# What's the best windgall supplement??



## ZJR (14 March 2011)

My boy has mahoosive windgalls, had them for years as a result of being a carriage horse most of his life. I have him on maintenance level of Feedmark's ExtraFlex and he has Bioflow magnetic boots on at night and generally they don't cause him any problems. 
However last summer when the really warm weather came, he went lame for a few days, but nothing that a course of Vetrofen didn't sort out.
This year I want to prevent rather than cure so am looking for a good windgall supplement that I can put him on in advance of the warm weather.
Any recommendations??
Thanks


----------



## applecart14 (15 March 2011)

ZJR said:



			My boy has mahoosive windgalls, had them for years as a result of being a carriage horse most of his life. I have him on maintenance level of Feedmark's ExtraFlex and he has Bioflow magnetic boots on at night and generally they don't cause him any problems. 
However last summer when the really warm weather came, he went lame for a few days, but nothing that a course of Vetrofen didn't sort out.
This year I want to prevent rather than cure so am looking for a good windgall supplement that I can put him on in advance of the warm weather.
Any recommendations??
Thanks 

Click to expand...

Unless i am mistaken horses don't go lame with windgalls.  He most likely had what my horse had which was a strained tendon sheath.  He did his when he landed funny following a jump over a steeplechase fence at Milton Keynes three day event.  Because we were stabling for four days with no turnout in their temporary stables, and because he had suffered with windgalls prior to me having him when the windgalls came up bigger than ever I just presumed it was due to lack of turnout.  It wasn't till I got him home, turned him out and brought him in only to find the windgalls were still massive that I realised it was due to something else.

My boy has his bioflow boots on overnight for twelve hours and these help reduce his windgalls significantly when placed on his hind legs.

And I have never heard of a supplement for windgalls either.  I've heard of various herbs being used as dieuretics to get rid of excessive fluid, but windgalls are a result of synovial fluid build up, so not sure this would work in teh same way.


----------



## ZJR (15 March 2011)

Thanks for the reply Applecart14.. that's possibly what it was then, maybe he got a mild strain as it did clear up pretty quickly.. you didn't say, did your boy come good fairly quickly?

Re the supplement, Global Herbs do one called 'windgall' aptly  but reading about it, I don't think it will do any more than the joint supplement I have him on currently, hence why I was wondering if anyone had any experience of it.
I have tried clivers as I read they were good as a diuretic like you say, but I don't think they really did any good tbh.. maybe I didn't feed them for long enough.

Well I've done some more reading today and I think I'm going to invest in some 'stay cold boots' for after strenuous exercise and when the weather gets hot, this with all the current things I do to manage them..fingers crossed!


----------



## Amymay (16 March 2011)

Windgalls don't make a horse lame - so perhaps you mis-understood the veterinary diagnosis??

If the windgalls are very large then as far as I'm aware the only option to reduce them is surgical. But of course, your vet will be the best person to advise you.


----------



## ZJR (16 March 2011)

amymay said:



			Windgalls don't make a horse lame - so perhaps you mis-understood the veterinary diagnosis??

If the windgalls are very large then as far as I'm aware the only option to reduce them is surgical. But of course, your vet will be the best person to advise you.
		
Click to expand...

I know the windgall itself doen't cause lameness, but my boy's are that big that when they swelled because of the heat and hard ground, they put strain on the annular ligament. So hence why I am looking for ways to keep them as reduced as possible to prevent that happening again.
The vet has said that whilst they aren't causing him any real problems, he would recommend leaving well alone..


----------



## LegOn (16 March 2011)

Hilton Herbs do marigold & cleavers supplement which is very good for lymphatic drainage & helps windgalls alot. I've found it helped my boy lots!


----------



## applecart14 (16 March 2011)

ZJR said:



			Thanks for the reply Applecart14.. that's possibly what it was then, maybe he got a mild strain as it did clear up pretty quickly.. you didn't say, did your boy come good fairly quickly?

 QUOTE]

Hi ZJR.  Yes from what I recollect he was on box rest for about ten day and had an injection of 'something', sorry not sure what into the tendon sheath. He had cold hosing, but I think ice cups (frozen water in polystyrene cups applied in round motion onto injury to prevent ice burns) is more effective now.  He also had the opposite leg bandaged to prevent over compensation problems.
		
Click to expand...


----------



## simba10 (18 May 2011)

I have used the Windgall supplement by Global Herbs, and it didnt have any effect at all. I now just use a general joint supplement, which works better. Yes the windgalls are still there, but they only caused my horse issues when they were forming not since they have formed.


----------



## soloequestrian (18 May 2011)

My mare used to get windgalls in the summer.  She has been barefoot for 10 years now and hasn't had them since the shoes came off.


----------

