Horse with shiver gone lame?

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MagicMelon

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So I have a horse who has shivers in a hind leg, it was looked into prior to me having her and vet decided it was shivers and left it at that. She does the usual of picking it up while standing about / walking about in the field but never does it while Im riding or while standing while being groomed/tacked up. I dont think its a bad case as she's fine to reverse up (doesnt get stuck etc. like I know some struggle with) etc. Last week she's gone lame on that leg. Nothing at all to see, no heat/swelling etc. Gave her a danilon and next day she was sound. Then next day back to being lame. Lame enough you can see it easily in trot, but wouldnt know in walk and she tanks round the field no problem at all so I dont feel its hurting her enough to be hobbling about. Im just leaving her out (she lives out) and not working her, but of course my mind is starting to freak out that she will now be permanently lame. Does this happen with shivers? Obviously Ill get vet if she doesnt improve but dont want to spend a fortune straight away if she's just pulled something, as theres nothing to see I imagine vet will instantly go down the usual xrays etc.

I just want to know if this is common with a horse with shivers? I know its degenerative but I thought Id see signs like it would happen far more slowly and Id see muscle wastage etc. I really wouldnt say she does it that badly.
 
Get the vet out, they won’t immediately xray etc! Could be anything, even an abscess in this milder weather. No point second guessing especially with a progressive condition like that x
 
Yep, the only answer is the vet, as @Bobthecob15 says, they'll start with a good look and an opinion.

To give a view on the side question (no medical qualifications here, just a longtime owner of a shiver syndrome horse and another ataxic one, both healthy and functional), then no, it's fairly unlikely Shivers as such will cause 'sudden' onset lameness. It can be degenerative (though good, consistent exercise and bodywork can help enormously) and its generally it's the impact on the muscles (of the snatching/shiver response) that leads to increasing tightness and soreness.

So maybe, she's pulled something due to a 'shiver', but if you haven't noticed an increase in it triggering… probably a lot more likely it’s a coincidence and she's just pulled something doing some odd horse thing. The fact she looked better after a danilon suggests its soreness/soft tissue? Good call there and useful information for the vet.

Anyhow - my advice - firstly call the vet and see what they think if she doesn't come right in a couple of days (timeframe is yours choice, you know her). If you haven't already, I'd follow it up with finding a good physio/bodyworker (particularly if the vet finds tight muscles, hamstrings and also suggests it) who's familiar with managing shivers well - its will cause tightness so if you can get everything loosened off and learn some good stretches (tail pulls, etc) and a bit of massage, your horse will thank you.

Oh and rein back is your friend for shivers! In hand anywhere is just fine, 10-15 steps every day will help keep those nerve pathways to the hinds firing well.

Its worth reading around about shivers too - its not doom and gloom - to be fair there's a few different flavours of it and not a lot of solid research on it, so even our professionals are working on (decent) theories some of the time. So it's best to be informed, not to second guess the pros, but to empower you to spot and invest your cash/time in the professionals who are best informed on the subject and have the best skill set in this case :)

Essay over... its a pet subject!! Lots of luck :)
 
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