shivers

[AprilBlue]

what does it mean if a horse suffers from shivers?

 

[MrsNorris]

Its a neuromuscular condition which results in abnormal, spasmodic movements in the hind legs and sometimes tail. Usually starts with the horse snatching his hind legs away when you pick them and can progress to where it may be hard to lift legs at all. Some horses have it mildly and can continue to work normally for years, there was one at college where I trained and you would hardly know he had it unless someone told you. It has also been associated with EPSM (equine polysaccharide storage myopathy), but I'm not sure how common that is in this country. Do you have a horse with shivers?

 

[AprilBlue]

no i don't but i just wanted to know what it meant. Does it look like wobbler syndrome?

 

[MrsNorris]

Think wobblers shows more as tripping, stiffness and uncoordination, its more serious than shivers and caused by compression of the cervical spinal cord, though think it can also show up worse in the hind legs to to the positioning of the nerves which lead to the hind end.

 

[AprilBlue]

can horses grow out of shivers or is it permanent? also is it common in horses?

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Permanent and gets worse over time. Don't know how common it is.