What do swollen or puffy horse hocks look like?

Have you ever seen a horse with swollen, puffy hocks?

This image is one example:

The puffiness is swelling of the joint fluid.   Joint fluid is supposed to be contained inside the joint area.   When you see puffiness, that shows extra strain or compression on a joint.

 

What causes swollen or puffy hocks?

Let me tell you a “Renee secret”…

Most of the time (not always), the primary cause of a swollen hock is the OTHER LEG.

Hocks have a lot of problems. They’re always getting injected because of it.

But why?

If you have one swollen or puffy hock, it is a sign of compression of that hock. The joint fluid is compressed between the bones….and it has to go somewhere.

So some of the joint fluid goes to the outside of the hock.   It’s not leaking out of the joint.  The joint capsule is being stretched.

You can feel the fluid when you push on the swollen or puffy part.  Swelling is easy to push in with your finger, and bounces right back out when you stop pushing. (If it doesn’t, you may have tendon or ligament swelling — called effusion– instead.)

Ok so we have a compressed hock and the swelling is the joint fluid.

Back to the why:

Typically, the compression of the hock happens due to over-weighting of the leg.

Why would there be too much weight on one leg? Because it is the other rear leg that hurts, or in some way cannot bear full weight.  Since it cannot bear full weight, it puts extra weight on the puffy hock leg.

Take a look at the horse from the rear. You’ll see less muscling in the non-puffy hock leg.

This means that the leg with the swollen/puffy hock has been compensating for a long time. Eventually, the hock gets compressed. And then after a while, the swelling appears.

Could the hock benefit from injections? Probably. But it won’t last long.

Because the hock is not the problem.

 

What should you do for a swollen or puffy hock?

First, if both hocks are puffy, then you have an overall joint problem.   The liver is key to healthy joints.   Try an herbal liver cleanse, and even better is TBT Liver Revival.

Second, if only one hock is puffy, then ideally you need someone to check the non-puffy hock leg.   (By the way, most vets do not understand this.   It is not taught in vet school.)

For example, you may have an uneven pelvis or misaligned stifle, which hurts the right leg.   The horse puts less weight on the hurt right leg.

And compensates by putting more weight on the left leg.

When too much time goes by, the hock gets puffy from the extra weight.

While you can use TBT Liver Revival and TBT Joint Revival to help puffy or swollen hocks, it is important to have a professional check your horse for alignment issues.   You can find great TBT practitioners HERE.