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Whether recovering from injury or surgery, or confined for another reason, a horse on stall rest can be challenging to feed. When the medical crisis requiring rest has passed, long-term stall management becomes a matter of balancing the horse’s needs and keeping it occupied.

A nutritional evaluation should be done for horses recovering from surgery or illness. Dietary changes are recommended for laminitic horses and those suffering from the effects of old ageCushing’s diseaserespiratory problems, and hepatic disease.

In each case, a carefully balanced diet rich in specific minerals and vitamins should be designed to provide the horse with the best possible nutrition for its recovery and future health. For instance, a horse recovering from laminitis would benefit from a combination of supplements including biotin, zinc, and methionine.

Track the weight of horses on stall rest in order to monitor whether their diet is providing too much for their sedentary lifestyle. A scale would be ideal, but a weight tape can be used weekly in order to track changes in girth, as long as the same person takes the measurement in the same manner each time.

ration balancer is a low-calorie feed that will provide the amino acids necessary for repair of damaged tissues, and the minerals and vitamins required for maintaining health. Follow the feeding directions for a “maintenance” activity level based on the weight of the horse.

Provide hay at 1.5-2% of the horse’s body weight. It should be mostly grass hay, but giving a little alfalfa (lucerne) may help to prevent the development of ulcers. A mixed hay with grass as the majority plant type is ideal. If you do not have the mixed hay, add a flake of alfalfa per day to the other forage.

To keep the horse from eating hay too quickly and being bored the remainder of the day, you might want to consider one of the special hay bags that allows the horse to get only a little bit at a time.

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