Box Rest
© Mark Gardiner
BVSc,
Cert CHP, MRCVS
Box Rest
© Mark Gardiner
BVSc,
Cert CHP, MRCVS
Reason
for Box Rest:
| • | Health / Injury |
| • | External reason e.g. weather |
Need to Consider:
| • | Specific injury / health |
| • | Breed |
| • | Use, e.g. competition / brood mare with foal at foot? |
| • | Age |
| • | Sex |
| • | Temperament - calmers (e.g. magnesium / tryptophan), sedatives |
| • | Size, height, weight |
Box Environment:
| Size of box | • | Door | ||
| • | Ventilation / temperature/humidity | • Protect if kicking / knocking | ||
| • | Bedding | • Board across doorway / floor | ||
| • | Fresh | • Secure | ||
| • | Level to door except sides banked | • | Walls - safe, not rough if rubbing | |
| • | Rubber mats + | • | Light during day / dark at night | |
| • | Straw or shavings, NB can eat straw | • | Enrichment e.g. Stable mirrors, Balls / toys, Treat balls, Radio | |
| • | Depth | |||
Yard environment:
| • | Neighbouring horses - temperament, sex |
| • | Company/contact - other horses, people, other species etc |
Care
of horse:
| Size of box | • | grooming | ||
| • | Reduce feed / calorie intake | • | pick out feet - thrush | |
| • | Forage based diet - on floor/ hay nets? | • | bandage (if leg filling) | |
| • | Hay nets - doubled, or x 2 | • | check under tail / sheath | |
| • | Dampen / steam hay | • | exercises , passive flexion, physio | |
| • | respiration | • | farriery, shoes off / on, trimming | |
| • | water intake | • | water - clean, not too cold, monitor | |
| • | reduced calories | droppings - monitor (impaction colic) | ||
| • | palatability problem? | • | cross-tied? - allow head down periodically | |
| rugs - don't over rug, freshen | ||||