Entertaining a horse on boxrest

[theflyingfuck]

Hello Ladies! I was wondering if anyone had any particularly fun ways of entertaining a horse on box rest? He has been in at night but never all day, so a little lonely and stressed, he is normally out all day with another horse or two. He has a boredom breaker (two in fact) but not much company where he is and if it makes any difference he's a little pony

Thanks x

How long is in on box rest for?
If a while you could get him stable mirrors mine loved it when he was on box rest for a year. He still does. Can he see the others when they are out? If he is in a busy yard and lots going on try and hae him somewhere were he can watch the world go by.Mine also like having swedes hanging from the roof, but it needs to be somewhere they can push it against a wall or door.Little and often feeds as well if poss

Second the idea of mirrors.

And I used to sit in my horse's stable and read a book.

Out loud.

I know, I am a bit tragic

I have had a horse on 4+ months,i agree with cedmonds. Horses are nosey and love having a room with a view! We put ours in the middle of the yard,he got a bit humpy when all he oher horses went out on excersise (had a buck and a kick) But it was the best we could do.
Good luck

What's he in for? Could you make him a tiny paddock instead, near his friends? Box rest is horrid. Standing quietly outside in a ten ft patch next to his friends has got to be more beneficial than walking his box and kicking the door through stress!

Hi, thanks for the advice, he has an absces (sp). So not too long (hopefully) the problem is the stable yard is packed and my stable although large, lit with natural light, cosy and with a built in manger and metal bracket, it is in a crap location as all the people who don't stable overnight get put there so no one will swap :( he cried all day and just wants to be OUT. Everyone keeps passing comment about how noisy he is! But no one wants to swap

Now personally, I'd have put a rubber sock on and turned out anyway!

Abscess! It won't be long surely.

Plenty of poulticing and then a good slap of that thick tar stuff and then out.

We used a radio, mirrors, hung treats from the roof...when we had a horse on box rest after colic surgery
X

Disposable nappies are great to keep a bandage on foot dry and clean

Nappies and reams of duct tape should do it, and you can get poultice boots (although my dhorse is expert at taking those off).

is it any better, is he out yet?

had to keep 'sedating' mine for same thing recently (acp gel and occasional injection of dope) the vet was so insistent on box rest but it made him absolutely frenzied - in the end he was turned out on 3 legs and made a very swift recovery. Got some brilliant tape to hold the vet wrap and lintex stuff in place, I think it would survive anything

We tried the music option and this works if he is tied up (strangely) We are going to try turning him out with my mare as she is pining and going off as well, I have one of those poultice boots cover things and we are going to see how he goes...

One of the horses at our yard had an abscess. She had her dressed foot wrapped to the knee with plastic bags and carpet tape and was turned out as usual. And this was this spring when it was wet.