Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Windpuffs are a pooling of the synovial fluid that lubricates the joints. I
have owned two horses who had them all the time.  Except for unusual
circumstances, they are cosmetic and go away after a couple of days.  Sunny
has 1100 miles and gets windpuffs at EVERY ride. They go away on their own
after a couple of days hanging out in the pasture.  Magic never  gets them.
Some horses are more prone to windpuffs than others....it just depends.
Conditioning on hard footing and running HARD at a ride exercebates the
problem.  Apparently, they just generate too MUCH lubricant under stress.
Some vets will ding you at BC judging for windpuffs, some won't.  (Suspect
this is one of the reasons Sunny has never won a BC award)

Unless the horse is experiencing pain or lameness because of them, wouldn't
worry about it.

Jim, Sun of Dimanche+ and Mahada Magic


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <GoTory@xxxxxx>
To: <bcbliss@xxxxxxxxxxx>; <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 9:34 AM
Subject: Re: [RC] Windpuffs

> Hi Beth-
>     I have to agree with Kat here... my mare had an injury which caused
> similar symptoms.  After a six weeks or more of conservative vet care and
no
> riding, the "windpuffs" remained. No visible lameness, and all the
"experts" - vet,
> farrier, etc, told me to just ride her, it's "just cosmetic"...

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The very essence of our sport is doing the trail as quickly as practicable,
while keeping one's horse fit to continue.  Taking the clock out of the
equation makes it another sport altogether.  The challenge is how to keep
the sport what it is while honing our skills (both as riders and as those
in control roles) in detecting where "the edge" is for each horse so that
we don't cross it. 
~  Heidi Smith
ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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