10 replies to this topic

[Bri Sha Arabians]

Good Afternoon everyone,

I just received an email from Tamie at the rescue. She is the one who helped me with the neighbor who abused the mare and colt we sold.
Well turns out Ella did settle to our stallion Sir Leeo Allad. The foal was born at midnight last eve, and Tamie said it took 3 hours for the foal to stand. When she called on the vet to have the filly checked out he told her the foal was "Windswept".

Ella has large foals, the only information I can find on the net say's this happens with large foals and also from being in the uterus for so long. Heck she's 1/2 grown...LOL

I am wondering if anyone has heard of this condition or is it possibly known by another name in the Arabian world?
Any help would be much appreciated.

I have attached a few pics of this cuttie, it just looks like to me that she's not up on her feet and to compensate she is leaning. Her legs look very straight and damn LONG. What am I not seeing???

Sharon

Attached Files

•  ella2010filly2.JPG   131.78K   2 downloads
•  ella2010filly3.JPG   98.14K   0 downloads
•  ella_2010_filly.JPG   187.3K   0 downloads
•  ella_2010_filly1.JPG   150.08K   0 downloads

[larapintavian]

Yes, we had a windswept filly 5 years ago ... if you did much research, you probably found out that this condition usually corrects itself beautifully, with no problems afterward.  

From the pics, this filly is not too badly windswept.  One can see it best from perfectly square behind the horse. It looks to me (first pic from the rear) like both hind legs curve to the right at the hocks ... a bowlegged foal curves outwards on both legs, cowhocked curves inward on both legs (at the hock only), but in windswept both hind legs curve the SAME direction, both to the right or both to the left.  Difference is that windswept is NOT permanent.

When our 1/2 Trakehner  1/2 Arab filly was born she was worse.  Thankfully, I had recently seen posts, etc. on other forums about the windswept condition and recognized it ... my daughter hadn't and was absolutely petrified because this filly was bred for upper level Eventing, one of the few times we bred to an outside stallion.   The vet wasn't alarmed at all and confirmed that she should be fine with time.  The condition is aparently not uncommon in Warmbloods and even Thoroughbreds.  It's not often seen in smaller breeds, but does occur with large foals. Depending on the severity and the individual, correction can take as long as a year.

As I said, our filly was much worse and VERY wobbly when she walked, unable to trot.  By 2 months of age it was barely noticeable and she moved well at all gaits.  By 4 months she was COMPLETELY straight.  I know you can't see much in this pic, but she is 4 months here and all straightened out  gallery_89_25_121768.jpg   88.25K   1 downloads

She herself has now produced 2 colts, the second by a large warmblood stallion, and both strong and straight.  You really can't see from this angle, but here she is at age 4 years with her first foal
 Qetesh_and_09_colt.jpg   69.38K   0 downloads

Again, windswept usually corrects itself as the foal gains muscle/tendon strength.  All we did for our filly was give her sufficient exercise which, in her WORSE case (sorry I don't have any pics to show you how bad she really was) meant at first in a small paddock, then pasture.  And, yes, she did grow up to jump ... cleared a 5' fence easily as a yearling ..... out of the pasture, then jumped back in again   when we went to catch her, lol.    Now undersaddle, she schools well over fences and in dressage.  She'll go into real work when this year's colt is weaned and she returns from the party leasing her.

[DKZ]

<edited> Larapintavian and I must have been answering at the same time.

It usually is nothing to worry about.

[Acorn-Arabians]

Bri Sha Arabians, on Apr 3 2010, 11:25 AM, said:

Good Afternoon everyone,

I just received an email from Tamie at the rescue. She is the one who helped me with the neighbor who abused the mare and colt we sold.
Well turns out Ella did settle to our stallion Sir Leeo Allad. The foal was born at midnight last eve, and Tamie said it took 3 hours for the foal to stand. When she called on the vet to have the filly checked out he told her the foal was "Windswept".

Ella has large foals, the only information I can find on the net say's this happens with large foals and also from being in the uterus for so long. Heck she's 1/2 grown...LOL

I am wondering if anyone has heard of this condition or is it possibly known by another name in the Arabian world?
Any help would be much appreciated.

I have attached a few pics of this cuttie, it just looks like to me that she's not up on her feet and to compensate she is leaning. Her legs look very straight and damn LONG. What am I not seeing???

Sharon

I also had a filly with what I called windswept legs - and it really looks like they layed in the uterus so long while the bones were soft that the legs fit together and are swept to the side.   I worried quite a bit - and even sent pictures to the University in Colorado for help.  After a few months - she was fine.  Never did anything about it, just let her move around and get some exercise.  She wasn't lame or anything.  But it sure was scarry to look at!

[larapintavian]

I believe I read somewhere that fillies are more often born windswept than colts ... but I could be mistaken.

[Angella]

I had heard that it can be caused by a selenium deficiency

[NAF]

I don't think they really know what causes a windswept foal, I have had a couple of them born and mostly it seemed to be really long legged foals.  It does no harm to the foal and they out grow it .  No shortage of selenium deficiency here.  One of my foals was born a little early and really looked a mess, but he grew into a beautiful stallion.  Sometimes birth does not go the way nature intended and then nature corrects it.  Our vet prescribed exercise and that did seem to help. It could be the placenta.  did you weigh the placenta?

[Acorn-Arabians]

Our mare was a very short coupled mare - and I thought the baby must have been crowded -

[Bri Sha Arabians]

Good news then nothing to worry about.
Thanks

[Bonnie Kenney]

I had a colt that was extreme and it did straighten itself out but I did do some corrective trimming to make sure his legs were where they needed to be.  He was very long legged and had a huge growth spurt at six months hence the ferrier

[Shanaz]

I guess it don't always straighten itself out.
We rescued a 22 year old gelding from an auction and he is badly windswept.
I don't know his breeding... he has a bit of a dish and could be part Arab, but unfortunately the Auction house does not give any info about the previous owner...