turnout or box rest?

lauren123

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Feb 3, 2007
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I thought I would put this here. As you know sox is slightly lame. Would you always keep in or turn out. I know so.e people stay keep in and some people say turnout. What would you do?
 
After having a horse come over a stable door whilst on box rest WITH sedation in her I from now on will never box rest a horse. Will be a small turnout paddock within sight of other horses.

My mare weaved herself thin and hardly ate whilst in the stable. Once she was out in a small space across the fence from her friends she was a lot happier :)
 
Depends on the horse. I think Sox is mildly lame and you think he's just tweaked something or been kicked in the field. If that was the cases I'd keep Raf in for a few days to see if there was an improvement because he's quite happy being in and likely to fly round the field if anything exciting happens outside. However, I'd definitely turn Jack out because he doesn't like being in on his own and is unlikely to do any more than eat when he goes out.

Healing vibes for Sox, hope he mends quickly x
 
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Always just rest in the field. I think standing in a box with no movement is more detrimental to lameness than grazing with their mates in the field. If he's bad enough you think he needs boxing then get the vet asap - the only things I'd properly box for would be ligament or tendon damage where they need controlled exercise.
 
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I prefer to field rest too, if need be in a nursery paddock. I tend to go with, if its bad enough to call the vet I will consider keeping them in until the vet arrives and get their opnion, if its not bad enough to call a vet they don't need to come in. But thats my horses in the set up I have, different herds and different set ups might have other things that play into that decision.
 
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Ben has never been lame (touch wood) so I have no experience in what I would do, but I do know that if any of the horses on my yard are lame or suspected of being lame they are kept in. They are then walked in-hand and slowly introduced to turnout via small individual paddocks before being returned to the herd. It's another question that there is no real answer to - you just have to think what would be best for your horse. If he likes to gallop around and generally be excitable in the field, I would be inclined to think that turning him out would do more harm than good. Your vet would be the best person to advise you.
 
Depends. Ideally, turn out alone in a small paddock. I would keep in if I thought horsey was gonna hoon round the field with his mates.
 
If its really severe and they are hopping lame or to the point of refusal to go out then I would keep in - but the vet would have been consulted if it were that bad. Mild lameness - I keep an eye on and maybe either turn out in the arena (realise not poss on a yard) or make a small paddock to limit excessive hoolying.
 
Field rest unless there is no alternative. If the patient is an inveterate hoolier, than possibly field rest in a small paddock beside his or her friends.
 
If mildly lame, turn out for a week or so, if not better call the vet and box rest for a few weeks max. If hopping lame, bring in and call the vet.
 
Depends on why I think they're lame & how they react to box rest. Also on what the field is like - flat, very steep, dry, muddy - & the company.
 
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When mine went slightly lame. Got the vet out. He examined and could find nothing obvious. No swelling, heat etc. He said poltice and box rest for a week and see if it draws out any abscess, if not then they would have to investigate further. Week later nothing appeared he seemed to be walking better, so turned out on a small patch of restricted grass but it then seemed to make him slightly lame again on the uneven ground. I then called the vet again and and he said put back on box rest and I arranged for him to have xrays which the confirmed fractured pedal bone.

As the horse had never been stabled. The box rest consisted of an open stable door, with access to a small concrete yard. Not too big a yard but enough to stop boredom. He ended up on box rest for 4 months.
 
Field rest as I don't easily have access to a stable, but more so because my horse doesn't like being in and he's not a mad loopy one that goes careering about the place (Often). I'd just keep him penned in smaller area away from his fieldmate as it's likely his fieldmate would chase him about and make him do nasty quick turns I don't want him doing.
 
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Friend' horse had an injury that put her out of work for a year, and the vet and farrier prescribed Aluminium, egg bar shows with wedges, and the horse was to be turned out onto the steepest field available. Steep or rough as they never wanted the foot going down on the same plane twice.
 
When mine went slightly lame. Got the vet out. He examined and could find nothing obvious. No swelling, heat etc. He said poltice and box rest for a week and see if it draws out any abscess, if not then they would have to investigate further. Week later nothing appeared he seemed to be walking better, so turned out on a small patch of restricted grass but it then seemed to make him slightly lame again on the uneven ground. I then called the vet again and and he said put back on box rest and I arranged for him to have xrays which the confirmed fractured pedal bone.

As the horse had never been stabled. The box rest consisted of an open stable door, with access to a small concrete yard. Not too big a yard but enough to stop boredom. He ended up on box rest for 4 months.
You're very very very lucky you have such a good horse. Bertha fractured her pedal bone too 10 years ago when we first got her. Now bearing in mind she came from a RS yard where they didn't really turn horses out, you'd be surprised when I say we couldn't box rest or turn her out in a small paddock. Why? She galloped round like a loony in the paddock and did canter pirouettes in her stable. Put out in the big field with the others and she calmed down. We did compromise however and pulled my other horse out the big field with her into the tiny paddock overnight, leaving the other horse alone to go a little loopy, but box resting or restriction didn't work for her.

I boxed Gem after her coronet injury, but only really cos she was unable to weight bear through her leg at all so turnout looked excruciating and impossible. She was 100% boxed for 6 weeks, before I was able to begin walking out/turnout. I started riding her before she was even allowed in the field, cos I knew she'd go loopy when turned out and if walked out inhand I wouldn't stand a chance of keeping hold of her. We built it up then started turning out on a flat bit of field about 20x20m in size. She always came in lame however off the field after about an hour of being out there (do jobs while she was out then put her back in). The vet even discussed the possibility of pts. Thankfully I said no as she did eventually come sound.
 
If only mildly lame I would keep out, in a smaller field with quieter companions.

Ale was hopping lame and the ground was atrocious, so he came in when he did his check ligament and stayed in for 4 months, it was tough but we survived and once the ground dried up he went back out in a smaller field on his own before rejoining the herd. I think I did the right thing for him.
 
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