Hello,

We have started bringing the horses in now at night. We have noticed that one of them all four legs fill overnight and then when out again the swelling goes down. I have put thermatex leg wraps on which helps a little but still swollen.

just wondered if anyone else has experienced this?

Will it cause any long term damage?

Will it get better over time? i.e. adjusting to being in?

Any ideas how to help?

Hi Claire. It sounds like your horse has 'windgalls'. Basically the legs fill due to inactivity during a period of time - so this would make sense with you bringing them in at night. It's like some people get puffy ankles if their on their feet all day. If their not too big and not causing any problems, I'd probably just leave them. However, you can bandage the legs at night (altho obviously not too tight!) if you'd prefer as this helps to keep up pressure in the legs and encourages the fluid to return. If they're not bothering the horse, not hot and go down with movement then I think they're normal for that horse, so they're unlikely to be doing any long term damage.

I used to get this with my old TB mare when I first started stabling her at night. With her it definitely wasn't windgalls, just an accumulation of fluid from not moving around. It's a while ago now, but I think it wore off after a few days, certainly not more than a week, as she acclimatised to standing in.

Windgalls are normally a very localised swelling at the base of the tendon / top of fetlock at the back of the leg. This was a more general puffiness all around the fetlocks.


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we use to call it 'hunters disease', as the hunters always used to get it ovenight. When you ride them or turn them out it dissapears with no ill effects.

My 17.2 gets it also, so i try not to leave him in for long periods of time, but, once again, in the morning he is turned out and after 20-30 mins all the swelling has gone.

its just tissue fluid building up, you could use stable bandages to stop the swelling. It doesnt sound like windgalls, which are an acual injury/strain of some kind (i think with wingalls it swells only just above the fetlocks

Try using magnetic boots or wraps this will help with legs that fill