Stringhalt and shoeing..

[eventer28]

My friend has a 4yo, 18hh, 3/4 ID x TB. He bought him this summer for the job of hunting. The problem is that the horse has stringhalt in his offside hind and its impossible to keep his leg up for shoeing.. The horse was cheap but the stringhalt wasn't disclosed at the time of sale! Buyer beware and all that! Never mind we have to deal with it. This horse has been fittened without hind shoes and is showing all the characterstics of an excellent young hunter. BUT his hinds really need shoes to stand up to the work that is required. The farrier said to use sedalin gel but others have said sedation wont work at all.. Can anyone offer any help or advise??

 

[Pidge]

try him on NAF D-Tox - worked wonders on Pidge's stringhalt. Also can you spin him for 10-15mins prior to being shod as this helps. Pidge is worse if shod direct from the stable.

 

[YorkshireLass]

Are they sure it is stringhalt? Has it been properly diagnosed? I mention this because the ID blood means there is a good likeleyhood that it is EPSM/PSSM. Also, many horses that are diagnosed with stringhalt actualy have a form of shivers... there are more shiverers than stringy horses, especialy where draft horse blood comes in to the equasion. Stringy horses usualy only exhibit the problem at a walk and are fine in all other paces. The stringy horses I have had dealings with have been fine to shoe.

Shivers/EPSM horses are a nightmare with the farrier. The have involuantry muscle spasams and simply can't keep their leg up! Shivers horses can be helped.

The shiver is usualy exacerbated by stress, so if the farrier gets grumpy and puts the horses lack of co-operation down to badness, this simply makes matters worse. Long and low is the way to shoe a shiverer, with lots of breaks.

If the horse still can't cope you might find that hoof boots, or a proper barefoot trim are the way to go.

If the horse is a shiverer/EPSM then it can be helped with diet therapy which could well reduce the shiver and the horse can make a full recovery and lead a normal, useful life. The diet therapy can not harm a 'normal' horse.

Here are a couple of links incase they ring any bells with your friend.

http://www.thehorseshoof.com/KendraEPSM.pdf

http://www.ruralheritage.com/vet_clinic/epsm.htm

 

[eventer28]

Spin him??? Do you mean lunging?

 

[eventer28]

Thanks for your response! Great info! He certainly is mostly ID and is by Darcy Dancer. He hasn't been officially diagnosed as stringhalt so could be EPSM or shiverer. He does only get the hitch at walk every now and again or when he first moves off from a stand still. His leg goes up and out. He moves beautifully in the school in trot and canter. We will defo start him on the high fat diet..

 

[Patches]

[ QUOTE ]
Spin him??? Do you mean lunging?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm guessing Sue meanins Lungeing, but I have this strange mental image of you blindfolding the horse and spinning him in circles to see how long it takes him to go dizzy!

(I remember that "game" when I was young)

 

[catembi]

My ID mare had mild stringhalt, worse one side than the other. Luckily we had an experienced & patient farrier who used to shoe her by holding her feet very low to the ground so as not to start off the spasms. Whereas a previous guy who was a complete p**ck tried holding her feet right up & got really stroppy when she *couldn't* do it.

We had her properly sedated by the vet to try to help the 1st guy but it made no difference (except to make her slightly unsteady) because sedation can't help the involuntary spasms.

So get a farrier who's come across this before & knows what to do & you'll be fine.

 

[eventer28]

LOL...

 

[YorkshireLass]

Sounds like my EPSM/SHIVERS Shire horse! There are a few people on here with EPSM horses, but I strongly recomend you get in touch with Dr Beth Valentine (she can be contacted via Rural Heritage.) She is lovely and helpful... tell her all about the horse and see what she says.

Vets and feed companies in the UK don't seem to understand/know about the condition, despite it being so common.

you might also find Brad's Draft horse resource helpful. Some of the people on his message board are experts on all aspects of massive horses, especialy epsm. http://www.draftresource.com/

 

[AmyMay]

I had a horse a few years ago that had real problems holding his back legs up for the farrier.

However, with sympathetic handling it was never a problem to shoe him. The farrier just had to bend down that little bit further - only ever holding the foot a few inches from the floor, and giving plenty of rests in between.

Not sure why sedating the horse would help.

 

[Pidge]

oops sorry yes, lungeing or loose schooling before being shod if been in box overnight. was at work so have to nip on here quickly

Also try the D-Tox as prior to putting Pidge on this he would always pick off hind up and jerk it around and it would then be the 2nd attempt to get it picked out. Now I have no problem and it is only occassionally I have a problem.

 

[teabiscuit]

our shiverer gets worse under stress
if we stick a bucket of food under his nose when the farrier gets to nailing on the shoe it takes his mind off it and the farrier has an easier time

also found cool calm and collected food supplement helped reduce his shiver

good luck, sounds like a fine young horse otherwise

 

[YorkshireLass]

[ QUOTE ]
found cool calm and collected food supplement helped reduce his shiver


[/ QUOTE ]

That is because it contains magnesium and vitamin E.

Lots of people with Shiverers feed them magnesium based calmers (despite the fact that shiverers are usualy the sweetest, laid back souls) Very good for correct muscle function!

 

[faerie666]

You've had some really good advice from everyone else so far, I'd like to add that it may also be worth getting a physio to have a look at him. One of our pointers shivers and it's caused by low grade arthritis in his neck. He improved about 80% after our physio treated him.