A guide to box rest How to keep your horse happy and healthy if he has to be kept in a stable
When a horse has to stay in the stable for a prolonged period of time, all kinds of problems can ensue. Gil Riley MRCVS advises on how to manage box rest
MANY conditions or injuries sustained by horses, as with humans, can require a period of rest for weeks or even months. However, unlike with humans, we are unable to advise our horses to take things easy and that’s why stable (box) rest is such an important part of many a horse’s recuperation.
The duration and nature of the box rest will be individually tailored for each horse and will be dependent on the condition or injury sustained as well as their speed of response to the rehabilitation programme.
One of the most common reasons for box resting a horse or pony is laminitis. It’s vital that laminitis patients are totally confined to the stable on a deep bed of shavings so that the inflamed laminae are not put under any unnecessary strain while they are repairing.
A failure to do this can result in the pedal bone, ordinarily supported by the laminae, rotating or even sinking (foundering) and thus greatly increasing the seriousness of the original condition. A horse with laminitis must remain completely boxed for at least three weeks after first contracting the condition, after which gradually increasing turnout can be introduced if the horse’s condition has resolved.
Most horses post-surgery also require box rest as a fundamental part of the recuperation programme. All horses that have had colic surgery will be put on box rest to prevent the stitches in the body wall being excessively taxed. This minimises the likelihood of herniation of the intestine through the wound in the muscle layers along the midline of the belly.
Strict box rest in both laminitis and colic cases also requires rigorous control of the diet. In laminitics, a low-calorie diet or weight loss programme is a must. In colic cases, a major surgery can be followed by a period of at least 24 hours of starvation. This is then followed by a bran mash and then a high-fibre diet fed little and often. Restricted diets can be hard with horses with reduced gut motility or gastric ulcers, so best ask your vet.
Unlike laminitis cases, colic surgeries can often benefit from a short walk out several times during the day to allow a pick of grass and to ease any fluid that may be collecting along the site of the incision – the midline along the belly – which is prone to fluid gathering under the effect of gravity.
AHORSE’S recovery from injuries of the superficial digital flexor tendon – check ligament or suspensory ligament (all structures running down the back of the cannon) – necessitates a prolonged period of box rest. Animals which are recovering from any form of fracture repair, especially those of the limb, will also need this.
An important part of the repair of these structures is, after a short initial period of complete box confinement to allow the injury or repair to settle, that they should be exposed to a measured workload in the form of walking out on a hard, flat surface.
This usually means around 10 minutes twice daily, increasing to 30 minutes twice daily over a period of six to eight weeks. Box rest, in association with walking out, gives structures the space to repair through the laying down of collagen fibres (or in the case of fractures, bone).
The walking out also provides gentle work to encourage the tissues of repair to be laid down in alignment with the direction of load, so they are best able to withstand the stresses and strains of work when exercise is resumed.
If your vet has advised a walking programme, you must continue with shoeing as the hard surface can quickly cause the horn to crack and foot soreness to develop.
LESS common but still often requiring a period of box rest are eye injuries. Keeping the horse out of sunlight is vital as this can exacerbate discomfort, cause unhelpful squinting, tear streaming and potentially further injury through the horse rubbing the eye in an attempt to alleviate the accompanying irritation. The last thing an injured eye needs is further trauma.
IT is vital that box rest is what it suggests; rest in a stable. An agitated horse running around its stable is not a resting horse and this must be prevented, else the whole treatment plan is in jeopardy.
Some common problems with box rest can include...
BOREDOM
SOME horses will tolerate box rest well. These are generally older horses of a more settled temperament; younger horses of the more hotblooded breeds tend to be the worst patients.
The stress of box confinement can lead to the horse’s behaviour becoming very unpredictable. Such horses can develop stereotypies to relieve their stress (crib-biting, swaying, box-walking) and these may not disappear once the horse no longer requires confinement.
For such horses, it is vital to experiment with stress-relieving measures. Is the horse better if it is confined to a stable where it can see other horses in the field? Is it better when a companion is kept in the stable next door to keep it company? Keeping other horses in as company, possibly on a rota, can really help.
Some distraction measures can be very useful, such as boredom balls, dangling licks or toys, and mirrors can relieve the monotony for some horses.
Spending as much time as possible grooming the patient will go down very well, as long as it is safe, you are not on your own
“The stress of box confinement can lead to the horse’s behaviour becoming unpredictable”