Preventing Horse from Casting?

[Amy3996]

Do “roller” surcingles work? Can you bank stalls with pellet bedding? Are anti-cast strips worth the money?

My new horse has managed to cast himself twice in the last month. I’d normally say “well, we’ll just turn him out 24/7 then”, but the first place he got himself cast was rolling INSIDE the run-in shed in his paddock. Baby horses .

He got cast in the stall this morning. Thankfully our barn manager was in the barn at the time and was able to get to him right away. He’s had the good sense to just lay there and wait for help, thankfully. She said he seemed tired but was moving fine when she walked him after they got him up.

[trubandloki]

There was another thread on this very recently, let me see if I can find it so you can read the information already shared while you wait for some replies.

Here it is:

Anti-Cast Strips or Other Methods

What is everyone’s go to method to prevent a horse from getting cast in their stall? My gelding likes to lay near the wall, and twice in the last four months has gotten himself cast. Thankfully I was there both times (once I was in the barn and last night I was asleep but live above the barn so I woke up to the racket of him trying to get unstuck)… but I work nights and if this happened on a night I was working I would have no idea until the next morning. I see there are anti cast strips that I…

[sascha]

Try a full coverage gut treatment like Sucralfate or Ranitidine (not Omeprazole as it only works on ulcers in one area). Casting can be purposeful for relief of ulcers. Usually the ones that commit purposeful casting are smart enough to get themselves back upright, but not always. First saw this issue about 25 years ago. Vet put him on ulcer drugs and boom, fixed, within a couple of days that youngster stopped casting himself and never cast himself again.

[Milocalwinnings]

As @trubandloki linked, I recently had a thread on this.
I’ve tried banking bedding (I don’t think I do enough), have tried 2x4s along the wall so he has some footing to un stick himself, which works but doesn’t prevent him from casting himself (and subsequently busting his dutch door every time, because he gets cast in the same place).

Two things have worked for me - 1 was placing a straw bale on the wall that he casts himself on (I tied it to the wall with bailing twine). The straw bale lasted about a week before he realized it was a blast to play with and he broke the twine and scattered the straw throughout his stall. But IT WORKED. The other thing that has worked, or seems to have, is beginning ulcer treatment. I can’t afford gastroguard for a month, but I’m doing what I can. I got ulcer guard and began giving 1/2 tube each night, along with aloe juice (because its cheap and so if it does nothing, who cares). While on the ulcer guard he didn’t cast himself at all. I ran out the last few days and he cast himself once last night. My Sucralfate and Omeprazole from Abler just arrived tonight so I will start him on that tomorrow and I’m hoping it helps.

My plan now if the ulcer treatment doesn’t continue to help is to get another straw bale but to put it in a bale bag so hopefully it will be boring to him and he will leave it alone. Last resort will be to try a surcingle.

[Rel6]

Quick question (and not trying to derail) - how did you feed/administer the sucralfate and omeprazole? I’ve heard they should be given separately for maximum effect and was curious how others have done. Have you noticed improvement?