Horse slamming back foot down when picking out feet - Shivers??

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itsmyparty

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Our poor big ginger lad (off work since March) now seems to have developed yet another problem. For the past 2 weeks, when having his off rear foot picked out he has been slamming it down to the floor after just a few seconds. If you work with him and are VERY patient (think 5 mins to get him to keep it up long enough to pick out the foot) he will eventually relax enough and not hop around all over the place. We had the vet over and she put him on bute and a week's box rest - no difference. Farrier came and checked him too. Said he was just being "naughty", possibly remembering an old injury or discomfort. When the vet came back again she said it might be the start of "shivers" (neurological condition which means he can't pick up his back feet). Anyone had anything similar? This poor lad is going through the equine medical dictionary from A-Z.

PS he's always been brilliant to pick up all of his feet, very light in the hand.
 
The horse I ride is a shiverer and she reacts differently. (A )she finds it very difficult to pick up her hind legs (farrier is an absolute star with her) and (B) she doesn't slam it down rather snatches it high up to her belly, leg shakes and trembles, you have to then encourage her to lower the leg slightly and then she can manage to hold it there. The only time she slams the leg down is when she loses her balance so if you make sure she's got her weight distributed evenly to start with she can usually cope better. saying that I usually manage to strain my shoulder when trying to get her left hind up
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(she's a very tall 18hh +)
 
It could be

I had a horse that started to do that and was soon after diagnosed with hock spavin.

It sounds like a feathermite reaction does the horse have any mud fever perhaps? or thrush?
 
My big shire (18.2hh)has shivers and stringhalt. With shivers his back leg shakes and trembles and if he is not balanced he nearly falls over. My farrier is great with him and like the above I let him hold his leg where he is comfy and then pick his foot out. He has never stamped it down
 
There's nothing obvious in terms of mites or thrush. Thinking back though, he was stamping his foot back in the summer. What would I look for in mites? He has VERY little feather of any kind. When you pick his foot out it's almost as though he's going to lose balance and fall over, so he hops and then slams the foot to the ground. He's not a naughty horse, very genuine and kind.
 
I knew a shiverer a while ago, amazing horse, shire x.
If you went near his back end, he would snatch his leg right into his tummy, and refuse to put it down until you stepped away.
We only ever picked out his front feet.
 
I recently had a wrong diagnosis of mite for the same reason - it turned out that he had an infection just behind his knee (foreleg) which was causing him discomfort when picking feet, so he would pull foot away and slam it down.

Turns out is an infection (vet diagnosis) but very tender and very similar in symptoms to mite.
 
My TB does that sometimes - as he has a locking stifle in one of his back legs ... so if it locks while I'm holding the other one up he must think he's going to lose his balance and stamps his foot down.

I think you'd have noticed the locking stifle if thats what it is though - unless its just very mild and unlocks before you realise?
 
Go on to Google and do a search on EPSM or PSSM , you might find it of interest. Actually it does sound a lot like shivers to me.
 
Stringhalt perhaps?
Try getting him to rest his toe on the floor and then pick the foot up that way rather than forcing it up high. works for Pidge
 
Sounds like it could be. My horse has shivers, worse on one side than the other. I can pick up both front feet and his left hind no problem but really struggle with the right hind. It seems to be more of a case that he can't support his weight properly on the left side rather than won't pick up the right, if that makes sense. Strangely enough, he is better with farrier because I think he's realised that he HAS to do it for farrier but doesn't have to for someone weak and feeble like me!

He has to be wedged up against a wall for support to pick out that foot, or lift it for farrier. Apart from that, it really doesn't affect him much. He needs more physio than a normal horse would as I think it makes him a bit stiff and sore sometimes, but only maybe once every 6 months instead of every 12! He also has good days and bad days with them, and I know whether he's feeling stiff by how he picks his feet up and moves. Also snatches one very occasionally when standing, whcih is quite characteristic. He was diagnosed aged 5, now 14, and it has never got any worse. Certain feeds make it worse though so I have to avoid anything like competition mix - he just has basic chaff and high fibre nuts, with oil if he needs more energy.
 
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