Q. My horse is swollen under his girth area on both sides of his body. There isn’t a sore; the area just seems very tender when I groom it. The girth does not seem to be rubbing. What could be causing this problem?

—Jackie Harper, via e-mail

A. This is not an uncommon finding you are describing with your horse but one that can be a bit tricky to figure out.

Though you mentioned it does not appear to be the result of rubbing, I would check your tack closely to make sure that excess pressure in the cinch or girth is not occurring at the swelling site