share your thoughts on windpuffs and leg wrapping

[marta]

if you have a horse prone to windpuffs, do you wrap its legs when it's stalled? why or why not?

[asterix]

I don't stall him unless absolutely necessary (injury, etc.).

Wrapping only has a very temporary effect, not sure what the point is. They come right back.

[blackstallion2]

My youngster is prone to wind puffs after she "overexerts" herself. They go away in a few days on their own. As long as there is no heat or lameness I do nothing but am curious what others do as well.

[Hampton Bay]

My mare has had them for at least 6 years (when I bought her). I've never wrapped because of them, and they have never given her an ounce of trouble.

Windpuffs are by-and-large cosmetic. They come right back after you unwrap. There really is no point unless you are going to show the horse in-hand where those kinds of things matter.

[marta]

i never wrapped and my mare has had wind puffs since i met her 14 years ago. but she now suffers from suspensory issues and i wonder whether preventing fluid accumulation in the past or even now, is in any way helpful. i intend to explore this with my vet later this month when we go back for a re-exam. currently i'm keeping her in standing bandages per vet's instructions but those were based on the fact that it was frigid cold here and her leg was shaved for an US, not related to the wind puffs.

[Flash44]

Once inflammation has occurred in an area, the more likely it is to reoccur. The more you allow windpuffs to swell, the more they will swell over time and can become a permanent blemish.

The original reason a windpuff appears is usually due to trauma higher in the leg, such as a small lesion in the tendon or suspensory. Many times, a lesion in the suspensory will cause swelling in the windpuff area, but not much heat or lameness. It's up to you as to whether or not you pursue the cause of the swelling. However, a set of bandages to prevent swelling while the horse is stalled will help keep the windpuffs from becoming a permanent fixture and an unsightly blemish.

[marta]

what do you base your statement that original reason for the windpuff is trauma higher up?

[JB]

If a horse is "prone" to windpuffs, then the fitness and/or diet and/or how the horse is ridden needs to be addressed. Or, it's possible the horse's conformation, along with rough playing, brings it on, in which case there's not much you can do.

Windpuffs are caused by excess stress, stretching the tendon sheath so it fills with fluid. Mild ones can totally disappear if the work is decreased. Ones that stick around were either major enough to cause permanent stretching, or they were ignored and the work that caused/contributed to them was continued.

If you wrap upon finding a new one, and decrease or stop the work, you have a chance at getting rid of it.

[lolita1]

I didn't think wind puffs went away and that they are in general caused by a horses conformation. Wrap for a show if you are doing in hand or ridden breed class but I personally wouldn't wrap in the hope of getting rid of them if the horse has had it for a while.

[marta]

if decrease in work reduces windpuffs then why is it that horses who stand around develop windpuffs which then reduce with activity? is it that past damage has already happened, hence the windpuff, and now movement helps the fluid move away?

[JB]

I didn't say decreasing work WILL reduce windpuffs, I said it can ;)

it all depends on how new the damage is, what caused it, how severe it was, etc.

My point is - not all windpuffs are destined to be permanent, but not all will ever go away, no matter how minor.

I don't think horses who do nothing but stand around develop windpuffs. I think they have to do SOMEthing to cause the trauma.

[Lieslot]

I wrap legs with no bow or draper wraps & also put on pastern socks. Noting nicer then super tight legs in the morning.

Why allow the tissues to swell & extend each time when you can prevent it. Surely over time the continuous refilling with fluid makes the structures lose their elasticity even more. Just make sure you wrap with materials that don't lock in any unnecessary heat, as that's not good either imm.
I wrap at night, take off in the morning, ride, turn out, back in at night & wrap. No more windpuffs ever.

Ankle swellings in my boy are as a result of previous repeated leg cellulitis as result of infected nicks & cuts.

[marta]

see i kind of was thinking that all this swelling can't be good long term. i never did anything for my mare's windpuffs before her suspensory injury. but now i wonder if that was a mistake and if that, as you said, weakened the soft tissue.

i also wonder whether i should make a point of wrapping the legs on regular basis now. i intend to discuss this in detail with the vet at our next visit.

[rcloisonne]

see i kind of was thinking that all this swelling can't be good long term. i never did anything for my mare's windpuffs before her suspensory injury. but now i wonder if that was a mistake and if that, as you said, weakened the soft tissue.
Windpuffs are a symptom of suspensory problems rather than a cause. Horses with WPs often do go on to develop suspensory injuries because WPs are often ignored and considered a "cosmetic thing".

WPs are often the first sign of DSLD/ESPA. This link has been posted many times:

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/curlygait/DSLD.html

i also wonder whether i should make a point of wrapping the legs on regular basis now. i intend to discuss this in detail with the vet at our next visit.
If the windpuffs are caused by anything other than an acute injury, wrapping won't do a thing. More important is to keep the toes as short as possible and the heels well supported. Wedging is contraindicated.

[Flash44]

The windpuff are is the area where fluid tends to pool when a horse stands still. Once soft tissue has been stretched due to swelling, it stretches more easily in that area in the future (kind of like your body gaining weight).

The cause of the windpuffs in an otherwise sound horse would be one for a vet to address, and most likely would include ultrasound to check for lesions.

[deltawave]

I don't wrap for much of anything, and really probably wouldn't bother trying to wrap to keep windpuffs chased away. Acute injury with swelling? Sure. But long-term? Probably a fruitless endeavor. It's interesting to speculate whether the tissues chronically "holding" fluid is detrimental, but I'm not sure you could make a meaningful impact even if it was unless you kept the horse wrapped 24/7/365.

[Centuree]

As already mentioned, windpuffs are a sign of stress or trauma to the joint.

I have always been very anal about keeping windpuffs minimal. I rub my horses legs after every ride, and if I worked hard, will wrap with stable bandages for the night (usually do this about twice a week). If worked really hard, I will poultice legs for the night.

As a result, my 14 year old thoroughbred has the ankles of a 3 year old and has never had a lower leg injury (not saying all injuries can be prevented that way, but it can't hurt).

[JB]

Unless my horse is stalled after an extra hard workout, I don't wrap.

I don't want the wrap to keep down any swelling that might be telling me "Hey, back off, that was too hard"

[Lieslot]

I don't want the wrap to keep down any swelling that might be telling me "Hey, back off, that was too hard"
Totally agree, you need to know what's up with the horse and what it can or cannot take. However what about those ones that will stock up even when not worked, but just have swollen ankles because they are stalled for more then 5 hours for example. When elasticity has been lost they will swell up regardless of having been worked or not.

I seem to think it can't be good to have fluid accumulate every single night they are stalled. I know I've not overdone my horse for example, because he will stock up lightly even after having had a day off, even a week off.
When we have swollen legs, docs give compression socks too. I know humans & horses are different and I shouldn't be antropomorhizing, but it were to surprise me it's good to have fluid filled structures on & of life-long.

It was actually a vet that told me, it's better to wrap at night to maintain the elasticity that's still there then to let it get worse or other option is turn out 24/7 so he never stocks up again.

Of course if your horse has no issues, why wrap. I don't wrap my other horse, eventhough he had a bow in the past, but he never has any ankle swellings, so why would I wrap.