Horse's legs swelling up when stable, should I be worried?

[Paint it Lucky]

My horse injured himself last year, pulling his suspensory ligment. The vet advised box and then field rest followed by a gradual return to work. This we did, he spent the winter and most of this year living in a field so he could mooch about gently and his leg healed well, he is now back in full work (though not too strenuous as I am always paranoid that his leg might go again). From the field he was staying perfectly sound and managing long 2-3 hour hacks with a fair bit of cantering on good going.

I recently moved him to a new yard with more facilities. One of the yard rules is that the horses have to be stabled for several hours each day so as to preserve the grazing. I am worried because when I go to see him after he's been in for several hours (~10) his front legs are often quite swollen, eg. his windgalls have filled up. He has always had windgalls but wandering round the field seems to keep them down, but after he's been in the ones on his front legs particularly are very big and hard (his backs aren't so bad). His injury was to one of his front legs so I don't know if it is related, could the standing in be impeding the circulation to it? He is sometimes quite stiff aswell when I get him out of the stable which he never was when in the field 24/7. When he comes in in the mornings after being out all night his windgalls have gone back down again.

So basically I am wondering if he needs to be out all the time to keep the circulation going into his legs. I have been being very carefull to walk him for ages when I get on him to warm him up and he is not lame when I do this. But last week I loose schooled him after seeing him walk stiffly out of his stable and he was abit lame infront. I haven't ridden him since, I am thinking of giving him a few weeks off to see if he comes right and then calling the vet if not. This is probably a very wafflely post sorry! Does anyone have experience of this sort of thing? Do you think it is his old injury flairing up or could it be something else?

 

[Molineux]

My horse gets swelling in his legs when he has been in for some time.
Nothing to worry about - after a walk they do go down. This is down to his age and the fact he is 17.3 plus has Wingles.

I should not think its anything to worry about - cold you not put some wraps on whilst he is in the stable?

 

[bailey14]

My horse has wingalls too, which are terrible when been stood in for a time, i.e on box rest. I have some bioflow magnetherapy boots which help to reduce them, and they go on his hinds one day and his fores the next. Do you not have access to a horsewalker that you can put him on/ask the staff to put him on during his enforced box rest. You could also try leaving him a ball to roll around or lots of small haynets hanging in the stable so he is having to move around during the time he is in.

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Thanks, I think I will try bandaging him and also leaving haynets round his stable. It is a DIY yard so no option of walker etc.

 

[GoJo]

agree with the bioflow, my boys hinds used to swell until i used the bioflows and now nothing. only put them on at night though.

 

[vallin]

hey just read this post with interest and im kind of butting i, but which bioflow boots do you use? my horse has massive windgalls which i'd quite like to reduce if at all possible and the boots sound like they work.

 

[bubble0127]

My horses legs does this I have it him on lymph blend by global herbs it really really helps with swelling!!