Muscles twitching when ridden?

[Fun Times]

I wonder if it could be his sinesis or even something as daft as a blocked tear duct? Although that wouldnt explain why the shoulder twitiching only occurs when tacked up. I hope you find some answers soon.

 

[cookster1975]

Thank you Fun Times - I wandered the same thing but I had to call the emergency vet last night though as his eye was worse and thank goodness I did because he had an ulcer on the cornea
He now has to stay in for a week and has anti biotic eye drops etc etc..... Once that's sorted we'll go back to investigations for the twitching etc but vet thought it best to leave for now while he's irritated by the eye problem. Poor chap - it's a testament to his amazing personality that he put up with the physio prodding him around yesterday when he must have been in lots of discomfort

 

[Fun Times]

Sorry to hear that cookster, that sounds very painful. You are right, he must be a good natured fella to have not objected more strenuously! Fingers crossed the antibiotics get to work fast. Keep us updated as to his progress, good luck!

 

[Noodlebug]

Just to let know my horse was referred to RVC eventually and has a cyst in his sinus and also a cyst on TMJ. He has the cyst in his sinus removed tomorrow along with the tooth that he causing it and his TMJ medicated.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

Hopefully then you have sorted the problem and he will be ok. Good luck and keep us updated on his progress please.

 

[cookster1975]

Just to let know my horse was referred to RVC eventually and has a cyst in his sinus and also a cyst on TMJ. He has the cyst in his sinus removed tomorrow along with the tooth that he causing it and his TMJ medicated.

What were your boys symptoms? I'm pleased you have some answers and can hopefully resolve his issues. Fingers crossed all went well.

Things have improved for Blake slightly. His corneal ulcer healed up really well within a few days and the eye now looks back to normal thank goodness. His itching / twitching has improved a lot since a really good bath in dermoline shampoo. I think the hairs from his clips were irritating him even though I hot towelled him after both. He's a very hot horse and with rugs and wot not I think his skin was really irritated. It was also quite dry and scurfy so he's been having Apple cider vinegar and a lo cal balancer added to his feed.

The only ongoing is the slight head shaking. He's doing it less now I'm riding more and I'm wondering if it was high spirits/frustration as he seems to be enjoying getting out again. Have to keep an eye on it and see how we go. I tried a nose net but that was irritating him more so he rubbed it on the floor and made a bl**dy great hole in it!

 

[cookster1975]

How do I post a video? I can show you what he was doing....

 

[BBP]

I was going to suggest PSSM for the muscle twitching (muscles cramp due to excess glycogen and polysaccharide build up in the cells), horses often get pulsing/twitching muscles and are quite agitated, looking at sides and tense, during an episode. But if it's gone since bathing it can't be that. Worth bearing in mind though. Blood tests can indicate if the horse may have it.

 

[Silverfire]

While googling about low potassium in horses have come across a couple of interesting articles on head shaking in horses. Try feeding salt.
http://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/neuro/head_flick.html
http://www.tcmequine.com/Adrenal_dysfunction.html

 

[Silverfire]

How do I post a video? I can show you what he was doing....

You need to put it on youtube or somewhere like that and then copy and paste the link here.

 

[cookster1975]

Ah thanks. He's had full bloods done and they were all clear. Funnily enough I have started feeding salt too. Not quite sure what's working so am carrying on with it all!

 

[Cello_song]

It's so funny reading this - I had exactly the same symptoms from my mare this time of year in 2012.

It took some amount of digging to get to the bottom of it!

Vet initially thought ovaries - scanned her and thought there were enlarged follicles on each side so started her on regumate. No difference, even though I persevered for around 3 months.

Vet also referred to physio so whist on the regumate she was treated regularly by the physio - she kept tightening up behind the saddle area. I also rode her in a nose net in case it was a head shaking issue and she had full bloods ran.

Still no improvement so she was scoped for ulcers. All clear.

At this point my vet was scratching her head so horse was referred to Horsepital for a loss of performance work up.

The lameness team assessed her first, they initially thought no lameness, but thought she did have her quarters held ever so slightly to one side. Further investigation revealed a fracture in one of the tiny bones in the hock joint. Both my own vet and the equine hospital vets had never seen the strange muscle twitching as a symptom of a fracture but that was indeed the culprit!

If your horses symptoms persist I'd recommend going to an equine hospital for a full work up - I wish I had instead of wasting time and insurance money barking up the wrong tree with the regumate!

 

[Noodlebug]

My horses symptoms were headshaking after he was ridden with him twitching on the left side ( he does have a cyst that side which I have been told is nothing to do with it). He would put his head on the floor and just stand there with the occasionally flicking of his head. He now has had a upper molar removed which broke and then had key surgery the next day to remove the remaining tooth and then following day the sinus op and both TMJ's medicated. He then had emphysema under the skin as the sinus was leaking air. That took about 5 days to finally go away so that he now doesn't look he has a huge head and neck or sound like bubble warp when you stroke him!! I was told that he was going into himself and that it was nothing to worry about! It been a long 3 weeks!!

 

[Bex88888]

My mare has been having the 'fly twitching' for about 5 months now, and when really bad she bucks also. It seems to only be during and after ridden exercise, including when saddle taken off. A lot of the time it is when you go to touch her but before your hand even reaches her (even with her eye shielded so she can't see your hand coming). She has had a full vet work up, bloods, back x-rayed and scanned, tried on Regumate for about 6 weeks, bute trial etc. She was scoped for ulcers and found to have some, she was treated for these with omeprazole, and a month after treatment they were not present on re-scope. She is on a maintenance dose of omeprazole still at the moment. The twitching went away for about 2 weeks, however it is back now! It didn't seem to have any link between the ulcers clearing up as she was still doing it when scoped the second time when the ulcers have gone? She has had her teeth done and saddle checked, also McTimony chiropractor checked and treated her back. She is a good doer and has a beautiful shiny coat and hasn't been rugged for all the time it has been going on. She lives out with a shelter. The most recent of occasions, she was fine exercised at home but when travelled on the lorry to a local event (10 mins away) she had the same behaviour after about 10 minutes work. Unfortunately we still don't seem to have a permanent resolution to this :-( any ideas?

 

[applecart14]

Jb

Hi thanks for your reply. I don't think his saddle is the problem as he's doing it bareback too, but you're right about physio. My problem is that I've never found a decent one! my experiences with McTimony (sp), physio etc haven't been very positive. I guess I could ask for recommendations on here?

Gemma Key Veterinary Physio, based in Midlands, will travel. See her website http://gemmakeyvetphysio.com/

My testimonial is on there!

 

[FieldLab01]

Hello - I found this thread in searching for answers as my mare has the exact same symptoms. When writing she seems to have a muscle spasm near her left side girth shoulder area and starts quivering and throwing her head she full body shakes and continues that on and off and it doesn’t matter if I have a saddle or bareback.

Was there ever a diognosis? She is a very calm and the sweetest. She runs Around the field just fine and tax up just fine nothing seems to bother her except when we ride she start spasming on her left side and shaking her head quite often. It just breaks my heart and I would really like to know what it could be.

 

[Love mares]

Take a look at the website ....is this what you mean ? I found this useful ........calmhealthyhorses.com/musclo/intro_musclo.html

 

[Myloubylou]

I had this with my mare a couple years ago, the remedy seems to be to feed salt as per calm healthy horses site. Cheap to try

 

[SunRaisa]

My mare has been having the 'fly twitching' for about 5 months now, and when really bad she bucks also. It seems to only be during and after ridden exercise, including when saddle taken off. A lot of the time it is when you go to touch her but before your hand even reaches her (even with her eye shielded so she can't see your hand coming). She has had a full vet work up, bloods, back x-rayed and scanned, tried on Regumate for about 6 weeks, bute trial etc. She was scoped for ulcers and found to have some, she was treated for these with omeprazole, and a month after treatment they were not present on re-scope. She is on a maintenance dose of omeprazole still at the moment. The twitching went away for about 2 weeks, however it is back now! It didn't seem to have any link between the ulcers clearing up as she was still doing it when scoped the second time when the ulcers have gone? She has had her teeth done and saddle checked, also McTimony chiropractor checked and treated her back. She is a good doer and has a beautiful shiny coat and hasn't been rugged for all the time it has been going on. She lives out with a shelter. The most recent of occasions, she was fine exercised at home but when travelled on the lorry to a local event (10 mins away) she had the same behaviour after about 10 minutes work. Unfortunately we still don't seem to have a permanent resolution to this :-( any ideas?

Hi just wandering if u got to know what it is?

 

[Pinkvboots]

Hi just wandering if u got to know what it is?

It's a 5 year old thread you probably won't get a reply now, if your having a similar problem start a new thread as people often see it's old and don't comment.