Success stories Re: Wobblers - are there any?

Rudey

Rudey

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My friend has received some bad news today as her young mare (just turning 3 years old) was diagnosed with wobblers. :( :( :(

A bit of background: just as the mare was approaching 2 years old last year, she started with lameness symptoms. She was at times unsteady on her feet, and her coordination went to pot if she was cantering and stopped suddenly. On occasions her back end would go, and she would either end up sat down like a dog, or even, fallen onto her side.

My friend had the vet out, and they did all of the usual checks, and some wobbler tests too, which in fairness, she passed. Just as an example, the vet had commented that horses with wobblers are unable to back up. This little mare could back up very well - at speed too!!

It was unclear at that stage what it definitely was, and so the vet recommended my friend to turn her away for the year, and advised limiting food intake to prevent growing. From what I understand the vet was hoping the mares growth would settle down, and she would grow out of it.

Over the last year the mare has made tremdous progress. Her balance and coordination has improved no end. She is able to canter around the field without problem.

At the beginning of the year my friend asked the vet to come out to check on the mares progress, and for an expert opinion. The mare appeared to have an awkward action in her stifle. Xrays were carried out, and nothing was found. The vet referred the mare to an equine specialist, and after investigation, her worst fears were confirmed. There is a problem with bone growth at the base of her neck, which is putting pressure on her spinal cord.

The vet was honest with my friend and warned her of the harsh facts of wobblers. In his opinion he did not advise her to go for an operation. In fairness he said he would only consider such a serius operation on a horse that was worth a hell of a lot of money.

What I am wondering, given time, could there be further improvement? I appreciate that seeing is believing, but honestly, the difference in the mares action a year ago until now is hugely dramatic.

Are there any horses out there which have lived a normal life after diagnosis? Have they been able to be ridden? I'm not talking about a successful career in show jumping, but just a pootle around at home perhaps.

I have read up about wobblers, and I understand that it is far from straight forward in any sense, and I do appreciate it is a very serious condition, which can have drastic implications. Everything I have read is negative, but you always find people concentrate on the bad, right? What about the other end of the scale?

I guess I am just hopeful that there may be some positive success stories out there too. xx
 
Appreciating the good luck vibes for my friend, thank you. I'm everso sorry to hear of the experience you have witnessed. :( It's so unfair. It always seem to happen to those people that actually look after their horses.

I am told the vet had said to my friend if the mare became unmanageable/dangerous, then my friend would have to consider her options. :(

I am far from an expert, but I am ever hopeful bearing in mind the massive difference and improvement in the mare in merely a year. What could another year or two bring? xx
 
I have known horses recover from Wobblers but, they were caught early when symptoms first appeared.

I am sure that the foal, either in the birthing process or soon after, misaligns its neck and this causes the bone growth to put pressure on the spinal cord.

The first horse I saw treated was a big 3 year old filly that showed the symptoms, falling over when messing around and falling when she tried to turn sharp. One vet diagnosed Wobblers and suggested that she was seen by another vet for confirmation. When the second vet arrived she was lame with a foot abscess so that was treated with him returning after ten days.
In this interim I had a chiropractor who uses Applied Kinnesiology for diagnosis and she rectified the misalignment in her neck.
When the second vet arrived when I ran the filly up she did a voluntary untrained high school performance. The vet remarked that a wobbler could buck but that it would not have its feet under in on landing and to throw her out in the field. This was 20 years ago and the mare is still being ridden.
The other involved the same chiropractor. When she was at a yard in Eire, a foal was just about to be put down as a wobbler because it could not suck from its dam without fainting. A quick adjustment and it was able to feed.

On the other side of the coin, often there is to much damage for a horse to recover when adjusted and euthanasia is for the best.
 
Hi,

Sorry but I wouldn't even consider riding a horse with wobblers. We had a horse turn up at our yard from Ireland, nice big bay irish sports horse. He was a 5 yr old at the time and TBH everytime I rode him he felt drunk. We had him for about 6 months, and he was in fairly light work but never looked "right" he wasn't really lame, just uncordinated. He too could back up if and passed our initial tests when he arrived. 6 months later though as he grew more and obv. got more muscle we had him tied on the yard one day, he went to pull back from the string being a bit naughty and fell as if he had been shot, he seemed to be out cold for a while. He then got up. We had him PTS a couple of weeks later as the wobblers had got worse and after speaking with our vet it would have been a very big risk to even just retire him to the field as the chances are he would have hurt himself worse while out unsupervised. I know its heart breaking but you would be better to PTS sooner rather than later, they don't "grow out of it" and working them correctly tends to make them worse as flexion i the neck often speeds it up.
 
My mare was diagnosed with wobblers (C6 / C7 vertebrae) when she was 4 1/2.
I chose for her not to have the operation and retired her.
At 6yrs old she had a foal (who is now rising 6 and has just started eventing).
Since her foal she has been very happily living out 24/7 all year round.

It is unlikely now that the your friends mare is 3yrs that she would be able to grow out of the wobblers. It really needs to be caught when they are foal as they still have so much growing to do then. Though your vet should be able to recommend the best diet for her to be on.

Not sure where you are based but i used the Royal vet college in Potters bar and would highly recommend them.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions
 
Sorry to say we had a 12yr old ex bsja mare diagnosed with wobblers, despite passing a 5 stage vetting 6 mnths prior, and was pts for her own safety.

She was fine in walk and trot but very un-cordinated in canter and struggled to jump, despite a lot if winnings on her card. My vet reckoned it was accident related rather than a genetic thing - I just hope the previous owners were un-aware of her condition, as find it hard to stomach that they would try to sell her with knowledge of her condition.

RIP Summer......
 
Had a labrador with possible wobblers put to sleep just 2 weeks ago. Just 18 months old. Used our equine vet so he knew what he was looking at. Easier to manage than a horse with wobblers but there was no hope of cure, just rapid deterioration.
 
A few years ago now i was just starting to bring my 3 rising 4 year old into work. He was a big lad and always abit clumsy, but we had never thought anything of it. He had never fallen but on a few occaisions his back end slipped as if it was giving way. We put it down to him being a big lively boy/slippy ground/ charging round like a lunatic in general. Looking back now we should have spotted the signs maybe...
As soon as we started breaking him we soon realised he wasnt quite right, and the more he grew and developed it was obvious something was not quite right.
Vets confirmed Wobblers and we had him PTS.

RIP Ollie x x
 
My mare was PTS at 16, the diagnosis was a narrowing of the cervical vertebrae, over a matter of days, she was stumbling and losing control of her hindlegs, my vet suggested I try steroid treatment, but the vet hospital said there was no op, or treatment likely to cause improvement, so I made the hard decision to day goodbye to her. I would have happily had her as a field ornament, but I was too scared she would fall and break a leg in the field - which I was told was likely.
 
WhereI usedto work there was a filly who was born with suspected wobblers.
When the mare was 18 months old she fell into an old stone feed trough in the field and had to be rescued. She then did it again a few months later and injured herself very badly. She was PTS on scene.
 
There is an op which can be done but I couldn't find anywhere in UK that would do it. Only in US. I was going to fund raise to get ours fixed.

As I understand some are born with genetic fault which results in a narrowing of the 'tube' that runs along the spine in which the spinal cord sits in resulting in pressure on the spinal cord at one or more vertibrae.

Ours appeared to be out of line through her back when we bought her and my mctimoney prac suggested wobblers which my vet confirmed. Most wobblers have loss of control of their limbs and the thickened vertibrae seem to be most often on the neck. She had fairly good control of her front feet, vet wasn't sure if it was because she watched her front feet but couldn't see the back! or if her thickened vertebrae was further back.

She had fairly good balance and could trot and canter up the field, always came rushing when you called her but looked drunk behind. We had her for a year, summer in the orchard and winter out with 1 other. In that time she never fell. She was rehomed locally as a companion while she was tolerably sound and very happy, but life expectancy was not great due to the risk of injury. I was honest that the vet suspected wobblers. I have lost touch though so I don't know if she is still here.

I was advised not to stable her as she would be less likely to hurt herself if she fell in the field. I rode her once and she was lovely, made real effort at an outline and clearly knew her job so her symptoms must have developed after backing.

The vet said due to the risk of falling she should not be ridden, also there is a chance it is genetic so not to breed from her, also the baby weight would but pressure on it causing her to be more likely to fall and injure herself/the foal.

Sorry it's not so positive as you would like, best of luck to your friend but please be brave if the outlook is not good.
 
The Royal vet college in Potters bar do perform this op. And i know Liphook do also (as well as a lot of other places i expect).

The nerves to the back end are on the outer of the spinal cord and the the nerves to the front end are inner of the spinal cord which is why the back end usually appears worse than the front.

There has been no wobbler gene found.

It always used to be in big fast growing horses, nowadays however all breeds seem to have this due mainly to overfeeding (and growing too fast). It can also be caused by the horse having an accident.

If you have a myelogram this will highlight the spinal cord on xrays and then you can place the head/neck in different positions to see what situations will place more pressure on the spinal cord and which won't.

If your horse has been diagnosed with wobblers then your insurers deem your horse not safe to ride.
 
My boy was diagnosed with wobblers about 4/5 years ago. I got him as a 4 straight of the track and when I started working him he appeared to be going lame on different legs constantly! After xrays, scans, tests and just about everything else we had wobblers!!

I turned him away as a companion horse even though the vet said he could still do light work and hacking- no jumping! It didnt work out with the companion home so i got him back and he lived out for a while, then I moved him to where my other one was and decided to try and work him a bit. He liked his work before and was getting a bit bored now he was stabled too. In total he prob had about 18 months or so turned away.

He came back almost sound and we started doubting the orginal diganoises, back to vet but it was still confirmed as wobblers. Vet said turning him away and letting him chill and rest and grow etc has obviously helped a lot which it can do. Very slowly started working him, building up muscle (and manners!!) and letting him take it at his pace.

He's now completely reschooled- ive taught a novice man on him, the girls at he yard have hacked him out and we're going to venture out and try a little W&T test soon. He comes out looking a bit short sometimes but I lunge on a big circle for a bit first or have a walk/trot round the school with no contact and it sorts itself out!

Canter was the worst to start with but lots of big circle lunging and straight lines out in the fields help, once he was able to hold himself a bit more like a normal horse than racer, back into the school to work there. I dont canter too much but so far *touch wood* he's been fine!

Hardly anyone realises theres anything wrong with him, even the vet was surprised how well he's come on and put it down to a long rest time and slow build up to working and working 'correctly'. Hes never going to be GP dressage horse but he's my donkey and all the time he's happy doing something I'll keep him going :)

I wouldnt say he's dangerous to ride because of it- the most that happens is a little trip every so often but i've ridden 'sound' horses that do it more than him! The farrier slightly adapted his front shoes so when he didnt pick his feet up properly it didnt have such a 'bad' effect. If i ever thought it was dangerous or he wasnt happy I'd stop!

There are hope for horses with wobblers and anyone that tells you 100% different is talking rubbish!! :) My old trainer knew a PSG with mild wobblers- obviously didnt stop him too much!

When I first did research on it there was talk about Vit E and Selenium being of use, the donkeys been on it ever since- i dont know whether it was that thats helped too but who am i to argue! He can stay on it!!

Essay over!!! PM me though if you want to know anything else! I've just typed random waffle here before I forgot so it may not make sense!!

- I dont know if i do have a signature on this forum (I cant remember!!) but if I have Linney is the Donkey with wobblers!
 
I have just nipped online to quickly read through all of the posts before I dash off to the yard. Thank you everso much for all of the responses - the good, and the bad - it all helps our understanding on such an awful condition. I will respond in greater detail when I get home later. Thanks guys xxx
 
Foxhunter thank you for your post, contents are definitely of interest.

When I spoke to my friend about the prognosis, I asked her about physio exercises, but at that point she didn't think it would be of any help as the problem is that the bone has grown to much in her neck. It may be something she could approach the vet on - just for the sake of possible relief at least? Thanks for the information xx


Kara Thank you for your response. I am so pleased to learn that your mare bred a lovely healthy foal that has gone onto eventing! That is amazing!

Breeding from my friends mare had been a suggestion too. It's too early days for her to consider it now I guess, but, with the success you have had with your mare, it is something to bear in mind for her in years to come perhaps.
I chose for her not to have the operation and retired her.

My friend has gone through Minsters at York. When she arrived the orthopaedic vet watched her walk up for him. After two minutes of merely looking at her, he had pin pointed where the problem was based, in the neck, not the stifle (as it appeared to us). Xrays confirmed this.

My friend doesn't post on the forum, but I have sent her a link to the thread, so if she has any questions, I may take you up on the PM offer thanks xx
 
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Spotsrock Thank you for your post. The vet told my friend that the operation was extremely high risk, in that there is the possibility of paralysing the horse due to work carried out by the spinal cord.

I did ask my friend whether she would be prepared to go for the operation - she said she would not be prepared to take the risk. She said if the odds were a 99% success rate she would do it.

Thank you for the good luck vibes for my friend xx

jo_currie Your post is of great interest to me - thank you for responding! It is lovely to hear of a success story! :)

Bearing in mind my friends mare is a smidge off three, I wonder if a few more years of an easy life will make all the difference for her? A year off has resulted in a dramatic improvement in her balance and coordination already, what could she be like in a few more years?

From the sounds of it, I do not think my friend has the intention to ride her mare, she has been advised by the vet that it is not worth while in a horse with wobblers, for various reasons. However... look at you!

I will tell her about the Vit E and Selenium suggestion, I am sure it will be of interest to her.

Yes, can see your signature, he looks a really nice lad. A credit to you, well done xx
 
Rudey said:
My friend has received some bad news today as her young mare (just turning 3 years old) was diagnosed with wobblers. :( :( :(

A bit of background: just as the mare was approaching 2 years old last year, she started with lameness symptoms. She was at times unsteady on her feet, and her coordination went to pot if she was cantering and stopped suddenly. On occasions her back end would go, and she would either end up sat down like a dog, or even, fallen onto her side.

My friend had the vet out, and they did all of the usual checks, and some wobbler tests too, which in fairness, she passed. Just as an example, the vet had commented that horses with wobblers are unable to back up. This little mare could back up very well - at speed too!!

It was unclear at that stage what it definitely was, and so the vet recommended my friend to turn her away for the year, and advised limiting food intake to prevent growing. From what I understand the vet was hoping the mares growth would settle down, and she would grow out of it.

Over the last year the mare has made tremdous progress. Her balance and coordination has improved no end. She is able to canter around the field without problem.

At the beginning of the year my friend asked the vet to come out to check on the mares progress, and for an expert opinion. The mare appeared to have an awkward action in her stifle. Xrays were carried out, and nothing was found. The vet referred the mare to an equine specialist, and after investigation, her worst fears were confirmed. There is a problem with bone growth at the base of her neck, which is putting pressure on her spinal cord.

The vet was honest with my friend and warned her of the harsh facts of wobblers. In his opinion he did not advise her to go for an operation. In fairness he said he would only consider such a serius operation on a horse that was worth a hell of a lot of money.

What I am wondering, given time, could there be further improvement? I appreciate that seeing is believing, but honestly, the difference in the mares action a year ago until now is hugely dramatic.

Are there any horses out there which have lived a normal life after diagnosis? Have they been able to be ridden? I'm not talking about a successful career in show jumping, but just a pootle around at home perhaps.

I have read up about wobblers, and I understand that it is far from straight forward in any sense, and I do appreciate it is a very serious condition, which can have drastic implications. Everything I have read is negative, but you always find people concentrate on the bad, right? What about the other end of the scale?

I guess I am just hopeful that there may be some positive success stories out there too. xx
Click to expand...

My friend has two with wobblers and they are companions enjoying life in the field.
 
Many thanks to everyone that has shared their experiences on this thread. I'm really sorry to learn of your bad experiences with wobblers. RIP ponies that were pts - a terrible decision to have to make. :( xx
 
There is hope!!!
My 11 year old sports horse was diagnosed and operated on as a 2yr old. He has competed in BE Novice since 2009 and has a 100% clean XC record over 30+ events. We have to be mindful that he cant do complicated dressage movements as his flexibility is limited but we win at prelim and novice happily enough :D he show jumps round 1.20m but needs space to move in between fences - he is 17.2! The bad news is my Joe is one in about 5 horses in the world to compete after this surgery so the odds are not very favorable but, if we can do it then there's hope for others - hope this helps :o
 
There was a girl on my old yard who's horse I am sure had wobblers (someone told me once and from memory I am sure that's what it was) He was about 18 and was doing dressage (locally) and hacking, we just had to be considerate of him when moving him around, don't expect him to turn very tightly etc, he had a huge stable so he could turn around etc.

However I also have a friend who had bred the most beautiful foal who was unfortunately PTS very early on after being diagnosed with wobblers. He kept sitting like a dog in the field and according to the vet this was because he lacked to coordination and strength to actually get up when he had been lying down.
 
Re. Wobblers:


Sad advert (IMO) on NFED :(

Over 14.2hh Offered Photo Not Submitted

Advert No: 86806
Posted: 28/01/2013
Location: Wimborne
Dorset
Contact:

Web Site:



Description
Free to good home. Bay TBX mare, 8 years old. Has slight wobblers which does not affect her at all. Very gentle but is not a novice ride. Up to date with everything vaccinations, worming, teeth, shoes etc. Due to my health I can no longer give her what she needs. Comes with head-collar and rugs. Tack negotiable.
 
We have a decent showjumping horse who was based away and was diagnosed with wobblers aged 12 by a well known equine clinic in the south-west, the diagnosis was made following a series of xrays and wobbler tests. He had gone suddenly lame when coming in from the field. It was on his third visit he was diagnosed (three months later) after previous joint injections in the neck and hock. The horse then returned home and to us seemed very weak behind generally, he would really drag his feet and it would worsen with exercise, we rode him a couple of times and he seemed very uncomfortable. Luckily he was insured and went straight into our vets in Newmarket. From initial tests (such as the backing up / crossing legs over) they too thought he was a wobbler but following x rays bone scanned him and found he wasn't at all. He had fractured a bone in his third trochanter (thigh) which had caused him to compensate his movement (although he wasn't lame) and by continued ridden work he had developed sacroilliac pain and got very weak behind, not helped by the fact he is a big horse and quite long backed. He is now coming along really well and should be jumping again within the next few months. The initial equine clinic sent him home with some steroids and a letter saying he was a diagnosed wobbler and safe to jump up to 1.20m but no more (which didn't make sense to me as either he was safe to ride or he wasn't?!). Before discovering the root of the problem our vets told us that if it was wobblers it was relatively mild and whilst he may deteriorate down the line, he could still be ridden, we would just have to play it by ear, definitely didn't advise to PTS so I would have carried on riding him if he was comfortable, but of course wouldn't have sold him or let anyone that works here ride him, as it is obviously a risk. He hadn't been observed ever falling over but was generally 'wobbly' behind. Obviously every case varies in its severity. Is the horse insured? If so it may be worth pushing for a bone scan? I know that cases like ours are very rare and we were lucky but if its an option it would be worth looking at. A bone scan would also give more information on the extent of the damage as an xray so wouldn't be a waste of time even if it just confirms things and may give a better idea of what the options are.
 
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