falling down

A

almorton

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2 March 2008
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GreyGates Sport Horses Lancashire
www.greygatessporthorses.co.uk
we are having problems with my friends horse at the mo, he keeps falling down for no apparent reason. big horse @ a good 16.3 hunter build and 6yo. vet has checked him - nothing. not lame, not even after flexion. feet arent brilliant but shouldnt be the cause. doesnt seem to make a difference if he is due for shoes or just been shod. he seems to do it on all surfaces, school, lunge pen, hacking etc. ridden / lunge. saddle fits fine. flatwork ok. can be a little lazy but not enough to take this sort of a nap mid schooling session! he is going to leahurst for consultation, but anyone any ideas? def not a wobbler. anyone come across anything similar? its just heartbreaking for her, had him since a foal so full history known and nothing amiss apart from this!
 
Look up narcolepsy. There have been one or two cases discussed on the forum and this article in H&H.

Sometimes I wonder if there is anything else can possibly affect them - then up pops another strange and unlikely disorder........
frown.gif
 
Do any of these sound familiar in any way? I don't know how to do links but he following are in the vet section & I've put the current page numbers but they may have moved back a bit if you don't see this post straight away. If anyone knows how to do links that would be helpful!

Update on fainting horse, page 91

Any ideas? Or coincidence? page 95

He fell over again, I'm really worried now, page 79

Huge (((hugs))) to your friend, I know how she must be feeling.
 
Good luck. My tb was initially "diagnosed" with narcolepsy but I wasn't convinced, she didn't seem at all drowsy before or after and literally went from being completely normal to being on the floor - and then back up and fairly ok, if a little shaken. The vet thought it might have been something called vaso-vagal syncope, which is really just a word for fainting.

Apparently it does affect them when they're "doing" things, much like your friend's horse. It can be anything from grooming to certain movements when ridden, but it seems there is very little known about its causes or treatment. I searched all over here and the internet but never found anything conclusive. The problem was that because there was no cure or treatment, he couldn't pass my horse as fit to ride. We didn't send her for tests though as she also had advancing arthritis - being younger and sounder, your friend's horse should hopefully have a brighter future.

Anyway good luck for the horse, I hope he is ok.
 
I'd have his heart checked out too. Horses commonly have heart murmers, and the heart works very hard in big chaps like this. It could be that he can only work for so long, and then the defect shows up. At least he is able to go to Leahurst - brilliant place!
 
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