injured leg due to kicking a fence

Question
QUESTION: I have a 6yr old american paint. She was recently placed next to a horse in a stall she didnt like and tried kicking him. the main frame of the stall and the posts are steel poles while the breaks are a wire. I believe she kicked the steel post. it has been two days and have been ice packing and walking her around but her leg remains swollen. what is another option and how long can swelling last before it becomes a problem? its also possible she is still kicking at a horse in the next stall.

ANSWER: Hi Brandie -

Sounds like your in a bad spot.  Will the people that own or manage your barn consider moving your horse to a safer spot?  Is our mare in all the time or just at night?  Is she lame?  As for the swelling, ice is okay but the best thing you can do for it is hydro-therapy ... hose it for 10-15 min twice a day.  The walks are good if she's getting around okay.  If she's still in the same environment that causes her to kick, then the swelling will probably remain until the aggravation is removed.  You will need to talk to the barn manager or owner and ask to be moved.

Looking forward to hearing back from you Brandie.  You're doing a good job with this!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: no shes not lame. she is walking and putting full weight on it. as far as we can tell she has stopped kicking at the horse next to her and there is no other place at this moment to move her to. as for the hydro-therapy what is the lowest outside temp this can be done at. we are in utah and have been in the low 30 at night with high time days at maybe 55-60. i was worried about using a hose on her.

Answer
I'm so glad to hear that she's sound!!!  As for the temps and hosing the leg, you'll be fine with the temperature range you mentioned here.  A wet leg won't hurt her and the cold water will increase the blood flow to the area and help reduce the swelling.  I'm pretty sure that you'll notice better results from the water than with the ice ... let me know okay?

Thanks and keep up the great work!

Judi