Turning out a horse after box rest

J

JCbruce

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 November 2013
Messages
91
Visit site
So if anyone has been following my previous posts I have a 3 year old warmblood who has been on box rest for nearly 5 months due to a cut to his hock and then a pressure sore but he’s will finally be turned out within the next few days.
I was wondering how people have done this successfully in the past without them committing suicide. My current plan is, sedaline small fenced off paddock and a 30 year old pony next to him all day. Then the next day out over night with sedaline again in a slightly larger paddock and be done with it. I have tried hand walking him but it was similar to that of flying a kite so I decided not to die. I have one tube of sedalin and a cut off of funds. For anyone who has been following have posted a photo from a few days ago of his wound sight :)
 

Attachments

  • 7CA21FAE-C17E-46E5-922F-55191BAED02C.jpeg
    7CA21FAE-C17E-46E5-922F-55191BAED02C.jpeg
    340.5 KB · Views: 10
Goldenstar

Goldenstar

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
46,941
Visit site
I would hand graze in the ( small) paddock three times a day until the horse is settled with being in there .
When I eventually let the horse go I would stay in the paddock with horse for half an hour then bring it in .
I would build up over a week or ten days after five months it’s worth taking time over the transition .
I have also used sedaline you need a couple of trial runs to work out the timings and amounts as vary hugely in how it affects them .
 
J

Julia0803

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 January 2012
Messages
440
Visit site
I did something very similar to Goldenstar above.

Unfortunately I’ve had more than my fair share of boxrest over the past two years.

When we were going from boxrest to turn out after the ligament injury (twice!) I did exactly as Goldenstar suggested- which is what the vet had told me to do. Sedaline, tiny pen, holding onto him grazing, then unclipping after 15 min, and staying with him for a bit then bringing him in.

For him, he was worse in a small pen and being out alone (even tho there were horses on the other side of the fence). He would be calm then explode and hump and squeal and twist about which obviously was terrifying after a soft tissue injury. He was allowed limited turn out on his small pen pre turn out in a normal field. This was even after he’d been going out for a few weeks. I spent a lot of time sat in the rain watching him like a hawk and ready to step in instantly. The problem was he would graze calmly for 30min/an hour or longer and then out of nowhere flip and hump/buck/squeal. It got to the stage where, even tho the vet had said he could be out for several hours in his small pen I only let him have an hour because I couldn’t trust him to stay calm.

So when he had to go out after 9w of boxrest due to a fracture I built him slowly up to 3 hours grazing in hand to get his guts used to the change and did some in hand walking for ten min or so. I walked him in hand for 15 min before turning out as I wanted him to have at least warmed up a bit! I made sure he was a bit hungry too- so would be more interested in eating than pratting about. He’s a lot older than your boy and usually sensible when on normal turnout routine. I then turned him out in his usual field with his sensible herd mates, without any sedative but with a calming cookie. He did run for about 30 seconds but it was in a straight line, rather than twisting/slamming breaks on in a small area. And then he just ate.

For him (and obviously this is very dependent on your horse), he settled much more quickly being with his sensible friends in a field he knew with his usual set up.

I only left him out for 3 hours and then brought him in. The next day he did about 5 hours with his usual muzzle on. Over a few days he built up to 12 hours with his muzzle. After the first day there was no pratting about or silliness.

He’s always been very much a horse who needs his herd and for him he was much calmer like that and less likely to injure himself than doing what I’d been advised with the ligament injury.

So I think a lot of it will come down to how you think he’ll react/his own personal quirks.

Good luck!
 
Birker2020

Birker2020

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 January 2021
Messages
10,548
Location
West Mids
Visit site
Goldenstar said:
I would hand graze in the ( small) paddock three times a day until the horse is settled with being in there .
When I eventually let the horse go I would stay in the paddock with horse for half an hour then bring it in .
I would build up over a week or ten days after five months it’s worth taking tim
e over the transition .
I have also used sedaline you need a couple of trial runs to work out the timings and amounts as vary hugely in how it affects them .
Click to expand...
Get what you're saying but that's all very well if the OP doesn't work but the vast majority of people do and are unable to do three times or even twice a day and of course if you are on a livery yard you are reliant on other horses being around at the times you tirn out. This blasted hay gain ad is doing my head in itsimpossiboe to see what you're typing.

. I've turned out twice overnight following boxrest for this horse and both times very small paddock, increasing in size over a week, sedaline 4 or 5 times. Both times were sucessful, i watched for 20 mins and kept an eye for an hour.
 
Goldenstar

Goldenstar

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
46,941
Visit site
If you work you hand graze in the morning before work you do it twice after work you get friends to help you or a free lance groom or you send the horse to a rehab yard.
I an amazed that people think it’s to much of an ask to hand graze a horse at the end of what’s been an very very long road for everyone .
It takes longer to manage a horse on box rest well than it does to do a competition horse in full work .
Box rest and rehab is very very tough on everybody .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top