Groundwork exercises for horses on boxrest? Any ideas?

[Whatanejit]

Hi guys!

My friend's horse is on boxrest while waiting for scans of his spine to check for problems after a trailer accident.

10 days to go 'till the scans.

He is new to her and hence is keen to make the most of the time with bonding / groundwork.

Apart from the usual backing up, lateral moves, head lowering etc, can you suggest anything else that she could do while in the box.

Fortunately, she is able to take him for inhand grazing once a day but he pretty much fixates on the grass at this time.

Any advice appreciated as always.

[Esther.D]

Hi guys!

Apart from the usual backing up, lateral moves, head lowering etc, can you suggest anything else that she could do while in the box.



I would be cautious of these with a suspected spinal injury as you don't want any twisting that could put stress on the back/neck until you know what you are dealing with.

I would be inclined to just do loads of grooming etc until the scans.

Hope all goes well.

[puzzles]

i agree. the ebst form of muscle exersise is to book your horse a session with a qualified and experienced physiotherapist, who can then demonstrate to you more about stretch exersises you can use, as well as massage to the back and unused muscles to tone them up; for humans, 5 minutes of dry skin brushing is the equivelant of 30 minutes jogging, when toning muscles. a similiar rule applies here.
i strongly recommend using Acupuncture or accupressure, especially for a spinal injury.
so massage, and particuarly stretch exercises (with neck and legs and whole body) wil all help.
good luck!

[KateWooten]

The one real positive thing I've heard to do on box rest is clicker training - I think because you can get very specific about the particular movement - touch this, move that etc. It's neat for building up trust and a positive feeling too.

[puzzles]

ooh, fab idea KateWooten - i love clicker training!

[Whatanejit]

Thanks folks.

I'll pass on the info.

He has been having intense physiotherapy sessions already which is great.

[andreaB]

[QUOTE=Whatanejit;1143783 boxrest while waiting for scans of his spine to check for problems after a trailer accident.

[/QUOTE]

personally i would only do anything physical with him at the vets advise given his situation , or she could end up doing more harm that good

my first stop would be the vets to check what they are happy with

btw , 10 days to wait for scans after a trailer accident sounds a long time , will these be his first set??