Ben and I are now into week 9 of strict box rest. He has 7 more weeks until the vet comes back to look at him but realistically we are looking at Easter time before he can be turned out. My old regime was really starting to take it's toll so I have made some changes.
He is now in a 12ft by 12ft outdoor stable (he was previously in an indoor barn). This is on a main corridor through the yard so he can see much more of what is going on. The stable has much better ventilation with a window on the opposite side so he can really see so much more. I have doubled the size of his bed so it is much bigger than before. He seems to be lying down more so this is working well.
I have stopped my 5:30am visits and instead the yard is putting hay in his stable when they feed the other horses at 7:30am. I then go down at lunchtime to muck out etc. and then again about 7pm. The bigger bed and stable mean that he doesn't need to by mucked out first thing, and I can balance the other responsibilities I have (kids, work, college) and get a better nights sleep.
He is much more settled now, but still kicks the door when he is waiting for me to get his feed. I think that being outside in the fresh air has given him a boost and he is almost back to his normal laid back self. He has two 5 minute walks per day and I do need dually to lead him otherwise he quite literally pulls me over to get grass. He can have more contact with his field mates as they walk past him everyday and stop for a few minutes so they can touch each other. He really enjoys this.
So overall, things are as good as they can be under the circumstances, he is much more settled and seems almost content. I am taking each day as it comes and trying to just enjoy looking after him and not think about our options for the future. Living in the moment is the best thing we can do right now.
He is now in a 12ft by 12ft outdoor stable (he was previously in an indoor barn). This is on a main corridor through the yard so he can see much more of what is going on. The stable has much better ventilation with a window on the opposite side so he can really see so much more. I have doubled the size of his bed so it is much bigger than before. He seems to be lying down more so this is working well.
I have stopped my 5:30am visits and instead the yard is putting hay in his stable when they feed the other horses at 7:30am. I then go down at lunchtime to muck out etc. and then again about 7pm. The bigger bed and stable mean that he doesn't need to by mucked out first thing, and I can balance the other responsibilities I have (kids, work, college) and get a better nights sleep.
He is much more settled now, but still kicks the door when he is waiting for me to get his feed. I think that being outside in the fresh air has given him a boost and he is almost back to his normal laid back self. He has two 5 minute walks per day and I do need dually to lead him otherwise he quite literally pulls me over to get grass. He can have more contact with his field mates as they walk past him everyday and stop for a few minutes so they can touch each other. He really enjoys this.
So overall, things are as good as they can be under the circumstances, he is much more settled and seems almost content. I am taking each day as it comes and trying to just enjoy looking after him and not think about our options for the future. Living in the moment is the best thing we can do right now.