24 hour turnout and cap hock?

[Against_All_Odds2]

My horse has transitioned to outdoor board over the last week. We are in the middle of winter and the ground freezes over night and thaws during the day. The reason for turnout was muscle atrophy after a long stall rest and potential ulcers. Since Sunday I think I have noticed some soft fluid around the point of his hock. He seems sore on it today. I think this is a result of sleeping on the frozen ground and pressure. Any helpful tips and tricks to cushioning this area?

*note he has an old sarcoid on this hock

[2DogsFarm]

Does he have a runin or other shelter?
Maybe get a couple bales of straw & spread that where you think he’s lying down.
It gets nasty, but can be raked up (& burned) in better weather.

[beowulf]

I’d suspect he clipped his hock against something solid like the run-in wall or fence, versus it being from sleeping on hard ground. I think a capped hock from sleeping on the ground would be fairly unusual, but you never know with horses. They’re always surprising us with the ways they manage to get hurt.

He could be sore because he found himself going from a practically sedentary lifestyle to unrestricted movement - with any horse that’s a big transition, especially one that was previously on layup and/or having atrophied muscles.

[Against_All_Odds2]

Bingo-was just out and we have a big ‘ol digital pulse and non-weight bearing. He’s got an abscess. The capped hock is related to kicking the wall on stall rest.

I think I am just hyper sensitive with this guy post-surgery. Is it too early for wine?

[DiamondJubilee]

I was going to mention the same thing. I wouldn’t have though a capped hock could be from hard ground, but we did have a mare that capped her hocks from her stall wall. She would lean against the back wall to pee and poo everyday while inside. Eventually she capped both hocks with the repeated motion. She was a clean mare though! The vet prescribed some tric/dex (trichlormethiazide and dexamethasone as a diuretic) and the swelling went down. More outside time did wonders for her.