Would someone like to tell me what shivers in horses is??

"Shivers is thought to be linked to subtle damage to the spinal cord (main nerve supply) and vertebral column (backbone) in the lower part of the back. In the past it was mainly seen in large heavy horses who were put under a lot of strain, eg. when pulling heavy carts and wagons. It is most often diagnosed in Clydesdales and other draught horses who are under three years of age.

The main indication of shivers is a shaking of the hindlegs, particularly when the horse is backed up. It sounds as though you and your horse can cope with this problem, but you'll just have to be careful not to put him in situations where a lack of control of his legs will put you and him in danger.

The condition is likely to worsen with age and can sometimes reach the stage where the affected horse cannot move at all. Long-term use of anti-inflammatory herbs or homoeopathic medicines may be useful in such situations."

I found this......all I really know is they cant really walk backwards!!.....
 
Ooh thanks for the explaination, doesnt sound very nice though :(. Its awful when horses end up with syndromes/diseases etc. If only there was a cure for everything! Its even worse though when people decide to abandon horses because they have a few problems.
 
Having had first hand and very positive experiences with a shiverer I discovered there are many horses who shiver competing at top level including International showjumpers and top flight chasers. keeping the horse very fit and on a high oil diet helps enormously. Often the condition only shows when the horse is stressed. Unlike stringhalt it often does not show under saddle at all (as long as you do not rein back).
 
really? So they can basically just go on sort of normal as long as there on a high oil diet? What about when they get old? Do they start falling over? Sorry for being a numpty, just im intrested!
 
I used to ride an amazing horse. He had shivers.
You couldnt pick out his back legs (or pick them up to shoe)
He would pick his back leg up and it would shake.
but he could be ridden and do small jumps (was mostly shire so couldnt jump huge)
So they can continue pretty much as normal :)
 
I've had two horses with shivers. One, a 16.2 Trakehner, who you could hardly pick out his back feet, but he was an absolutely incredible mover and jumper. He's almost 24 now, and his current owners love him to pieces and still do small jumps. Also one of my current boys, a 16.2 Gelderlander x shire. His isn't in such an advanced stage as the Trakehner, but since he was abused by previous owners and we're pretty sure he used to drive, he's not had an easy life. However, he's around 14 and he loves to jump - not nimble enough to sj effectively, but that's probably due to his breeding too! He loves xc and is as brave as they come. So, in my experience, shivers isn't a particularly big deal :)
 
shivers/stringhalt are both neurological so there is damage somewhere. many horses continue to work well and do the job in hand but it is a degenerative condition. you will need a very patient farrier to do the hind feet, and the horse may require bute prior and after shoeing to settle the nerve pain. they are often best shod or trimmed with the foot underneath the belly (not ideal) or under sedation. they can lead happy useful lives but their life is shortened as this is degenerative.
 
An old horse that I had with shivers had great difficulties in laying down. His legs would start to tremble as he tried to buckle and he would stop, then he would just fall the rest of the way. It never stopped him having a good roll every day though. You do need an understanding farrier though as some think that the horse is just being awkward.
 
My 22 year old shire has shivers. He actually lifts his leg and shakes it. He also has stringhalt so has a very strange movement in his back legs. He is now hardly ridden but when I do ride him you never notice there is a problem. I have a very patient farrier and yes it is easier to have his feet trimmed with him holding his hoof under his belly.
 
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