I tripped over this video trying to research an issue with my 15hh, 26 yr old mare (I know, doesn't fit the profile). She walks like she's slapping her back feet down, better on grass, pronounced on concrete. Trouble transitioning surfaces. Fine at the trot and canter. Sometimes hyperflexes backing up. This is my first horse and I've had her for 12 years. I've never seen a horse with shivers or stringhalt before. Excellent presentation with videos - very helpful. My vet's evaluation was minimal and declared that it might be hind end laminitis based on hoof sensitivity. Well, after 2 days stall rest, the hoof sensitivity was no longer present but the slap and hyperflexion still is. Your presentation tells me a more thorough exam is required - I truly appreciate the posting of this.
Thank you for this research and making the video available! I wish I'd known about this study sooner. I have a 19 year old gelding that has been diagnosed with stringhalt. He is a registered breeding stock paint with quarter horse blood lines, 15.3 hands. He trots fairly well and canters beautifully but his walk is terrible. He actually can back better than he can go forward, turning is a major problem for him. He recently had to stay in because his pasture mate had stall rest due to PPID and they are extremely buddy sour. Standing in the stall made him much worse. We have the vet sedate him for the farrier, it seems like he doesn't trust himself to stand on 3 legs. He hasn't always shown signs of stringhalt but at six months his dams owner was going to have him put down due to being club footed. If you're still accepting DNA samples and videos, I'll send them in. I'd love to find an answer and help him if there is anyway!
So my vets are perplexed. He tested negative for the basics, epm ect. But my horse does the exact shiver motions with his hindend but exclusively in the canter and its both legs, somtimes simultaneously, somtimes its not. Hes completely normal at the walk,back,and trot. Turnings fine, pole work fine, raised poles fine. But the canter causes him to just about fall down, and he has gone down a few times due to it. Hes retired now, and enjoying his retired life but I'd like to have an idea of what it is. He was tested for vit e deficiency, hes in range. I have him on vit e supplements with selenium regardless though.
Interesting video. I had a horse that a vet said had both shivers and stringhalt, although she didn't do an in depth examination, after watching this video I think she was right. He had trouble picking up his feet and would try to give me the opposite hind and he had difficulty backing. He had the regular forward gait abnormality that the stringhalt horse had in the video (both legs affected) his was at the walk and canter. I got him better at picking his feet up by doing it everyday. At first I would just ask him to lift it up and put it down and then when he was calm about doing that I slowly increased the time I asked him to pick them up till I was able to pick them up long enough to be able to trim them. No pressure on him, if he was having a bad day I just left them. Once I had him to where I could trim them I noticed he would pick them up for some people that he knew but with other people (strangers or people he knew) he went back to not being able to pick them up. Just mention this in case it helps someone with this part of the shivers.
Thank you so much for this video! Currently I have (in training)a horse that suffers from shivers syndrome and I couln'd get much info about it even from my vet. This is SO invormative!
Excellent clear presentation. My 3 year old 17hh mare could have Shivers or Wobbler syndrome. Hoping it is Shivers as it seems to be less serious. After watching this I feel reassured. Thank you!.
Fascinating video. My horse was diagnosed with shivers 3 years ago and is definitely showing signs of progressing deterioration. It's very helpful to learn more about this disease and what we can expect going forward. Thanks!
I would like to offer my horse for similar studies. He has a diagnosed proprioceptive deficit to his left hind. His right hind seems to be taking more of the weight and now he has been snapping up his hocks since irap treatment. He’s been taught back since a yearling and I think is part is relatively ok. He is a 9 yr old quarter horse on 6000 units of vitamin E since he was 3.
Thank you. Very informative. We have a horse at my barn who fits the shivers profile. I'll talk with the owner about donating some hair for genetic research.
Thank you so much, having just got a young warmblood (18hh) diagnosed with shivers this has given me so much additional information. It would be great in future research to know how it typically progresses, although it seems like there is a big variation between horses
I am thinking my old 35 year old horse has either mild shivers or hip pain. After watching this video, I can see he used to react to cold water with lifting his hind legs. Within the past few months he has began flexing his hind legs when trying to trim. His gates are more normal, but he has always been resistant to back up. His symptoms have always been so mild I never thought anything about it until now. I'm working on lifting his legs differently to not get the flexing reaction. If I pull the leg back, he tends to not feel the need to flex.
Have you tried putting a muscle relaxer shot in one of the main muscles that you hooked up to the electrical impulse machine? To see if that could help with the Ferrier so the muscles were fighting each other.
