Legs filling overnight?

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welshied

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Only had new horse (4 year old) for about 4 months and now that hes started coming in his legs have started to fill on a night, am i best off getting him some leg wraps for him or bandaging or just leaving them alone?
 
Hi there, my horse has the same problem.I did bandage last year but was such I faff. I have invested in some premier equine stable wraps and they work a treat! She also has some magnetic liners which help too. Much quicker to put on and take off.
 
My mare is prone to cellulitis and since her last episode of it (August) her back legs fill over night and she has to come in at night so vet said to gamgee and stable bandage at night, since then her back legs have stopped filling
 
I'd leave well alone. I'm not a fan of bandaging unless you need to, I don't think it does the skin any good to constantly be bandaged. But that's just me.

If she goes out during the day, she'll be fine, they'll go down when she walks it off :)

If they swell terribly, then I agree on the magnetic stable wraps, much easier than bandaging.

That's what I do with my lad anyway.
 
I think if they are only slightly filled, it doesn't effect them moving freely when they first come out, & they go down quickly once out its best to leave alone if its a daily occurrance. But at only 4 I would want to know why they were filling. In general though if legs do fill to the point they need support, bandages are best.
 
littlelegs said:
I think if they are only slightly filled, it doesn't effect them moving freely when they first come out, & they go down quickly once out its best to leave alone if its a daily occurrance. But at only 4 I would want to know why they were filling. In general though if legs do fill to the point they need support, bandages are best.
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This, look at why they are filling, diet may not suit him, he may stop filling once he is used to being in, if you bandage him now it will be something you have to continue doing which in the long run is not good for his legs. I hate the wrinkly look that so many horses end up with after years of being bandaged.
 
Echo the posts by Stencilface and Be Positive.. I too would be looking to address the 'cause' rather than just treating the 'symptom'. I'd be looking at the diet and the option of having 24/7 turnout for a young horse of this age if this was viable to where you're horse is stabled.

You say that the horse is a 'new' horse to you?...i'm wondering whether indeed he/she's been used to 24/7 turnout and the swelling is coming from much more time in (and lack of movement) as opposed to the consistent movement he/she'll have been used to perhaps?

On the diet side of things,... the stabling overnight will also come with additional food too (i.e overnight/early morning nets and eve/morning feeds too,. I'm not aware of what you feed, but these 'extras' too could be contributing factors to the swelling your now seeing.

Just my two penneth,. :)
 
Yeah he was stabled before i got him but i started turning him out 24/7 but they all have to come in on a night now for winter. he gets about 9 hours turnout feed wise at the minute he get 1 net of hay and has 2 feed which is balancer and hi-fi is any of that likely to add to it?
 
My equine vet advised not to start bandaging as it does not help in the long term. He advised to check the protein levels in the diet are not too high and to ensure he has as big a stable as possible when coming in over winter. He has been moved to a huge box and this year I don't see any noticeable filling unless he has just been lying with his legs tucked under him. I doubt you'll be feeding high protein the hi fi I feed is tends about 10%, but worth checking with manufacturers.
 
Not quite the same as my horse is 20, but when she has to be stabled overnight during the winter, I give her a tiny handful of cleavers & marigold in her evening feed which prevents her legs from swelling up. They really do make a difference.
 
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