[CopperHorse]

Long term stall rest.... hoof injury, advice needed.

Yesterday I went out to find my mare very lame at evening chores.

To keep this short, she stepped on a ice ball or something similar just right and split her hoof all the way up into the coronet band. (The hoof wall actually pulled away from the rest of foot from what I can tell) I will try and get pics tomorrow when I clean and re-bandage her hoof so you have a better idea. My farrier cleaned up the broken part of the hoof wall and we are basically vet wrapping the hoof together so it does not make things worth. All in all, she has to be stall rested, and time will let the hoof grow out this injury.

What I need help with is I know for a fact she is not going to be happy in a stall 24/7, but he does not want her in the pasture. Can I hand walk her or something to let her get some excersize???

EDIT:

Also, what can I do to relieve stall boredom without buying a lot of toys? She really has no interest in the toys (as I have had them in stall before when she has a colt at her side).

 

[AppyLover615]

what about a nice smelling or tasting stall "toy" she has to work at to get? I dunno of a specific one though. Sorry about your mare! It sounds painful.

~AL615

 

[heyycutter]

what if you can get a stall or build one that faces outside? theres a few stalls at my barn that are against the outside wall of one of the barns so the horse is outside but in a stall looking out. then she wouldnt get so bored bc she could still look outside

 

[luvs2ride1979]

Ask your vet. Hand walking may or may not be a good idea.

To keep her stress level to a minimum, do not feed ANY grain or horse feed. If you feed supplements, use just 1 cup of feed to mix them in, or some soaked hay pellets. Feed or grain products will amp her up and make her more "stir crazy" with confinement.

Make sure there's grass hay or similar in front of her 24/7, so she doesn't get so bored. If she eats too much, get a small mesh hay bag for her.

A stall toy or too wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[farmpony84]

I had a horse on stall rest for 5 weeks. It was pretty miserable for her. Her coat got really greasy, she lost weight from worrying herself and her mane got thin. It was really hard, she was cranky and I don't blame her. I would bring her out of the stall and put her in cross ties while I cleaned her stall and then I would put her right back in. I had her in the stall closest to the outside so that she could see the outside. After about the fifth week I couldn't take it anymore. She was so miserable her eyes were losing their shine so I took 4 panels to the round pen, well, three panels and a gate and made her an outside stall right next to the barn where she could see the other horses and be outside. She loved it. I would put her out for about an hour or two each night. It made a world of difference for her. Eventually I added more panels as she started to heal, one or two at a time to give her more room. I also fed her all the hay she wanted. I did continue to grain but she was on antibiotics twice daily (like 10 pills day and night) so I put them in the grain. I did cut the grain way back, to like 2 or 3 handfuls each feeding. and then the hay you could put in a hay bag to slow her eating down. Maybe play a radio and do the lick toy. Also maybe a mineral block on the wall. If she's a mouthy mare (that likes to play with things) you can tie a short leadrope and let it hang so she can yank and pull on it. Good luck.

 

[CopperHorse]

Thanks everyone for the help. I have never had to put a horse on stall rest before. The most I have ever stalled a horse was when weaning the babies they were in for about a week straight, and then my preggo mares were in at night and out during the daytime unless it was crappy outside.
Unfortunately, my mare Lady is going to be on stall rest for 16 weeks at least! And it will probably take at least a year for her hoof to grow out. Only nice part about it is she has an 8 stall barn to herself so I can play musical stalls if she gets to bored, but she will mostly be in a 12x16 stall.

 

[MyBoyPuck]

If you find she can't deal with stall rest and starts weaving, pacing and defeating the purpose of stall rest, maybe borrow some corral gates and build a makeshift outside stall. We have a small 14 x14 outside pen just outside the barn that we use for horses that are supposed to be on stall rest. They're outside with the rest of the horses instead of alone inside, so most are happy to just stand there and munch on their hay all day.

 

[gypsygirl]

^^ great idea !

my sisters horse was on stall rest for a year & a half, so we made him an outdoor pen so he could talk to the other horses. make sure to make it really high or your horse might jump out [my sisters horse jumped over a 5ft fence onto concrete from probably a standstill or walking 2 steps]

 

[EPMhorse]

CopperHorse,
try small hole mesh hay nets to slow down the eating, and provide some interest: Slow Feeders - Paddock Paradise Wiki

Mint oil on a rope will tempt them to play with the rope toys.

Carrot slices in the water bucket.

Hanging gallon milk bottles half filled with water, at a height to rub her head on. Old curry brushes screwed to the wall to scratch on. Anything that will give her tactile stimulus.

Her digestive tract is really going to be a mess from not being able to move. How about probiotics?

Is there any hope of walking her if you put a boot on one or two feet?

 

[luvs2ride1979]

A friend in the barn with her will help too. Horses don't normally like to be stalled alone.

 

[starlinestables]

Honestly I wouldn't even hand walk her I think that is going to be counter productive. EPMHorse had lots of good ideas... just don't do them all at once.. rotate them so she doesn't get use to it and become bored.

I would talk to your vet about giving her daily shots of banamine...since it is not as harsh as bute on their stomach. Also if she starts to pace... ask your vet about keeping her mildly sedated for the first x amount of time.. She really shouldn't be moving on that foot for a while.

We had a friesian mare who had bone spurs in her stifle and she had done something that damaged that ligament even more so she needed to be on complete stall rest for 8 weeks minimum. The vet advised to keep her mildly sedated to keep her from further damaging anything while in the stall.