What to Know About Stocking Up

due to the benign nature of a lazy lymph system and not something more sinister? Paying close attention to your horse will provide answers.
First stocking up is a bilateral condition meaning stocking up occurs in both hind legs but its not uncommon to see it in both front legs as welland sometimes in all four.
Second a stockedup horse will behave normally. He should not appear lethargic unwilling to move lame or otherwise seem sick or painful.
Third the legs should not be hot to the touch. They will also be uniform in size so compare each swollen leg to the others.
Fourth consider the horses history Has he had this condition before? Has he been in a stall for a lengthy period? When was the last time he was out in the field or ridden?
Once youve determined your horse has fat legs but is feeling good the triedandtrue test and cure to confirm is movement. Tack up your horse and go for a ride or turn him out so he can stretch and move at liberty then reevaluate. The swelling should dissipate confirming the fluid accumulation was due to inactivity.
Other Reasons for Swelling

In rarer instances swollen legs can be a clinical sign of something much more serious than a lack of movement. Heart failure and liver failure are two conditions that are thankfully uncommon in horses

 but when either occurs it is typically severe incurable and can lead to fluid buildup in all four legs along with a host of other clinical signs which should prompt a call to your veterinarian.
Alternatively if just one leg is swollen this is a major clue something more serious is going on. Soft tissue damage such as an acutely bowed tendon can result in a swollen lower limb. So can many other types

of musculoskeletal trauma such as a fracture or bruising from a kick. The most obvious difference between these clinical presentations and stocking up however is the fact that the horse will likely be acutely lame when trauma is the cause.
Another cause of unilateral acute limb swelling is cellulitis. This is a bacterial infection under the skin usually due to a small cut or scrape or a more chronic condition that weakens the integrity of the skin like mud fever or scratches. If certain types of bacteria invade the soft connective tissue under the skin they proliferate resulting in an acutely