vet and he advises for her to be turned out into a small paddock after sedalin and see how she goes but would be fine to leave out.
My friend and physio reckons it may be better to turn her out for just a few hours and build it up slowly over a few weeks untill she is out all day then i can bring her home. (She's been at a different yard where there is horses in all the time as she was getting stressy on her normal yard)
I can see both people's points, the vet said if i do it slowly which is fine, she would have to have sedalin each time as she is still going to be excited about going out which i agree with and the physio's point makes sense as her body may not be up to handling a whole day out as she has done nothing but stand in a box for 8 weeks.

What does everyone else do?

 

[Nats_uk]

I wouldn't go with what I would do as sedalin doesn't work on horse so he has to stay in for slightly longer so he can go straight back out into his main field without it being a problem if he gallops round.

Ideally I would use sedalin and either put out in a small separate paddock or fence off a small area in the main field. I would probably build up the turnout period over a couple of days just to make sure the horse doesn't get any upset over eating a lot of grass (our yard has very rich grass). As I work full time the buildup would only be over a weekend though as the horse would have to go out all day during the week.

Hope that makes sense!

 

[Nailed]

if it was me.. i would give her sedalin and leave her out all day and bring her in a night.. getting to that time of year anyway.. I think turning her out for a couple of hours and bringing her in will probably prolong the time she is going to be getting excited. Give her say 10 to 12 hours and have done..

As for her muscular situation, being turned out will be a gentle supple of light excercise. Ted has jsut recovered from 12 weeks in on box rest with a tendon injury and went out and was fine.

Lou x

 

[Hippona]

Lat year mine had a fractured cannon bone- when he was first allowed out i put him out in a small paddock for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening with our small shetland for company ....he was fine- then i put him out in the big field one evening- he went mental, even after ACP - left him out for a couple of hours to prance around, then turned him out as normal in the big field the next day and was fine. left him for a few weeks without riding, even tho vet said i could- just to get muscles working again before i stated riding in walk and built it up slowly over the winter.

 

[kerilli]

i would make it a very small paddock (no more than twice the size of a standard stable) and make sure it is full of lovely grass and that she's hungry (e.g. do it first thing in the morning when she hasn't had tons of hay overnight), so that she's likely to get out and want to eat lots of lovely grass more than she wants to leap around. i'd leave her out all the time, then you only have to get over the "oooh, i've finally got out" hysterics once. i'd rug her at night etc instead of bringing her in, for e.g. also, gradually make the paddock bigger etc, when she's being good!

 

[bellaboo]

That is what i thought about doing but unfortunately the grass at our yard is ok but not great, did think about putting some haylage out there to interest her?
I could turn her out at the yard she is currently on, but am worried when i bring her home she'll be mad all over again!

 

[kerilli]

have they got a small paddock with really good grass at the yard she's on now? if so, i'd do that. once she's used to being out, the yard change shouldn't be quite so upsetting/exciting hopefully. best of luck!

 

[hussar]

I have just brought a horse out of 8 weeks' box rest but was very lucky in that for the whole of the 8th week I could graze him in hand in a very grassy paddock to get him used to the idea of being out and to get his system used to grass again. He's now out 24/7 in a tiny grass paddock at a different yard with an overfat companion in an equally tiny paddock next door - he's been surprisingly well behaved.

If you don't have good grass to distract her then hay/haylage or a big bucket of Readigrass or similar? I'm not sure I agree with your physio as there can't be much physical difference between standing in a box all day and mooching round a small paddock. If she tires she'll be more willing to take it easy.

Good luck!

 

[Louby]

Its an awful situation to be in, my horse fractured his leg 2 yrs ago, was cross tied for months and although normally a lazy a***e was a nightmare when it came to walking him out, turnout etc. He needed Sedalin to even walk him out and we gave him Sedalin and put him in a very very small paddock (size of 2 stables!) for a week before turnout on the advice of Leahurst.
This worked for about 2 days but he got that excited when I got to the yard at the prospect of going out the Sedalin didnt work. We gave it to him before his first proper turnout and he went mad, galloping up and down the fence with his mates, not what the doctor ordered. Saying that, 2 yrs on he is fine and sound.
Good luck,