Turning out after box rest - tendon injury

[jumpthemoon]

Hi, interested in people’s opinions of how to introduce turnout after box rest. We have a racehorse who has had a tendon injury and has been on box rest for 5 months. He’s been walking every day for the last 3 months.
He can start to go out in a small paddock now, but would you bring him back in at night or just leave him out 24/7 now? I’ve always thought best to introduce the change in routine gradually, but my partner thinks otherwise!

 

[Zuzzie]

My horse had 3 months box rest which he coped with quite well but I knew as soon as I let him out on grass he would go bonkers and undo all the good work we had done. So I created a small pen (with electric fencing) about the size of a large stable. I sedated him beforehand and all was well. I gradually enlarged the pen over time and reduced the sedation. This worked well and I was eventually able to give him his freedom. It all depends on what your horse's temperament is but you have to be absolutely certain. Personally, I wouldn't have him out at night just in case something went wrong.

 

[milliepops]

yeah i have done the small pen thing, and then added on extra stable sized pens like a maze so they potter about but have more space. I prefer to have them in at night so they don't go for ages unsupervised, but it probably depends on the individual horse.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Generally with racehorses at work they are brought back into work and at cantering stage with no issues before being turned out.
Mine personally I put in a tiny paddock and got him in at night, no way was I getting on him up to cantering without turnout!

 

[Birker2020]

Hi, interested in people’s opinions of how to introduce turnout after box rest. We have a racehorse who has had a tendon injury and has been on box rest for 5 months. He’s been walking every day for the last 3 months.
He can start to go out in a small paddock now, but would you bring him back in at night or just leave him out 24/7 now? I’ve always thought best to introduce the change in routine gradually, but my partner thinks otherwise!

Personally with the spring grass I'd minimise his paddock so its about 15m x 15m and turnout for a couple of hours, increasing every day until he's settled down and his gut is accustomed to the grass again and then you can make the paddock bigger. I'd also turnout with sedalin the first couple of times.

It's only like our diet, if we'd been eating toast every day for 5 months and then were offered chicken casserole we would be ill.