My very athletic mare is in month five of stall rest with tack walking. We are up to forty minutes a day. It turns out that Wofford was tragically correct: you can, in fact, get a horse brutally fit at the walk.
There are not enough drugs in the world.
My coach, who apparently wants me to live, suggested trying a soundproofed bonnet with earplugs and possibly a Fenwick-style mask. Any suggestions from the hive mind for ones that are both as soundproofed and as cheap as possible?
Me and a few riders at my barn have this one, $25.00 :
Another gal has an Equfit Silent Ear bonnet for $127. She says it helps…a little. May as well trying the cheap one first!
I’m so sorry but after a long stressful day of following the news this post gave my soul the good laugh that it needed.
A brutally fit walk only rehab in the winter sounds like the worst kind of fit. Congrats on a successful rehab and I’m hoping that the anti murder bonnet and/or mask combo helps you survive.
Thankfully much of the murder time with mine rehabbing was this summer so the heat helped take the edge off.
I managed to find a very nice Equiline soundproof bonnet on consignment/clearance that worked wonderfully.
Some nice sticky fullseats can also be helpful too, during spontaneous levitations and teleportations.
I know people generally rail against these supplements…but how about something like the daily PerfectPrep powder? IMO this is what they should be used for (and I have used it in this instance), a safe and productive rehab. Better than an injury to yourself or reinjuring whatever you are rehabbing. I am assuming competition is a ways off…
To your original question: my Ponysaurus did will in the Equifit Ear plugs when he was melting down over the farrier hammering his shoes on the anvil.
Good luck on your journey…I hope you are through the worst of it!
… and for safer hand walking kites, muzzles, don’t forget muzzles, for those times horse decides to reach out and touch you … with big teeth.
No bonnet recommendations, but just hugs and commiseration. Been there too many times. It will get better! (Hopefully before any injury on your part! 
)
You are braver than I am.
I’d use all the sound proof stuff, play calming music, and triple quarter sheet to keep them warm.
Stressless double dose really took the edge off of mine who had to move barns mid stall rest and was pacing the fence line.
Sending you positive vibes @RooTheDay.
Your post made me laugh, though.
Also: if anyone has a synthetic saddle with grippy equi-suede or even a western saddle. I used both at different points when my horse liked to spontaneously explode.
Another suggestion - calming music. Through a Dog’s Ear is my go to. It’s on Apple Music. The more you listen to it, the better it works.
In the “as cheap as possible” category, a friend uses foam cat toys as ear plugs for her horses. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/GINFH-Indoor-Kitten-Interactive-Sponge/dp/B0CR8DHSF5/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?crid=1SURDUL9BGZL4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TIiMhRTw6SNM3yvtmDHzNC2dbwTSz_H2a3_nsxerjQTCyXlvH61yUlwRckN-EnKHiXvoIv1Yu4yyKi2kwbcKYXXiJiH-mpNwKVEC1XEXKYFdT6tWn60OskXHPJ8XfO1kGtPq1-MT7TvEUjkUt7kw7OUdBnLgB1B_BQhnxJYRI5WfUlEx_pP7ohMCXWIit7B0nQPnawZXQtwyodrphgMTzg.bhR97HJPfpFZ2uZ3pUyMTd8JR0k3DajLdmyny2ZfaWg&dib_tag=se&keywords=foam+cat+toy+balls&qid=1740140961&sprefix=foam+cat+toy%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1
ETA: Well that link looks terrible, sorry. I don’t know how to pretty it up.
I can attest to these! I have these and a set of the Pomm ones and they are remarkably similar. Both had the same result on the mare.
ETA: I also made some DIY soundproof bonnets with foam from Joann Fabrics. Cut to shape, sewed the long side so it was into a cone shape and shoved them into my regular bonnets with slightly larger than needed ears.
Cat toys work great and they’re way cheaper than the foam ones you buy. You can even take a Sharpie to them and make them black for shows (at home I like them colorful so I don’t forget to take them out). At some point, someone realized people were using cat toys and decided to market them specifically for horses at a much higher cost.
I only say this because I always want my links to be pretty too: for Amazon links, the “ref=” and everything after can be deleted.
For nearly all other links, whenever you see a ? you can usually delete everything after that.
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