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You just answered your own question. Sand most likely got up under the
girth and caused enough friction to severely irritate the area. The
horse has "scalded" his girth area. Damage is immediately evident by
the swelling. Up to several days later, the skin flakes off in small
strips and patches since that skin has been damaged. In sandy areas, I
periodically stop and clean the girth area and change girths if
necessary. I use a neoprene girth, my husband uses a string mohair
girth. Neither of us has a prolem as long as we are conscientious about
removing sand from the girth area every 5-10 miles.
> Could the cooler/blanket procedure
> have contributed to the stocking up problem?
Doubtful. It is usually associated with increased work, more work than
the horse is used to, coupled with standing about afterwards. Some
horses are more prone to stocking up than others. One pasture-kept mare
I had stocked up like an elephant if stalled. She was fine in the field
or turn out pen. Go figure.
> This horse also has what some people call "windpuffs".
These are stretched areas of the tendon sheath that fill with fluid and
become "puffy". This commonly happens as a result of strenuous work on
the part of the horse. Once this occurs, the tendons are always
stretched but excercise or rest can affect the amount of fluid that
fills the area. It is quite common for them to "disappear" when the
horse is worked, then reappear after a period of rest. At rest, the
leg's motion is no longer moving the fluid out of the stretched area of
the tendon.
I hope that this helps.
Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV
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