amybyersx
Member
Hi all,
I'm just after some advice really. My TB gelding who is incredibly highly strung has been on box rest for majority of the winter months due to a mix of recovering from an injury and then the field at our yard were just too bogged down for him to go out.
Bit of a back story - I've owned my TB for 11 years and he has gone through phases of being a dobin to walk and then a dangerous beast to walk from the field. In 2020, I lost his stable mate, my 24 year old mare and although he was clearly affected, he was walking in and out of the field fine. In 2021, he had an accident jumping from his paddock into a neighbouring one which did not have the best fencing (complaints to YO were made for months for it to be replaced) and he sliced his back legs open after sinking in the mud - he had 12 weeks box rest after that and was absolutely fine being lead in and out from the rest of the summer. We ended up moving yards after this due to the YO allowing the yard to go into disrepair and it was becoming too dangerous and for the first 6 months, he was absolutely fine on his new yard. Around October time, just before he was due to come inside for the winter, he began to act up leaving his field and would stress to get out of the gate. He would dart out of the gate, rear and them bomb off, getting himself all stressed out and making it extremely difficult for me to get him to his stable. This continued for two months until he pulled something and this resulted in more box rest. He was being turned out in our all weather arena after this which again, at first he was absolutely fine with.. but after a month, he began to dart out of the gate, rear and become dangerous to lead. Once he was inside of the barn, he was a golden child again! My vet recommended that due to the trashed fields, he stay inside until spring at the risk of him causing more damage to himself and so he has been hand walked and turned out in the arena but this has obviously been VERY dangerous for me.
Now the time has come where it is spring, the horses are due for 24/7 turnout and now i'm concerned about him being back outside again. My main worry is leaving him out there after not having grass since November time, not to mention how he will react when i try to lead him inside. I'm terrified that he will go out and end up dropping with lami.
I am at the end of my tether and i know if something does not change, one of us is going to get serious injured. Please can someone give me some advice. The only time he has been settled this winter is inside his stable but it has killed me to keep him indoors - I just don't know what to do for the best. We have tried everything from food to chiffney bits, nothing helps.
I'm just after some advice really. My TB gelding who is incredibly highly strung has been on box rest for majority of the winter months due to a mix of recovering from an injury and then the field at our yard were just too bogged down for him to go out.
Bit of a back story - I've owned my TB for 11 years and he has gone through phases of being a dobin to walk and then a dangerous beast to walk from the field. In 2020, I lost his stable mate, my 24 year old mare and although he was clearly affected, he was walking in and out of the field fine. In 2021, he had an accident jumping from his paddock into a neighbouring one which did not have the best fencing (complaints to YO were made for months for it to be replaced) and he sliced his back legs open after sinking in the mud - he had 12 weeks box rest after that and was absolutely fine being lead in and out from the rest of the summer. We ended up moving yards after this due to the YO allowing the yard to go into disrepair and it was becoming too dangerous and for the first 6 months, he was absolutely fine on his new yard. Around October time, just before he was due to come inside for the winter, he began to act up leaving his field and would stress to get out of the gate. He would dart out of the gate, rear and them bomb off, getting himself all stressed out and making it extremely difficult for me to get him to his stable. This continued for two months until he pulled something and this resulted in more box rest. He was being turned out in our all weather arena after this which again, at first he was absolutely fine with.. but after a month, he began to dart out of the gate, rear and become dangerous to lead. Once he was inside of the barn, he was a golden child again! My vet recommended that due to the trashed fields, he stay inside until spring at the risk of him causing more damage to himself and so he has been hand walked and turned out in the arena but this has obviously been VERY dangerous for me.
Now the time has come where it is spring, the horses are due for 24/7 turnout and now i'm concerned about him being back outside again. My main worry is leaving him out there after not having grass since November time, not to mention how he will react when i try to lead him inside. I'm terrified that he will go out and end up dropping with lami.
I am at the end of my tether and i know if something does not change, one of us is going to get serious injured. Please can someone give me some advice. The only time he has been settled this winter is inside his stable but it has killed me to keep him indoors - I just don't know what to do for the best. We have tried everything from food to chiffney bits, nothing helps.
