Box rest — confining a horse to its stable — is a common prescription for orthopedic injuries, but prolonged restriction causes significant psychological and physical welfare costs that must be carefully managed.
Box rest represents an unavoidable welfare compromise: the restriction is medically necessary but causes its own welfare costs. Minimizing these costs requires active management: maximum forage provision (ad libitum hay), human interaction, visual contact with other horses, gradual reintroduction of controlled movement as the clinical picture allows, and in some cases pharmacological management of anxiety. Owners and vets who recognize box rest as a welfare challenge rather than simply a management convenience make significantly better decisions for the horse throughout recovery.