Things You'll Need
- Sedatives from your veterinarian
- Lead rope with a stud chain
- A friend who can help
Instructions
Change Feed
When a horse is first confined to a stall, you should talk with your barn manager about changing his feed. Choose a high-fat, low-carbohydrate feed (or a balancer pellet if your horse is an easy keeper). Only feed enough to fulfill nutritional requirements. Make changes to your horse's diet slowly by mixing the new and old feed, gradually increasing the ratio of the new feed.
Your horse should have plenty of high-quality grass hay available (unless he's not eating it) or another source of fiber, such as beet pulp or chopped hay. Try to avoid legume hays; they could give your horse too much energy and too much protein for a time low activity.
If your horse starts gaining weight, cut back on grain before you cut back on hay, unless you only have access to a lower quality hay. Then you should cut back on the hay.
Teach Your Horse to Lead With a Chain
When you're uncertain about your horse behaving for his hand-walks, always use a chain. He needs to be accustomed to it first, and never use the chain without a reason.
Apply the chain only over the nose. One method is to run the chain through the left-side square halter ring, out the right-side square ring, and up the right cheek piece to the round ring. Always turn the snap to face out.
Lead the horse around the stall, getting him used to the pressure of the chain. Don't tug on the chain unless he does something to deserve it, such as charging, threatening to go up or jigging. Before attempting to leave the stall, make sure your horse won't overreact to the chain when it's engaged.
Always hand-walk your horse in an enclosed area in case he pulls away from you. Also have someone else with you watching. You may even want the second person to walk on the horse's other side with another attached lead rope (the chain on that rope is optional). You'll have to train your horse to get used to walking like this as well.
Use Sedatives
When a horse is coming off stall rest and has the potential to be wild for a few days, ask your vet to prescribe a sedative. Your vet should show you how to give intramuscular injections as well, if you've never given one before.
Follow your vet's directions for giving the sedative, such as how long before the walk the drug should be given to take effect. Your horse will have a slightly lethargic look when the sedative has taken effect.
Even with a sedative, it's a good idea to have a second person nearby in case your horse pulls away or starts acting up.
Dealing With Turnout
Use round pen panels when returning horses to turnout. Another method is to give your horse a stall with a small run.
Use just enough round pen panels to make an outside enclosure only slightly larger than your horse's stall (and definitely not big enough for him to start running). You can set these up in the corner of an existing paddock so you don't have to use too many panels.
Gradually increase the size of the pen a panel or two at a time and move the enclosure every day or every couple of days to give your horse fresh grass. Soon your horse will have the whole paddock again without realizing it.
To accustom your horse to his pasture and buddies again, set the panels up in the corner of the pasture and repeat steps two and three for a few days before leaving the panels open and letting him find his own way out of the enclosure.