walking fresh horse on rehab

[Deltofe2493]

As title suggests… how is the safest way to walk your horse when they are fresh af?!

i started out long reining, but as time went on she got worse rearing and bucking etc. so spoke to vet she was happy for her to go on the walker.

we moved yards yesterday, so along with the freshness there’s the curiosity to add from mare so it’s x2. I walked her down to the walker this morning to practice, i was literally holding the lead rope tight and walking right in front of her with my shoulder pushing her back to slow her down if that makes sense but wondering if there’s a better/easier way as I don’t want to have this for another 8 weeks.

the yard set up is slightly different and not as much help available so I’ve taken out mares lunch (I won’t be able to get there 3x a day) and replacing with an extra morning net. Hoping this may settle her down!

 

[AmyMay]

Bridle, gloves, hat.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Why was she getting 3x hard feeds a day on box rest? I'd cut that out and just give forage.

She will probably settle down into her routine in a few days but having a bridle or chifney on too won't do any harm.

 

[Rocky159]

Defo bridle/chifney, gloves and hat. No hard feed. Please don’t walk in front - she could leap on top of you!?

 

[Deltofe2493]

Why was she getting 3x hard feeds a day on box rest? I'd cut that out and just give forage.

She will probably settle down into her routine in a few days but having a bridle or chifney on too won't do any harm.

she had ulcers so trying to keep her chunky. Her being a thoroughbred she’s a hard keeper!!! I’ve been battling with her weight for 16 months and she’s finally looking like a proper horse!!

Bridle it is. Tbf she was going on the walker in roller & side reins but it was my friends roller and that’s at old yard.

 

[Deltofe2493]

Defo bridle/chifney, gloves and hat. No hard feed. Please don’t walk in front - she could leap on top of you!?

Ok so walk to the side of her and just keep her tight and walk slow? Even if it’s just a couple steps forward and if she’s frisky stop & wait? Then go again?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Is she on box rest? Do you have to walk her out?


I will no longer do this, it is simply too hazardous for the handler, and quite often it is not strictly necessary. I turn out instead.

 

[Shooting Star]

As the owner of one that’s very explosive when being hand walked on box rest I can honestly say that sedative from the vet is the only thing that keeps me safe during the worst part of it.

 

[Starzaan]

Hello, long time rehab yard owner here.
Firstly, hard feed and ‘keeping her chunky’ absolutely won’t help with ulcers. She needs constant access to forage to sort that, and a half scoop of good chaff such as Alfa a oil 20 mins before any kind of work - even walking in hand.
If your vet is ok with you using a Walker, then when you’re leading her you need gloves and a chifney, and I would wear a hat too just to be safe.

 

[Tiddlypom]

As the owner of one that’s very explosive when being hand walked on box rest I can honestly say that sedative from the vet is the only thing that keeps me safe during the worst part of it.

I tried that with the late maxicob, but it actually made him more dangerous . Without sedation, he took great care not to flatten me even when t1tting about, but he lost his inhibitions when sedated. He still exploded, but was much less aware of where I was.

Never again.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Hello, long time rehab yard owner here.
Firstly, hard feed and ‘keeping her chunky’ absolutely won’t help with ulcers. She needs constant access to forage to sort that, and a half scoop of good chaff such as Alfa a oil 20 mins before any kind of work - even walking in hand.
If your vet is ok with you using a Walker, then when you’re leading her you need gloves and a chifney, and I would wear a hat too just to be safe.

Was just about to say this. Access to fibre is needed especially with a horse with ulcers , providing lots of hard feed won't do anything in terms of creating a gastric environment that supports the healing of and prevents development of ulcers.

 

[GreyDot]

Is it possible to walk her under saddle? When mine was rehabbed, he became increasingly joyful when walked in hand, so the vet suggested I try under saddle instead, obviously keeping strictly to walking. He was much, much better under saddle than in hand. Depends on what you are rehabbing from/for, but if she's allowed in a walker, ask your vet if you can try under saddle.

 

[poiuytrewq]

As above! I sympathise, it’s not fun. It was a big part of my last job, I spent years while the yard was quiet (ie, no one to find me if I got pummelled ?)
A chifney, I find especially TB’s if raced will respect them and, many, as soon as they are wearing one just won’t mess round anyway.
A bridle with a lunge line is also a helpful one, allows you to get out the way a bit if needed.
Choose your time, when the yard is quiet and chilled.
Id also cut the feed and literally pile hay into her.

 

[eggs]

With one of mine who could be quite spicy it was hat, gloves, good boots, bridle with extra long lead rope. Always walked him on the tarmac as I once tried leading him in the school and he just bogged off. He was one that did well with some Sedalin 45 minutes before walking him.

I don’t give mine hard feed if they are on box rest but with very regular amounts of hay throughout the day.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I tried that with the late maxicob, but it actually made him more dangerous . Without sedation, he took great care not to flatten me even when t1tting about, but he lost his inhibitions when sedated. He still exploded, but was much less aware of where I was.

Never again.

Same with any medication - works for some but not all with varying degrees of success ?

 

[muddybay]

Lunge line

 

[Lady Tinseltime]

Sedalin might become your friend

 

[Pinkvboots]

Try some sedalin it might just be enough to make it safe enough for you I have used it for quite a few and it's always worked well, it stopped the leaping and rearing but some are better doing it under saddle I find they are not half as bad.

 

[Carlosmum]

Walked mine out after 3 months. Bridle, overcheck with lunge line, roller and side reins. Hat strudy boots and gloves for me.

 

[Deltofe2493]

her diet revolves around ulcer care so she has alfa a with oil, ulcer kind, acid ease, gut balancer, rapeseed oil & cortaflex.

ive done exactly what you have, @Carlosmum so she goes on the walker with a roller & side reins. I've been borrowing my friends' roller at the old yard so need to get her own sorted asap!

She's completely changed shape so I have a saddle coming, and waiting for an appointment with the fitter. Interesting that she may be better under saddle?

She's not been sat on since March, not sure if it is wise to sit on her at the appointment, or evaluate from the ground?

 

[Starzaan]

her diet revolves around ulcer care so she has alfa a with oil, ulcer kind, acid ease, gut balancer, rapeseed oil & cortaflex.

ive done exactly what you have, @Carlosmum so she goes on the walker with a roller & side reins. I've been borrowing my friends' roller at the old yard so need to get her own sorted asap!

She's completely changed shape so I have a saddle coming, and waiting for an appointment with the fitter. Interesting that she may be better under saddle?

She's not been sat on since March, not sure if it is wise to sit on her at the appointment, or evaluate from the ground?

So although your hard feed ‘revolves around ulcer care’ it won’t actually do anything to help her ulcers.
Forage is what helps ulcers, so she needs constant access to good quality hay or haylage, and a good fibre mat of Alfa a oil before work.
I work very closely with a veterinary nutritionist for all my rehab liveries and am proud to say i have never had ulcers develop in a rehab horse in all the years I have been running rehab yards, and I also have never had existing ulcers worsen or cause a problem. I would highly recommend talking to Equicare Nutrition - proper feeding can aid healing, and at the moment there are a few things in your hard feed that aren’t actually doing anything to help your horse.
She’s a lucky girl to have someone who obviously cares so much about her. I wish all my rehab owners were as involved and caring as you! ?

 

[Keith_Beef]

I walked three horses on box rest on Sunday morning, after my lesson.

The second of these was eager to walk very quickly, but no signs of rearing or bucking, just fast.

There are a is a place near the back of the indoor school, near the straw bales and the silo, and another place near the parking area (empty, because the lorries were away with the competition team), and I used these places to get the horse to do two circles, or a circle followed by a half circle and pick up the circuit in the opposite direction.

That calmed her down a bit for another few minutes, and by that time we were back to one of those two spaces to repeat the circles.

I don't know if what I did is considered good practise, but it seemed to work with this mare.

 

[NinjaPony]

Great advice re ulcers from other users and would definitely be offering a small chaff feed before walking her.

Otherwise, hat, gloves, lunge rein and a bridle. I have been known to use a roller and side reins on my very spicy Welsh but that was part of training rather than rehab walking and it might complicate things.

 

[Maryann]

and carry a stick in case of personal space issues

 

[Deltofe2493]

So although your hard feed ‘revolves around ulcer care’ it won’t actually do anything to help her ulcers.
Forage is what helps ulcers, so she needs constant access to good quality hay or haylage, and a good fibre mat of Alfa a oil before work.
I work very closely with a veterinary nutritionist for all my rehab liveries and am proud to say i have never had ulcers develop in a rehab horse in all the years I have been running rehab yards, and I also have never had existing ulcers worsen or cause a problem. I would highly recommend talking to Equicare Nutrition - proper feeding can aid healing, and at the moment there are a few things in your hard feed that aren’t actually doing anything to help your horse.
She’s a lucky girl to have someone who obviously cares so much about her. I wish all my rehab owners were as involved and caring as you! ?

She's scoped clear a couple weeks ago, so this feed is more a case of prevention. This was also approved by my vet, but will defo speak to Equicare Nutrition to triple check I also posted on here a little while ago asking for nutrition advice, as this is what the livery yard was feeding her and I moved to DIY, so was looking for advice and someone else on here told me this diet works perfectly fine! These horses are a bloody minefield!!!

With regards to the walking, all good advice so will just crack on and await my saddle!

Part of me is so fed up of this whole process - only 3 more months of rehab to go!!

 

[Gallop_Away]

Ask your vet for a tube of sedaline. Our standardbred had to be rehabed after a ligament injury. He was on box rest initially for 6 weeks, then we could begin in hand walks which he found incredibly boring when he desperately wanted to leap and run.
Vet gave us a tube of sedation and we gave him 1-2ml 30 minutes before in hand walking. He wasn't wobbling all over the place but it was enough to keep him calm and take the edge off.
Eventually after a week or two and with the exercise time increased, we stopped giving him the sedation as he was happy in a routine at that point, and other than him growing from 15.2-17hh in a mere second and the odd snort and prance, he was mostly well behaved.

 

[sbloom]

She's scoped clear a couple weeks ago, so this feed is more a case of prevention. This was also approved by my vet, but will defo speak to Equicare Nutrition to triple check I also posted on here a little while ago asking for nutrition advice, as this is what the livery yard was feeding her and I moved to DIY, so was looking for advice and someone else on here told me this diet works perfectly fine! These horses are a bloody minefield!!!

It's not that the bucket food is wrong, it's that a suitable bucket feed is a tiny part of how to feed an ulcer prone horse. it's more a "don't feed x, y and z as they'll worsen ulcers" rather than a "the right bucket feed will help avoid ulcers". Forage, ad lib or certainly with no long gaps, is critical, and using some chaff as a buffer before riding if there has been a break in feeding, is what's been mentioned above.

 

[Starzaan]

She's scoped clear a couple weeks ago, so this feed is more a case of prevention. This was also approved by my vet, but will defo speak to Equicare Nutrition to triple check I also posted on here a little while ago asking for nutrition advice, as this is what the livery yard was feeding her and I moved to DIY, so was looking for advice and someone else on here told me this diet works perfectly fine! These horses are a bloody minefield!!!

With regards to the walking, all good advice so will just crack on and await my saddle!

Part of me is so fed up of this whole process - only 3 more months of rehab to go!!

I’m more than happy to talk through some suggestions for hard feed with you - I’m not a nutritionist but I have been running rehab yards for a long time and and proud to say I have fabulous references from some of the best vets in the country, and have worked closely with veterinary nutritionists for all that time. Happy for you to PM me and run through some suggestions for feed that will suit her better if you’d like.
Once again, well done for caring so much and loving her so much. She’s a lucky horse to have an owner like you.

 

[Deltofe2493]

Ask your vet for a tube of sedaline. Our standardbred had to be rehabed after a ligament injury. He was on box rest initially for 6 weeks, then we could begin in hand walks which he found incredibly boring when he desperately wanted to leap and run.
Vet gave us a tube of sedation and we gave him 1-2ml 30 minutes before in hand walking. He wasn't wobbling all over the place but it was enough to keep him calm and take the edge off.
Eventually after a week or two and with the exercise time increased, we stopped giving him the sedation as he was happy in a routine at that point, and other than him growing from 15.2-17hh in a mere second and the odd snort and prance, he was mostly well behaved.

Update: sedalin has been an absolute life saver!!

I even walked her in the indoor sedalin-free yesterday morning!! and out in the outdoor in the evening (with sedalin). Feel like I have my gentle horsey back!

Wondering if the 2 weeks is the same across the board or if I should keep administering as we go and see? I want us both to be safe but obviously it might start to add up. And I can't keep her on it forever!!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Keep her on it. Keep everyone safe. Until she is turned out safely it won't do her any harm to keep doing what your doing the way your doing it.