Is there anything i can do to help my horse's stocking up?

Question

My 26 yr old arab/saddlebred mix stocks up pretty bad in his hind legs,i make sure to take him out and walk him around and excercise him which makes it go down, but short of this is there anything i can do?

Answer 1

Some people try rappind theire legs its not 100% garntee, but mabye were u bored try to see if he can get his one little paddock to walk aorunf in or get out turn everyday, if your barn doesnt do thta maybe u would switch barns itrs best for your horse=] good luck=]

Answer 2

Umm if he is in a stall, try discussing with your barn manager that you need him turned out more, or pasture board him...he needs to be outside :) If he is outside, he may have joint issues, so get him checked out by the vet :) There is really nothing you can do if his joints are healthy and he is outside as much as possible....some horses just stock up, others dont...good luck!

Answer 3

If you can keep him turned out most of the time he probably won't stock up.  Many horses have this problem when they stand around in their stalls too long.  The problems seem to increase in older horses in the hotter months.  Walking around will make the swelling go down.  

Answer 4

Hand walk him, cold hose his legs, apply liniment.

Answer 5

How often is he in his stall? You may have to get in the routine of hydrating his legs for an hour or more each day, in 30 minute increments and walking/excersizing him.  

Answer 6

Not really.  Most horses will stock up when confined after having been on constant turnout or getting regular exercise, and most of the time it won't last for more than a week, just until they get used to the confinement.  You are doing the right thing by walking and making sure your horse gets some movement to keep the stockiness out.  The more often in one day you can do this the better.  I would try for 3-4 15 minute brisk walks or if you can put your horse on a lungeline and ask them to work for 15 minutes that would work as well.

Answer 7

There are many reasons that horses stock up, the reason will help determine the best solution for your problem.

If your horse has heart or kidney problems, then you need medications.  But the biggest cause for stocking up is - confinement.  There is a saying that goes "A horse has a heart in each leg".  That's because with every step a horse takes, blood is forced out of his hoof, up his leg and back into his heart.  The foot is almost like a sponge, and when a horse walks the sponge is squeezed and then released.  This is why almost all stocking up is drastically improved when a horse is allowed to move 24/7.

Your older horse probably has a less effecient heart than he did as a young fellow.  He probably has some arthritis.  He probably tends to be a bit sore and stiff, and therefore less likely to lay down and get up in his stall.  These things will all increase the likely hood of him stocking up.

The very best thing you can do is - get him out of a stall.  If possible, keep him in turnout 24/7 unless the weather becomes extreme.  He may be happier and healthier outside even in blizzards as long as he's well blanketed during horrid weather.  I suspect if you try this for a week you'll see his problems almost totally disappear.  Now, this won't help if he's in a tiny pen and still doesn't move, being on pasture is ideal as they walk as they graze, the next best thing is being in a good sized pen with other horses so he's always shifting around.

Also, wrapping well with stable bandages can help, but make sure you know how to do it or you can make things worse.  Hosing with cold water can help.  But none of these things are the true solution, the true answer is to allow your horse constant movement.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Get his hocks injected.  He's old too, so he might have arthritis.

Answer 9

Getting him out and moving is the best thing for him. Also, if you are able to cut down on his grain a little and increase his hay, that may help. There's also a product that I swear by for horses with stocked up legs. It's called "Stocking Up" http://www.orientalherb.com/product_revi...

It is the best stuff I've ever used! You could try it on your horse once a day or so and it will help. Good luck :)

Answer 10

As one of the previous posters said, stocking up can be caused by kidney or heart problems, so you may want to have him checked by the vet. If it's simply caused by confinement, though, I suggest wrapping the legs (if you know how), or having someone wrap them for you.

With horses that come to us on stall rest for injuries or lameness, I wrapp all four legs with a sweat. That is, I apply either poultice, liniment, or even just fura-zone to the leg, wrap it with plastic wrap, and then wrap the leg with pillows and stable bandages. It's easy to wrap the legs up too tight if you don't know what you're doing, and then you can cause a bandage bow or other complications. If you've never wrapped before, I suggest asking an experienced groom or trainer to give you a hand.

And as everyone else said, hand walking and keeping the circulation flowing will prevent his legs from filling up with fluid. Keep him moving as long as it's not too strenuous.