Why Horse's Need a lot of Movement: Understanding Lymph
.....And why winter often means filled legs, stiffness & sluggishness 😣
👎🏻Sadly, at this time of year, turnout is often limited due to weather and yard restrictions. Unfortunately, standing still for long periods is not natural for horses, as they are natural grazing animals who, in nature, would travel great distances in search for food, keeping them extremely mobile.
Hopefully they have all been able to access lengthily turnout through the spring and summer, so, when movement and regular muscular activity significantly drops in autumn and winter, I commonly see problems such as:
• Filled legs
• Stiffness or reduced mobility
• Increased muscular tension- I’d like to add a little note here too that I often find neck and back tension is commonly increased due to long periods stood pulling on hay nets -🙏🏻please feed from the floor if you can .
• Slower recovery from work
• Horses feeling “tight” or “sluggish”
💡A HUGE reason behind this is the lymphatic system ~one of the body’s most important, and mostly overlooked, systems.
🤔💭What Is the Lymphatic System and Why Is It So Important?
Well, it is the body’s drainage, waste-removal and immune-defence network. It is absolutely essential for health and survival- if this system stopped working, they would not survive for long.
I have recently read in humans it would only be 24-48 hours!😮
It is responsible for:
✅Fluid balance ~ drains excess fluid from tissues, preventing swelling, filtering it and returning it to the blood.
✅Fighting infection ~ Lymph nodes contain lymphocytes (white blood cells) that filter bacteria, toxins and harmful microorganisms.
✅Waste removal ~ carries away damaged, dead, cancerous, or infected cells and moves them back into the bloodstream for elimination.
✅Fat absorption ~ special lymph vessels in the digestive tract absorb fats from food.
✅Lower limb & hoof health ~ assists in cleansing and nourishing the joints, connective tissues, and hooves
And here’s a fun fact:
👉🏻The lymphatic system is approximately twice the size of the blood circulatory system.
Horses have around 8,000 lymph nodes, compared to 400–800 in humans!
The Main components are:
🔹Lymph fluid ~ a clear, colourless fluid that surrounds tissues; makes up around 2–3% of total body fluids.
🔹Lymphatic vessels & capillaries ~drainage tubes that collect excess fluid from tissues and return it to the bloodstream.
🔹Lymph nodes ~ found all throughout the horse’s body they filter harmful substances and contain lymphocytes (white blood cells). Lymphocytes are not produced here but are activated when they are needed, horses have major clusters of them in their head/neck, shoulders, girth area, abdomen, pelvis, and behind the stifle.
⚠️IMPORTANT TO NOTE - Swelling of Lymph nodes in the neck are usually indicators of the body fighting an infection- they become tender and sore to touch. Painless, hard, persistent, or rapidly growing lymph nodes should be checked out as a matter of urgency.
🔹Lymphatic organs – Bone marrow, spleen, and thymus ~ Bone marrow produces new lymphocytes; the thymus matures T-cells; and the spleen- being the largest, stores, activates, and can produce lymphocytes as part of immune responses.
🔹Tonsils .. 🤔💭wait... what? ~ Humans have tonsils; horses do not! but they do have scattered lymphoid tissue throughout the throat area serving a similar purpose.
🤔💭..How Does Lymph Move? ..🌟This part is crucial🌟!
Unlike blood, lymph has not got its own pumping action to move it around the body. It solely relies upon;
• Skeletal muscle contractions (movement!)
• Breathing mechanics
• Rhythmic vessel contractions
• Pressure changes in tissues
💪🏻The majority of lymph vessels lie between muscles, so every contraction during movement squeezes the vessels and pushes lymph forward.
But here’s the biggest challenge for horses:
👉🏻They have no muscles below the knee or hock.
So, the lower legs depend almost entirely on whole-body movement to stay healthy.
This is why:
• Stabling
• Reduced turnout
• Cold weather inactivity
… all lead to fluid accumulation and filled legs -so you can see why movement is so important for them to stay healthy.
🔥Lymphatic System & Injury🔥
When tissues are damaged, swelling reduces blood flow to the area. This causes: • Less oxygen & fewer nutrients reaching the tissues • A build-up of waste products from dead/damaged cells • Slower healing • Reduced lymphatic drainage • Weakened ability to fight infection This is one of the reasons cold hosing is so effective - it reduces swelling, restoring healthier circulation and lymph flow.
🤗How Equine Sports Therapy Helps...
Treatments I provide greatly support the lymphatic system and soft tissues by helping to: 🔹Improve lymphatic drainage
🔹Reduce filled legs & localised swelling
🔹Support healing by improving circulation and fluid movement
🔹Release muscular tension
🔹Enhance joint mobility
🔹Encourage the removal of waste products through better lymph flow
🔹Maintain comfort during reduced winter movement
💓A healthy lymphatic system = a healthier, happier, more mobile horse & helping to reduce the risk of injury.
👋🏻If your horse is stiff, swollen, or just not feeling their best this winter, I’m here to help.
📩Message me to book a session or ask any questions! Let’s keep your horse feeling comfortable, supple, and supported all winter long 💓🐎