So I am sure most of you have heard your vet say "Box Rest" at some point, the dread that goes through your mind realising you are about to have the joys of keeping your horse occupied whilst they spend 24/7 in their stable, or even worse still, when they say in hand walking and really what they mean is hold on tight whilst your horse is leaping up in the air like your flying a kite!
Panic not, you are not on your own!
Like many I have had horses on Box Rest and I am fortunate to have come out the other side with a positive prognosis. From 2 year olds to your fully fit dressage horse each require a calm and positive experience.
Now everyone has their own experience and may have a different approach but each horse is different and here are some things that may help you and your horse!
Many horses can cope well on box rest as long as you keep to a structure, stress levels can become high leading to other unwanted issues such as ulcers so by keep your horse in a routine your horse's stress levels can be reduced. One thing that worked for us was whilst the other horses are being turned out the horse on box rest will get an extra feed, once the horses are out we then spend a little time in the stable grooming so the horse doesn't feel like it has been forgotten! We then turn on the radio to keep the horse company whilst it is on its own.
Reducing boredom; as stated earlier a radio can give your horse some company, other ideas include treat balls and mirrors. A mirror can comfort some horses however personally it hasn't worked for my horses but give it a try as it might for yours! Treat balls are like marmite, you either love them or hate them, personally I love them as long as they are a) hung up and b) not full of sugar, the last thing you need is a horse on a high sugar diet! An option for a low sugar treat ball is hanging swedes up in the stable or check out the Carrot balls as a healthy alternative to a molasses lick!
Forage is also another main part of your horses diet and you should make sure they have plenty in their stables, if you are concerned about weight then potentially putting in a haynet can help reduce the intake without them running out within a few minutes. Horses are designed to be trickle feeders so shouldn't be stood in a stable with nothing for hours. If you are struggling to slow your horse down either put a haynet inside another to make it more challenging or why not check out the HayGrazer Play bags which are much more kind to the teeth whilst till encouraging slow feeding, also great to be hung in the stable so it swings giving your horse something else to do!
It is natural for a horse to lose a bit of it's muscle tone whilst on box rest however you can help to a certain extent by regular massages to prevent stiffness and increase circulation. When it comes to the time for in hand walking I always do this in a bridle to have a little more control, if you have a particularly excitable character then a suggestion may be to put some side reins on loosely, this can keep your horses attention and prevent you from getting hurt, and remember always wear a hat!
If you have any other suggestions for overcoming box rest please feel free to send them to my Facebook page.
Thanks for reading!
