Looking for experiences from anyone who has moved a horse to a special facility to complete rehab.
Did you do a vet owned/run facility or just a regular boarding barn that offered rehab services? And what services were included and which were not?
Was it white glove service (you don’t have to lift a finger?) or did you still have to help with the horse’s rehab in any way?
And ballpark, how much did it cost you (relative to board in your area)
Thanks!
I asked the vet who diagnosed my horse for recommendations, I think he gave three.
Ended up on a farm run by the adult daughter of a vet. Excellent care, they did everything including feeding through a tube in the throat or stomach (she said that was the grossest thing she’d dealt with).
At the time that board was twice regular boarding in the area, but they were great. Eventually I had to move them because of $.
I did a “regular” owner rehab/retirement barn. Full service, just send the check. Meticulous care, did all the riding/walking/wrapping/calling the vet during a colic scare/holding etc etc. I never had to do much more than text or send a PayPal over.
This place was phenomenal, and with the years of experience (and volume as well, running a rehab barn can get a person a TON of knowledge really fast) I felt comfortable leaving everything to them. I got tons of updates and pictures. No treadmill or anything but the work got done DAILY, and the place was set up to be super flexible as far as stall/turnout needs. I did not have a super vet-involved rehab plan, but there were plenty in the area (and the owner has some great ones on speed dial for consults).
Cost was equal to my regular board elsewhere. I know I was getting a STEAL of a deal, and I got another screaming deal when I moved him to retirement board for a while. Each price plan was tailored to the horse and labor, and I know the place wasn’t making crazy profits off of me (idk about the others). For comparison, the vet run place here STARTED at well over 3x my regular board, and that’s without any extra meds or rides or whatever.
I really can’t recommend sending a horse off after my experience. I know others have had it go well, but even after doing my due diligence it was a nightmare and I was out the full amount and had to scramble to make other arrangements as we were going out of the country a week or so after horse came home (well it the rehab place) from the hospital. I’m still upset about it due to the $$ lost and the fact that I believe the horse would have recovered better if she had received the care we paid for.
I’ve used two. One was a smaller un-fancy place that had a water treadmill and was ran by a vet tech. The cost was similar to what I think board and training was back then - I just looked back and it was 2007 and I was paying $750/month for board plus hand walking and aquatread time. What a deal - I’m sure that would be significantly more these days!
The other place was a super fancy rehab center where I sent a young, dumb warmblood following stifle OCD surgery as I did not want to deal with him for that initial stall rest only time. They kept him and started the handwalking part of his rehab then I brought him home. This place has the whole set up - aquatread, hyperbaric chamber treatments, pool, track, eurocizer, etc. and was close to the surgeon’s vet office so he was able to go check him during the time horse was there (I live several hours away). Cost was much higher than the small place - this was also 2007 and I paid $60/day for stall rest and handwalking/eurocizer. Adding aquatread would be another $15/day.
Both experiences for me were good, and I’d not hesitate to use either again if needed. Both were recommended by my lameness specialist vet, who knew what hell we were going through at the time with the first horse’s rehab.
We have an excellent rehab business here, started long ago by our vet’s best technician and highly recommended by them.
They did a great job with every horse I know went there, full service, some owners are absent, live far away. Vets go there regularly to attend and consult:
Bet you can find one such close to where you are.
I hear show trainers around Dallas say they have fabulous places for rehab also.
I used a “white glove” rehab when my own (unrelated) injury meant I wouldn’t be able to manage my horse’s rehab. Pretty much everything was included - basic care and feeding plus heat lamps, Theraplate and exercise (hand walk, Eurocizer, aqua treadmill, pool, tack walk) as prescribed by vet. They did red light therapy with the system I provided. Shockwave was available for an extra fee, pretty much the only extra fee.
The entire team was wonderful, caring, highly professional, and worth every penny. The healing far surpassed vet’s original prognosis. It was not cheap, but not much more than full service board and training in this area.
Poofy lived with Dr Johnson at www.rehab.vet when we were doing his initial refeeding (she took in a group of starved retired horses and did give us all a break on the cost because she is an angel) - I would definitely call it white glove type service there, and the farm is peaceful and relaxing. I think the horses are less stressed when everyone is on the same kind of program, and they aren’t the only one who isn’t going in and out at turnout time, or getting medicated, etc. I wouldn’t hesitate to send a horse there that was recovering from any kind of thing that required more than very basic care. It costs more than standard board, but about the same as full care board at a high end training facility, not including the training part.
I boarded my mare in a rehab facility after coming out of the hospital post-laminitis and with a skin infection she picked up there. Not a fancy place and no special training or rehab equipment but it was recommended. All inclusive board was $1800 in 2019. She gave my horse a medicated bath daily, dealt with hoof boots, soaking hay, wrapping legs, and then hand-walking when we got clearance. And close monitoring of symptoms at all times. She did a fantastic job and I would highly recommend her to others.
I think in part the best option depends on the horse’s personality and what the injury is. I’ve done it all the ways, unfortunately, and my rule of thumb now is if they are going to have to be on stall rest for more than a few weeks, I’m going to send them to a layup barn or rehab facility for the exact reason @Railbird noted - my observation is that they tend to be happier and more relaxed when everyone is on the same routine and it’s the norm. At home they don’t understand why you’ve taken away their routine, like they are being punished, but when they get to a new place it is like it hits the reset button and they sort of say “well, I guess this is what we all do here!” I thought keeping my mare at home where I could fuss over her would be better, but I was wrong - she got angry at being locked up, and I was upset about it every time I went to the barn. I sent her to Kesmarc, and went to visit one week later and her whole attitude and demeanor had changed, she was happy again because she had a new routine and they could let her swim or do the aqua-tread to have a job and stay fit. If I hadn’t sent her there, I don’t think she would have ever behaved well enough to let her bone bruise fully heal. And even though I only saw her maybe once a month in that time frame, it made me happy when I did get to see her because she was so much happier. She came home fully ready to go right back to work.
I’ve offered rehab board at my place and I find it easier to do everything myself so I can really keep track of what’s going on and how the horse is progressing. The fee depends on the complexity of the required treatment, the temperament of the horse, and the financial means of the owner (I’ll give a lower rate if I know the owner is stretching beyond their means to rehab the horse).
How long was your mare laid up with her bone bruise? We are on day 90 since our guys injury and day 75 of stall rest. He was coping pretty well but it seems like he’s finally had enough! He has been mad, mad the last few days and borderline unmanageable to walk even with ace on board. He has a recheck this week but I think we’ve decided to send him out to a rehab place regardless of whether he can aquatread or not.
She was laid up starting in October, and she was never particularly tolerant of the rest but by the 90 day mark she was angry and really struggling to hold it together. Ace wasn’t getting it done. So she went to rehab in probably month 4 and spent 3-4 months there. She was able to swim to minimize impact on the foot and burn off some energy and that worked great. Turned her attitude around in a week or less, she was like her old self again. It was expensive, but it was by far the best decision I ever made and I wished I had sent her sooner. I also let them start her under saddle rehab so when she came home she was ready to start cantering and used to a regular work schedule again.
Cleared for the hot walker and aquatread! Unfortunately, the rehab doesn’t have a run available but hopefully, being able to get some exercise will help the attitude. He ships next week. We’ll definitely miss seeing him everyday but I think this is the better move for his sanity, especially now that he can work.
Hey there, I’m late to the thread. I see you are an “ATXmom”… I have specific experience sending my mare to a rehab facility outside of Austin… twice sadly. She was there for 4-6 months each time. She did come back sound and ready to work, with regular check ups. By chance, the rehab facility had a relationship with the vet I used. It was necessary for me, I was not able to keep my horse at the training barn once she was injured. Plus the very exciting handwalking…
The cost was about the same as full board. She was in a 12x24 covered run instead of a stall, which I really think helped. I can try to answer any questions you have.
meant to dm
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
