A Horse with shivers???

F

Foxyeventing

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 March 2009
Messages
168
Visit site
Can anyone help me as to:

How to manage shivers?
The first signs and sumptoms??
Can the horse still work?

Please please help???
confused.gif
 
My big lad has shivers. They don't really require much management but his are quite mild. The only thing I really notice is that he finds it difficult to pick up one particular back foot for picking out or farrier (because he can't support his weight properly on the other one). Farrier wedges him into a corner to shoe with no problems. On a good day I can pick out all four feet, on a mediocre day he might rest the bad one for me to pick it out, and on a bad day he won't pick up at all. He's currently having a course of osteo and physio due to spavin diagnosis and both practioners find it difficult to work on his "dodgy" side.

I can't comment about the first signs and symptoms as he was diagnosed when he was 5 - he's 13 now and I've had him nearly a year so he wasn't with me when he was diagnosed.

Yes, he still works. The shivers don't cause him any problems at all. He sometimes finds it a bit difficult to step through for lateral work on his worst side but that's it. My farrier shoes a few shivers and says a couple of them are very bad, yet still SJ at a high level. He tells me my boy has it very mildly so it doesn't affect him much, whereas the other horses are incredibly difficult to shoe but can still compete regularly. Mine does a bit of everything but hopefully we will eventually affiliate BD, and he goes hunting.
 
There has been a recent post regarding Shivers to which I left some links. If you put shivers in the H&H forum search you should be directed to it.
 
Thanks applecart that was me, those links were brill, but i just wanted some owners opinions of how to go about it and what to do??

My chap is a 17.2hh warmblood gelding. He snatches his hind legs up high no shaking and then releases them, a vet, not mine, a friends has suggested he has shivers.
 
[ QUOTE ]
There was an article in H&H a while ago about tying up (is this the same as shivers?)

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horse-care-index/1370/102087.html

Sorry I can't be of anymore help, but if you google 'Horses tying up' there is a lot of info.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, tying up (azorturia?) is to do with not processing protein properly isn't it? My boy shivers but (*touch wood*!!) has never tied up. Shivers is a neurological thing.

I think tying up and shivers can be related in that they can both be symptoms of EPSM.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top