Thinking about a possible purchase.
Under 10k, cute lower lever prospect, (under 8yrs) with a very mild case of shivers. He’s over 17 hands & checks all of my other boxes, I’m I nuts to consider this? I’ve owned one before that didn’t seem to progress with any severe symptoms, is this the norm?
Nothing more than maybe 1st level and plenty of fun hacking.
I board, so early retirement is a thing I do need to worry about.
I would say nay, based on my experience. A horse that size with a neurological condition can become a real danger both to itself and to the people handling it as the condition progresses. And it may not progress. But if it does, know that your horse may suffer significant discomfort and you may be putting your farrier and barn staff at risk.
I’ve been there and would not choose to go through it again, personally
Thanks for the info 
I have one that I got at that age and 3 years later he is much BETTER, not getting worse. I do manage it with diet, exercise, turnout, keeping him warm, etc. He is currently schooling 1st-2nd level and my FEI-level coach feels we haven’t maxed out his potential by any means. I also board, I don’t worry about early retirement with him. But depending on your location, some of the management parts might be more difficult than others. For example, I live in New England and the winters are pretty hard on him (and me, by extension) and lots of turnout is not the norm for boarding so I had to search for the right situation for us.
Depends on how much management you would need to account for, and how willing you are to have it progress.
Given the number of sound horses that are about to hit the market due to the costs of hay and everything else, I would be inclined to pass unless the horse was literally my dream in every other way.
Listen to this podcast in full before deciding https://thehorsefirst.libsyn.com/. All about shivers and stringhalt.
I wouldn’t pay that kind of money for a horse with issues already. Especially ones that progress?
Are good healthy horses that hard to find today that we even consider it ?
Yes. I haven’t seen a trained, healthy horse for under $10k in a long time.
I bought an FEI schoolmaster with mild shivers and he taught me so much! It never progressed beyond having a hard time holding his feet for the farrier (they had to be supported or his legs shook).
I showed him at 3rd level, did trails, jumped, and generally had a blast until he retired. He lived happily in pasture until age 28.
By any chance could you lease for 6 months and keep a close eye on things to see if they’re progressing quickly? I’ve heard of horses who maintain mild symptoms well into their late years but I’ve also known a horse who has noticeable changes even with in a 3 month span. For me, that’s the real issue. Will he be a long time partner or are you paying for heartache as you watch your horse horribly decline with in just a few short years? It’s such a gamble.
My horse’s symptoms stayed relatively mild through about age 8, and there was a noticeable decline from 8-10. I semi retired him to a Training Level home at 10 and he was euthanized at 11.
I too have had an experience with a wonderful older schoolmaster who had to be put down at 21 after 5 years together. It went from a little trouble with the farrier but capable of 2-tempis and cavaletti to being impossible to trim, getting cast in the stall and lying down in wet places outside. The deterioration accelerated towards the end. It was very hard for the farrier to deal with. I would not recommend it to anyone in general, I think only for those precious professors, and only under careful management. I wish I could have tried gabapentin to help him more but I heard about it here too late.
I have an older schoolmaster that’s still showing, he will eventually need to be retired. I also have good local resources and can manage a lot of maintenance, but I’m not a miracle worker either.
I sold one that had super mild shivers.
Everyone gave me S,÷/ in sale appointments
The horse was amazing!!! Just shook his leg when you picked his feet a little.
New owner got him for a steal and he’s still amazing!
I can’t imagine why anyone gave you “ S,÷/” in a prepurchase conversation about a progressive neuromuscular disease with no cure. Note this is sarcasm.
Sorry, but a horse like that should be a “steal.” It needs careful management and it isn’t “shakes his leg a little” forever. We should not be so blithe about degenerative neuromuscular disorders.
Sounds like some people are confusing this with wobblers, EPM, or other neuro conditions, because I know of many horses who led long and healthy competition lives who have had shivers. My guy has evented up to Prelim, always passed the jog, and never had issues under saddle. It was always just on the ground when putting studs in or picking out his hind feet where you had to be mindful, but it never progressed.
As many said, you need to find a farrier who has patience and experience with this type of horse. Supplementing with vitamin E can help alleviate symptoms. Massage therapy and chiro, lots of turnout to keep muscles loose and happy as well. But by no means is it a death sentence in every case, so I would take others’ opinions with a grain of salt.
Thank you! I see way too many people minimizing the effects of shivers, and certainly I felt it was played down by those advising me when I bought my horse. Everyone will tell you about the ones who never progress, and are showing FEI dressage or jumpers, but I believe they are outliers.
Nobody will tell you about the cost of IV sedation to trim feet every 5 weeks, the anxiety of watching your heavily sedated horse sway back and forth as your brave farrier risks his life to do a quick trim, or the heart stopping moment when your 1,500 animal crashes to his knees. They won’t tell you that your horse may struggle and shake just to lie down, and that they may lose their balance walking on uneven ground. Most importantly, they won’t tell you that shivers can often be painful for the horse, even if they are stoic enough not to show it.
Neurological issues are dangerous for the horse and for the people handling it. They shouldn’t be minimized.
The problem is you don’t know. Your horse never progressed. Others progress. Some progress very slowly. Others decline very rapidly.
I’m not confusing it with wobblers or EPM or anything else. It is neuromuscular disorder that has no known cure. There’s nothing that can be done to reverse the progress of the disease. You can try to manage it with careful management but a one-horse boarder is at the mercy of available boarding situations.
Minimizing it because your horse never progressed doesn’t mean that those who had to put horses down young because their animal became a danger to their handlers don’t exist. I can think of three off the top of my head that were humanely destroyed before age 12 due to rapid progression, and their owners did everything right. A massage doesn’t fix the defect.
As someone else said, I’d do it for a been there done that fancy schoolmaster. I’d not take on the risk and expense for a 1st level/trail horse that could become a pasture pet at any moment.
Thank you for an excellent podcast. Everything Dr.Audrey De Clue says makes sense to me, a human subjected to numerous ultrasound or fluroscpic guided injections. Some successful, some not-nerves are smalll, not always easy to target.
However, I have known in my life at least two horses with stringhalt, both of these horses improved with careful progressive physical fitness.
@cheektwocheek. You say you have a Schoolmaster who will likely retire in the near future. What are your plans for that horse? Do you have a retirement plan for him?
Since clearly no one can predict the future progression , or not, of the prospect your only question is what do you do if he does progress? Can you accept euthanasia as the outcome of the situation? Can you afford two horses in retirement?
The price of this prospect with an unknown future potential due to a condition means, to me, the price should be on the very low end of the 4 figures
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