horses with shivers

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KingCharles

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Has anyone got any experience on the condition known as shivers in horses?

My friend has just taken on an ex hunter, 17.2hh irish draught hunter, that has shivers. She has known the horse for 9 years.

Whilst on a hack out with her today, the horse kept randomly kicking out with one hind, it was a very powerful kick and his leg came out fully extended to his body. Whislt he kicked his ears where pricked and he was going foward. Was wondering if this could be related?
 
that is what horses with shivers do a lot in my experience its a nerve thing with the back leg (friends horse has shivers). He swings his as well when standing and kicks out
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My 18.2hh shire has shivers and stringhalt and he is fine. He is 20 now and had it when I got him when he was 10. Vet has told me there is nothing that can be done for it. Its worse when he is not ridden but is certainly doesn't stop him hooning round the field with the others
 
My friend has a horse with shivers and you'd only know when trying to do rein back which he finds tricky, or farrier shoeing his back legs as he finds it hard to pick a hind leg up and hold it how the farrier wants, but he's ok with perseverence! He got to prix st george dressage so can't be too much wrong with him
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However, the random kicking out could well be related to the shivers I would have thought, but like the posts above said there's not a huge amount you can do to treat it, just try and reduce signs by regular exercise, turning out 24/7 if poss.
 
thankyou.
friend used to ride the horse years ago and he never used to kick out with his hinds before. The way he was kicking out on the hack was quite dangerous and very random. her horse managed to kick my horse in the shoulder. Then on the way off the yard he kicked through a wooden fence. The kicks where so random that none of us where expecting them. they where not bucks, he just struck out with a hind. he is not aknown kicker as he was a huntmasters horse and has hunted most of his life, and obviously if he was a kicker then he would never of been able to do his job.

She has taken him on to hive him a quieter life, he will mostly be used for hacking and schooling, he used to hunt all day.

The concern is that the kicks where so random, and a 17.2hh horse kicking out like that is dangerous. Im lucky that my horse was not badly injured, it could of been a lot worse.
 
has he been hunting this year, ie has he recently had a drop in work load? not sure if this could caus this or not though.
 
he has been out of hard work for a bit, just been kept ticking over. So he isnt as fit as usual. i suppose that could be something to think about. friend is having a lesson on him tomorrow so we shall see how he goes in the lesson, and if he kicks out at all.
 
My 17hh IDx has shivers, though only very mildly so doesn't kick out when ridden. He occasionally does it when standing still and struggles to pick up his right hind (or struggles to put all of his weight on his left hind, whichever way you want to look at it).

Mine needs fairly regular physio or osteo treatments to keep him moving well, as he gets sore across his SI area because of it. Perfectly manageable though and my farrier says he shoes some pretty high level SJers who are bad shiverers yet still capable of performing.

Feeding is important. I can't give mine any sort of competition mix as there is just too much protein and starch in them; they make his shivers much worse and it's almost as though he seizes up. He gets adlib hay/haylage and his his hard feed is fibre based, so currently he's having Baileys High Fibre nuts, chaff and sugar beet with a balancer. A high oil diet might help him too as it's a better source of energy for shivering / EPSM horses than sugars.
 
I know 3 shivers and none of them have ever done that kicky thing it sounds bizzar to me could it have been something simple like an itch??
 
My 17.2hh gelding also has it and does this. Ive had him 10 years and it started with him lifting a hind leg up and out to one side very very rarely about 4-5 years ago. He had colic surgery and was on box rest for 4 months, after this time the random 'leg out' became more often, when ridden or tied up, he brings it right up and out but he is always aware of other horses/ me as once I was standing on a chair clipping his bum when he did it but not out enough to reach me- Im wary now though just in case! He also finds rein back difficult, and takes a short time to get comfy for shoeing. He's now in full work too and I believe better for it.

I would advise your friend (presuming only 1 leg is affected) to keep others on the safe side, if its both then to tell people to keep away from both. Sounds like the horse isn't able to control or limit this action, like my boy did when I was on the chair.

As already said I believe regular exercise/ turnout is a must
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