Breaking that box rest boredom
Ideally horses should be out in the field as much as possible and with other horses. Unfortunately it’s sometimes necessary to keep a horse in their stable for an extended period of time. This may be because turnout isn’t a safe option, they have an injury or are recovering from an injury. Either way it is incredibly challenging for both horse and owner as it is very unnatural to horses, and both mental and physical stimulation can be difficult to achieve.
My number one tip is to create variety! Whether that be with their daily routine or in their stable environment, variety can break up their time and keep their mind occupied. Some of the following are my favourite ways:
Creat a forage bucket/ hay net: layer hay, treats, hard feed, grass blocks and carrots in a either a bucket or net. This will stimulate all of their senses and keep them interested instead of having a plain hay net. In the wild horses will eat lots of different herbs, plants and trees to ensure they receive the correct nutrients and minerals, so a plain hay net everyday can get very boring. If your horse likes to eat all of their feed at once then I would recommend a forage net instead of a bucket. There are some great small holed trickle hay nets on the market to slow down even the quickest of grazers.
Hanging treats or likit: another way to keep the boredom at bay with food (there’s a theme here) is to hang treats around their stable. A favourite of mine is to drill holes through carrots and apples, thread them onto a piece of rope and hang in the stable. This should be quite challenging for them and maintain interest.
To ensure they drink enough water you can add apple juice or electrolytes to their bucket (always ensure there is plain water available), alongside a salt lick. Electrolytes are vital to health and shouldn’t be reserved for top competition horses. It’s also important to regularly scrub buckets and provide fresh clean water, horses won’t drink if they believe it is contaminated.
If possible, weekly massages will cause endorphins to be released creating a happy horse both mentally and physically. This is especially important if your horse is unable to be hand walked, to promote good circulation and reduce swelling. And again a visit from someone else will provide variety and stimulation.
If a weekly visit from your massage therapist isn’t an option, it would be worth investing in a massage mitt or pad. They by no means replace the hands of a skilled therapist, but they can provide a well needed stop gap between sessions. Again they will wake all of the systems up, get blood flowing and reduce swelling.
If neither of those are an option, then a regular thorough groom is the next best thing. Using a rubber curry comb or manual massage mitt with firm pressure can also promote good circulation, get rid of any dirt build up and is a really good bonding opportunity for you and your horse.
Hand walking! If it is possible and they are stabled because their field isn’t safe, then hand walking is an absolute must. Allowing your horse to get out of their stable, have a leg stretch and just look around will be incredibly beneficial for their mental health and to get everything moving. Horses in the wild would travel miles and miles each day, so to keep them stabled is the complete opposite of their natural behaviour. It’s also important to allow them contact with other horses and to not keep them isolated.
Those are some of my top tips for keeping your horse happy whilst on box rest. I would love to hear if you have any other tips that you have discovered so drop me an email!