Feeding the Horse on Box Rest
Coping with a horse on box rest can be quite a challenge for both horse and owner. Unfortunately it always seems that injuries tend to occur just when your horse is fit and going really well. To keep your horse sane and contented you need to take into account both nutritional requirements and behavioural needs too.
The basis of any horse’s diet should be fibre and this is particularly important with the horse on box rest. Fibre in the form of hay or haylage will help to keep the digestive system healthy and functioning correctly. As fibre passes through the digestive system it helps to expel gas which could otherwise build up and lead to colic. The horse is designed to little and often and a continuous supply of high fibre forage such as hay or haylage will help to meet your horse’s psychological need to graze. Hay and haylage take much longer to chew than concentrate feeds and help to keep your horse occupied, unless your horse needs to be on a restricted diet providing an ad lib supply of forage is ideal. Offering several different fibre sources such as hay, haylage and alfalfa can help to mimic the variety of grasses that would be found in the horse’s natural diet and encourages a greater consumption of fibre. Providing plenty of fibre encourages natural foraging behaviour which in turn can help to avoid stereotypical behaviours such as crib-biting occurring.
For good doers using a very small holed haynet will help to make forage last longer and soaking your hay for 12 hours will help to reduce its calorie content while still providing essential fibre. Soaking hay also helps to reduce the amount of dust and spores your horse is exposed to, which can pose a hazard to respiratory health, particularly for the stabled horse.
For horses that have been receiving large amounts of concentrate feeds these will need to be decreased during a period of box rest to help keep your horse calm. Always make any change to the diet gradually over a period of several days to allow the beneficial bacteria in the digestive system time to adjust to the new diet, sudden changes can lead to digestive upset such as colic.
For good doers an all forage diet will often provide all of the calories they need to maintain their body weight but it may be deficient in essential vitamins and minerals which are particularly important at a time when the body is repairing itself. This can be overcome by using a low calorie feed that contains a full range of vitamins and minerals or by feeding a vitamin and mineral supplement. If your horse is fed only small quantities of a concentrate feed it is a good idea to check with the manufacturer that you are feeding sufficient to meet your horse’s daily vitamin and mineral needs.
When faced with a vast array of different feeds at your local feed store it can be confusing to say the least to select a suitable feed. The main considerations to bear in mind are that the feed should be high in fibre and low in starch and energy, not only will this help to avoid your horse having excess energy but the high fibre and low starch levels are much kinder on the digestive system. A feed containing a prebiotic can also be useful to help maintain a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system at times of stress such as enforced box rest.
Feeding the poor doer on box rest can prove to be difficult as many traditional high calorie conditioning feeds tend to be high in starch too making them unsuitable to use. There are now feeds available that use sources such as oil and super fibres which are low in starch to provide the calories, instead of cereals, and these feeds can be used for horses on box rest, although it is always best to check with the manufacturer first.
For all types of horses adding extra chaff to the feed not only increases fibre intake, but makes meals last much longer and wherever possible it is preferable to feed several smaller meals throughout the day. Stable toys such as ‘boredom balls’ can be useful too as they help to occupy the horse while he is ‘working’ for his feed.
Regular attention such as grooming and, where possible, providing your horse with company will help to keep your horse interested and will go some way towards meeting their behavioural needs of company while in confinement.
The prospect of having a horse on box rest can seem daunting but with a little thought you can help to make the experience a positive one by ensuring that your horse’s needs both nutritionally and psychologically are met.
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