Trembling back end - Any ideas?

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Can anyone shed any light on our big 10 year old Appy please? He’s been trembling in the stables and we’ve always put it down to new stables in a new home, we’ve been here 6 months but only just started using the stables. ,He looks up to the hills and trembles usually mostly around his hind end and not really his shoulders, neck or front legs. We thought perhaps he could hear hunting as they’ve just started up around here. Anyway, the last couple of times my husband has ridden him, he’s been trembling behind and sort of tucked up and then when my husband gets on, he’s then very stiff for a few strides and then completely fine throughout the ride. The first time it happened he looked all wrong behind and then a quick walk round the yard and it was fine. Physio is coming next week and our vet the next week for routine injections but will get him checked over. In fact our vet saw him shaking a few weeks ago when they came to scan him and do a thorough work up( he’s been recovering from a suspensory and has now had the all clear to crack on in proper work as all the rehab has been successful.) The vet just put it down to nerves or excitement but now I’m beginning to worry our boy has something else going on. He’s always been a weak individual. We gave him a year off with his suspensory but I’m concerned there’s something much more serious going on now .

 

[TPO]

PSSM is common in appys. Definitely worth speaking to your vet about.

What colour is his urine? Is it a darker shade?

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

PSSM is common in appys. Definitely worth speaking to your vet about.

What colour is his urine? Is it a darker shade?

Interesting, thank you. Urine is normal as far as I can tell. Just done a quick google and his symptoms do sort of fit. Ive looked up shivers and wobblers before as I thought it might be one of them but PSSM seems more likely

 

[TPO]

Interesting, thank you. Urine is normal as far as I can tell. Just done a quick google and his symptoms do sort of fit. Ive looked up shivers and wobblers before as I thought it might be one of them but PSSM seems more likely

That was my first thought but obviously get a vet and discuss everything with them. They've seen the horse and are the only people qualified to make any diagnosis.

I liveried beside a pssm appy who displayed the same symptoms that you've described, but that doesn't make it a conclusive, or the only, option.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

That was my first thought but obviously get a vet and discuss everything with them. They've seen the horse and are the only people qualified to make any diagnosis.

I liveried beside a pssm appy who displayed the same symptoms that you've described, but that doesn't make it a conclusive, or the only, option.

I’ve spent a while reading up about it anecdotally on HHO today and some of the comments could be describing him and it makes sense of his recent behaviour. I’ll call my vet next week

 

[SEL]

Sounds like my Appy and she has type 1 pssm.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Sounds like my Appy and she has type 1 pssm.

Really, that's interesting. Ive started treating him like he's got PSSm now. I've rugged him up and my husband rode him today in an exercise sheet. He looked a lot more comfortable when he was being mounted. I've ordered some Vit E too. Can U ask how you manage her? How old is she and what are her symptoms please?

 

[SEL]

Really, that's interesting. Ive started treating him like he's got PSSm now. I've rugged him up and my husband rode him today in an exercise sheet. He looked a lot more comfortable when he was being mounted. I've ordered some Vit E too. Can U ask how you manage her? How old is she and what are her symptoms please?

She's 14 now but retired because I struggled to keep her in work and then she damaged a hind suspensory.

Pssm needs to be in consistent work to use up glycogen so you can't really pick them up & put them down.

She's very sensitive to the weather- especially rain - so is rugged about 100g more than a normal horse!

Otherwise it's low sugar / starch as much as you can. I have a selection of muzzles....

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

She's 14 now but retired because I struggled to keep her in work and then she damaged a hind suspensory.

Pssm needs to be in consistent work to use up glycogen so you can't really pick them up & put them down.

She's very sensitive to the weather- especially rain - so is rugged about 100g more than a normal horse!

Otherwise it's low sugar / starch as much as you can. I have a selection of muzzles....

Thank you. Mine did a suspensory too and I remember reading it was usually secondary to something else. I now think the something else is PSSM as he broke down when we started more collected work.