Large (draft) breeds of horses are sensitive to CPL (Chronic progressive lymphedema). This incurable condition may be partly genetic and affects the lymphatic system and the elastic function of the skin. Characteristic are the thick ridges on the legs of the horse. Read on this page what CPL is exactly and if you can do something against it.
What is CPL?
CPL occurs in the horse’s legs, mainly the lower legs. The lymphatic vessels of horses with CPL no longer work properly because there is too little elastin in the tissues. As a result, moisture accumulates in the lower legs and the legs become thick and the characteristic ridges are formed. Studies show that the fluid not only accumulates, but that the flow of blood and fluid is also much slower. Desmosine (amino acid) is responsible for the elasticity of the fibers. Horses that get CPL often have a low amount of desmosine in the beginning, but a lot of desmosine is released over the years. This changes the elastin network and becomes an abnormal network, causing lymph fluid to spread more and more in the leg.
CPL is incurable, the only thing you can do as an owner is treat the symptoms.
The symptoms of CPL
CPL can be recognized by the characteristic folds/ridges on the lower legs of horses. Often at a young age of the horse (younger than 2 years) it is already visible that the horse has CPL, then the first wrinkle usually develops in the pastern cavity. CPL often starts low on the leg (under the bullet) with flakes, cuts, a ridge and fluid in the legs. It is often difficult to see these first signals because often the horses have a lot of feathers. The older the horse gets, the worse the ridges get. The ridges create breeding grounds between the skin folds where fungi, bacteria and/or mites can house well. This causes itching that makes the horse stomp and grind and which causes more and more wounds that also cause irritation. The complaints are often worse on the back legs than on the front legs.
