STOCKING UP

• The lymphatic vessels in the horse's leg are tiny and do not have any valves to prevent backflow.
• The flow of fluid up the leg depends on movement of tissues around the lymphatic vessels.
• Standing around in a stall ,can result in the buildup of tissue fluid in the lower legs.this causes the mild swelling called stocking up.
• Stocking up does not cause lameness.It merely cause mild edema that begins at the coronet and works slowly up the leg,usually stopping just abotve the fetlock.
• In either cases the swelling us bilateral;the same in both the left and right legs.The skin over the swollen area is of normal temperature or slightly cooler than normal.The swollen area may remain pitted when pressed with the thumb,the hallmark of edema .
• The swelling completely resolves with activity.
• It can be usually prevented by bandaging the lower limb when the horse is in the stall.

Reference
Lameness
Equine Research
 by
Christine King and Richard Mansmann