Horse question, advice needed about my horse?

Question

my horse has injured her leg, it is an open wound which is quite big. and the cannon bone is showing very slighty where the tissue has been damaged. the vet has dressed it and she seems ok. she is supossed to be on box rest. Would it be ok to turn her out in a tiny area where she can just stand and get some fresh air or should i keep her on complete box rest?

can you help?

the stables where i keep her are indoors, vet says it wil take quite a while to heal but shes abit unhappy staying in. would it damage her leg if i did turn her out for a short time?

Answer 1

Unless the vet has told you that your mare is ok to walk out in hand I would not suggest putting your mare in a pen. I suspect going by your description of the wound your vet has used what is known as a 'Robert Jones' dressing which is a big bulky dressing to immobalise the leg to give the wound chance to heal. Due to the size of the wound, your mare will need to put down extensive granulation tissue (healing tissue) to enable this wound to heal, by walking around on it the wound will keep opening up.

The trouble with putting your mare in a pen or small paddock is that having been on box rest she may well be more excitable than normal & want to gallop around or become explosive within the paddock, all of which will prolong the healing process or possibly make the wound worse. The dressing may also slip which can become costly to replace every day, allow flies to get at the wound therefore causing infection or possibly slow down the rate at which granualtion tissue is put down over the wound.

If your vet has already said that you CAN walk her in hand then it is a less serious wound in which case she should be fine in a restricted paddock, but I would still suggest that you use a combination of ACP & Diazepam to take the edge off her to ensure no further damage is done to the wound.

Your best option is to have your mare stabled in an environment where she can see other horses (horses are herd animals so happier in company) with plenty of nice hay to eat along with horse toys such as horse balls, lickits & root vegetables hanging from the door way keep her entertained. She will settle down during her box rest, as a vet nurse I have handled semi wild horses with injuries that within a few days DO become used to their new environment. Remember, if your vet has said to box rest your mare then he has probably done so for a valid reason!

Good luck, I hope your mare recovers well.

Answer 2

Always take advice from your vet as regards turning out, as it is difficult for anyone to asses an injury without seeing it. If the vet says that complete box rest is needed, then the horse will have to say in as uncontrolled exercise can make the injury worse, or make it longer to heal. Your vet may recommend leading the horse out for short periods once the healing process has begun, use a bridle and lunge rein to reduce the risk of the horse taking off.

To help with boredom the horse should have plenty of hay given throughout the day, preferably soaked first to remove excess dust spores which can affect the horse's breathing when confined. You can also experiment with using horse toys, such as a ball suspended inside a haynet that has been hung from the roof. If the horse is kept in a busy yard get other people to go up and spend a few minutes with the horse so that he doesn't feel left out. If the stable is large enough, or if there is an empty stable next door, a small companion can be provided such as a Shetland pony or even a sheep if you have a local farmer willing to lend one to you.

Depending on your financial circumstances it is possible to send horses away to specialist yards that will enforce the box rest. You should be able to get details from your vet.

Answer 3

If the vet says box rest then box rest it is. If you turn her out and she opens up the wound and damages the bowed tendon then you've lost her.
Do you keep her in livery? When the wound heals check with the vet and if he says ok see if they'll let you build her a tiny - and I mean tiny - corral outside a box so she can go in and out; but the corral mustn't be bigger than a loose box. She could have a haynet outside.
Make sure you're letting her down, reducing her fitness and feed; you should aim to get her on hay, no hard feed as she's not working.

Answer 4

Most horses dont have the concept of rest an injury. Walking would be up to the vet. Where the injury is matters too. Front back or side - big difference if the tendons were involved or if it was the front. If she's to be on box rest leave her on box rest for a few days. I wouldn't turn her loose. *POSSIBLE* hand walking 10 minutes or so but it depends on the location and severity of the injury.

Answer 5

keep her on box rest, if she gets an infection in the wound, she will have to be put down. Sorry to sound abit harsh, but it is that serious. You say she isn't too happy with being in all the time. Well, try to look at this as a chance to work on your bond with her. Groom her well every day, spend all the time you usually spend riding with her, talking, playing, grooming, Also, try getting some stable toys. You could get one that hangs from the ceiling of the stable that she had to bang around to get food out of. It can really alleviate the bordem. Also, think about the stall she is in. If is in an isolated part of the yard, try to move her to a central location. this will allow her to look out and see whats going on, thus allowing some social interaction. i hope she heals well, and isn't lame.

Answer 6

You need to keep her in the Box. She's not supposed to move her leg. If she walks around, she might open her wound and wind up hurting herself more that she already is. Maybe in the box outside so she can get some fresh air, but definately don't let her walk around.
Horses heal fast, so it shouldn't be too long before she can be out and moving around again.

Answer 7

If it were my horse, I'd take her out for a few miniutes daily,. I'd also use Cut-Heal and pickling lime - putthe Cut-Heal on the wound, then dust it with the lime - and the wound willheal without scarring.
Some folks baby horses, but I treat my horse like a horse. As long as the wound is clean and she doesn;t run and buck, which would tear it open, I think it will be OK.
But I'm not a vet. However, I've FIRED vets for not knowing as much about horses as I do. (33 years experience)

Answer 8

You should seek your own vets advice but taking her out into the open air may well aggravate the injury and allow infection to set in. when we put horses on box rest it is because we don't want them walking around on an already injured leg, not because we want to see the horse or owner distressed.

Answer 9

Yes,it can damage her leg if you let her out.She might not be happy but she needs to rest her leg.While she is out she may feel to need to trot or buck around,even if it is a small area.I would take vets advise and leave her in the stall.
But if you want I think taking her out on a lead for 5 mins every other day wouldn't hurt.But ask you vet before doing this.Good luck and I hope your horse heals well.

Answer 10

Its Okay as long as you stay with her.. Take a hay net or if it has grass all good.. If you put her somewhere boring even if it is outside it will be too tempting to run about.. Don't let her off the rope lead.. It wont take much to injure it further.. I totally agree if she is not happy that is very important and recovery will take longer if her general well being and stress level is high.. Be very quiet and careful and give her something to do in the outside area.. Foods always good !! Well done for caring about the rest of her too.. Good luck.