STOCKING UP

In addition to cellulitis and lymphangitis, there’s another condition that can produce swelling in a horse’s lower legs: stocking up, which is edema of the lower legs that develops due to decreased circulation.

Generally a benign condition, stocking up is not an infection or inflammation; instead it’s the physical result of inactivity. “Horses may stock up, especially in the hind limbs, if they are accustomed to being out moving around and are then confined overnight in a stall or small pen,” says Callie Fogle, DVM, of North Carolina State University. “In the morning they may have a little edema, but as soon as you turn them out or ride them, the swelling goes away.”