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  Discussion on Behavior problems while on restricted turnout - help
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Posted on Friday, Jan 4, 2002 - 1:19 pm:

My boy got a suspensory ligament strain in August. After a weeks box rest, my vet put him on pen rest at his clinic for 8 weeks (an open-fronted 30ft square pen). When he came back home, I was advised to keep him stabled with access during the day to a small (60 by 80ft) paddock which I do so by opening his back stable door leading directly into the paddock. He is by himself in the paddock during the day, but plays with a couple of his friends over the back of the stable doors for an hour or so in the afternoon when they are brought in. His stable design also means that he can reach over to 2 neighbours at night. His ridden work started with 5 mins a day, but after a couple of scans, the vet has advised to gradually increase the workload, and we are now doing up to an hour a day. One day walking only and the next either half trot/canter and rest walk, or some light schooling in a nearby arena.

I am really pleased with the progress of the injury, but I have been increasingly worried about his behavior. As he is getting fitter, he has become very nappy while being ridden, and has taken to bucking/leaping and squealing. Today when in the school, a horse turned out next door started bucking and running around and my horse went really mad, he plunged, bucked and reared up vertically. After I lunged him for 10 mins, most of it with him going crazy. He eventually calmed down, but it really frightened me. The fitter he gets, the worse he is

I have cut his feed out so he is only receiving hay (split into 4 nets a day) with 2 feeds of aprox 5 pounds of hi-fi with a vitamin and cortaflex supplement. No hard feed at all. I have added a calming supplement to the hi-fi, but it does not seem to make much difference.

I feel really sorry for him, as he really loves being out with his friends, and when on his own, he just eats and then stands in a corner just looking into the other fields. The behavior he shows while being ridden is just the sort of thing he does with other horses when turned out, so I am presumimg that he needs to do these things, but I would rather he did not do them when I am riding him !.

My vet is firm that he is not to go out until spring as our fields are very muddy, and my boy will certainly play and charge around the field, so I can understand this, but I am really tempted, as he is being so difficult to handle. He has become very grumpy and has tried to bite when being tacked up and groomed. The vet has said the I can walk him out for longer periods of time, but I work full time, so I can only manage 1 hour a day max due to daylight restrictions. I do take him out to graze in hand in the evening for half an hour which he enjoys.

Does anyone have any suggestions as how to keep him happier?. He has always been such a happy easy horse.

Posted on Saturday, Jan 5, 2002 - 9:05 am:

Hello Joanne,
The article associated with this forum, Stall Resting Horses, has some medications we would recommend you try. You will need to adjust the doseages so that the horse remains coordinated just calmed. Though this is used commonly without problems, I have to add the caveat that any tranquilization increases the chance of stumbling. I have updated the links in the article so that more specific information is easily available.
DrO
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