No such thing as a stupid question, right?

[Warpony]

OK, I've read about, worked with, handled and basically revolved my life around horses for as long as I can remember so it has been a long time since I heard something that made me go "what the heck does that mean?" when it comes to horses... but in a thread here earlier someone used the term "windswept" and I'd never heard of that. Granted I've had very little to do with breeding horses but still... this is a completely new term for me. I did a couple of google search and found several people saying they'd had windswept foals but no really good explanation or pictures of what it actually is and what it means, what causes it or how it is treated.

can anyone enlighten me? I'm really curious now and it is driving me nuts not knowing, lol.

 

[Mona]

A windswept foal has it front legs bent. Kind of like a fold in a paper, going from side to side, and with both legs being the same...bent in the same direction. Kind of like >> at the knee pointing/bending to one side or the other.

 

[Warpony]

A windswept foal has it front legs bent. Kind of like a fold in a paper, going from side to side, and with both legs being the same...bent in the same direction. Kind of like >> at the knee pointing/bending to one side or the other.

so... it makes it look like it had been hit by a strong wind that bent both legs in the same direction. Suddenly it all makes sense.

:

I would assume this might be related to over crowding in the womb and they would possibly outgrow it?

 

[tagalong]

A windswept foal has it front legs bent. Kind of like a fold in a paper, going from side to side, and with both legs being the same...bent in the same direction. Kind of like >> at the knee pointing/bending to one side or the other.

Not just front legs - years ago I foaled out an Arabian colt who was windswept in back - we had to help him stand for the first few days to nurse until he got the hang of it. After a month or so his legs were almost normal.

:

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

so... it makes it look like it had been hit by a strong wind that bent both legs in the same direction. Suddenly it all makes sense.

:

I would assume this might be related to over crowding in the womb and they would possibly outgrow it?

EXACTLY and yes most of the time it does resolve itself with some unfolding and some excersice

 

[Minimor]

We had a windswept filly in 2005, and it was her hind legs that were all over the place. With a bit of time and some exercise, she came nice & straight.

Note I say "some exercise". Our filly and her mom were in a corral, with enough room for the filly to move around--it's not a good thing to turn a windswept foal out in a big pasture, because the mare will have too much room to move around, and as the foal tags along keeping up with mom, it will tire out, and as it tires the legs get more wobbly. You want the foal to have a bit of exercise, but not so much exercise that it gets tired--that puts too much stress on already wobbly legs. I don't think I kept any photos of her & her all over the place legs or I would post one to show you. This filly has very long legs, and I think there just wasn't room for them to develop straight & strong until she was on the outside!