Windgalls

windgalls are pockets of fluid usually in the fetlock joints, they are visable and can get bigger and smaller, the are usually caused by work on hard ground. like lots of trotting out hacking, my horse has them, he got them from whe he raced, the concusion caused them, some horses can have them worse, princes get bad when he is in his stable over night, the fluid builds up, i put stable wraps on his back legs to keep it warm and flowing, il see if i can find a pic, if not il take one.
 
Ok got 3 questions for you sorry hun.

1. Do they/can they make your horse/a horse lame?

2.Does your horse have them in all 4?

3.Are they a bad thing?
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iv not heard of a horse go lame with them, but i suppose it is possible if they are bad, prince only has them on his back legs, he has about 2-3 on each back leg.
they are squidgy if you touch them and the horse doesnt flinch, they are only bad if you want to do showing, i am lucky in that respect as most racehorse classes overlook injuries and scars that can be caused by racing,
got this pic on the net, the lump on the leg is a windgall.
http://www.boblangrish.com/images/galleriesimages/pic211Windgall.jpg
i use global herbs windgall in the winter to help keep them down,
this is the description global hers give which is quite good.
Every horse has Windgalls to some extent. This is the area around the fetlock where joint and tendon fluid creates a soft area under the skin. In some horses this swelling may be quite pronounced if there is not enough or too much exercise. The fluid that is in this soft area provides nutrition to the underlying areas and lubrication so all the parts of the joints and tendons slide against each other easily.
 
I think this is what my mare has.

I dont have a picture just now but if i get on can i pm you to show you them.

She has got them in all 4 legs 2 on each they do not seam to bother her.

If it is WG's she has would i be better to bandage or boot for her?
 
Its taken me 10 mins to find these pics, had a feeling I'd deleted them.
This is my girl Roo, she has really big windgalls which don't change size, they are only on her front legs.
They don't affect Roo at all, but I do put boots on her whenever I ride just to try protect them.
052709170846.jpg

052709170858.jpg

Hope you can see what I mean, the lumps on her fetlocks. She has one on the inside and one on the outside of each front leg.
Nickie
 
it doesnt really matter what boots you use as they shouldnt cause her any pain. prince always wear boots coz hes a tb and brushes behind and hes a looney so more likely to do a tendon lol. if you find they get bigger when stable overnight then just put some wraps on them, i use turnout boots, he ripped my last lot so im just about to buy him a pair from premier equine stable boot wraps, just helps to keep them down when he is on over night.

ets- typo
 
Windgalls are the body's response to damage in the joint. They are pockets of synovial fluid - joint fluid - that accumulate outside the joint. It's not the windgalls themselves that cause lameness, it's the underlying joint problem that is the issue. Many horses have windgalls but thankfully most don't seem to cause major problems, which isn't to say you can be blase about them.
 
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