So sorry you are dealing with this. I have not had good luck with shivers and would not wish it on anyone. It is a very frustrating disease and it is harder on the horse than I think people realize. Since it doesn’t always present “obvious” painful symptoms, people don’t realize how much it affects the horse mentally. I firmly believe that the disorder is painful for the horse. I have seen some huge changes in personality in the horses with shivers I’ve known. They can get really miserable, really fast, in part because they’re compromised, and I also believe the muscle wastage/atrophy causes residual pain from compensation elsewhere.
Shivers isn’t really ambiguous - it is a progressive disorder, and gets worse overtime. What’s ambiguous is the rate of progression - some horses decline much more rapidly than others. Bute should not really affect or change their affliction if they have true shivers, but it’ll help if the horse has other issues that are presenting like shivers.
What do you mean by hyperflexes the hind legs? Only while backing up, or while going forward? Going forward would make me look into other reasons for the neurological issue, especially given his age.
What works best managing a horse with shivers is putting it on the following regime:
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full 24/7 turnout. A shivers horse without full turnout will never do as well as one out 24/7.
- high vit E dose (8000 IU seems to be the norm)
- high fat low starch diet
The reasoning for full 24/7 turnout is that it allows them access to grass, but it also really conditions their bodies and toplines, which is tremendously helpful for horses with shivers who, eventually, will start muscle wastage. Having that extra bit of condition will help them down the road. A fit shivers horse is, in my experience, physically and mentally sounder than an unfit one. Keeping their condition up by turnout & grass has made a night/day difference.
One thing I have noticed about horses with shivers is they do much worse if you make a big deal about them not being great with their hind end. When you ask to pick it up, they’ll almost always snatch it – and that’s okay, don’t follow with it and force it in a specific spot, they are snatching because they need to stabilize the limb – wait for them to almost put the foot down, and then try to pick it. If that means you’re picking the hoof while it’s almost flat on the ground, that is okay too. In my experience, horses with shivers are aware they are having trouble with that limb and get very defensive over it, so you’ll need to always approach it calm and quietly, and not make a big fuss or punish them for it - (which I probably don’t need to tell you).
There does not always seem to be a correlation between their difficulty holding the hind end, and their coordination undersaddle - some horses can barely lift their hind legs yet are competing quite well. You will know it is time to retire once you notice general atrophy of the hind end & thighs - at that point the disease will have progressed enough that US work is unfair to the horse because they lack the appropriate muscling to do the work. Generally, horses with shivers are not super sound to begin with and can/will be held or spun at events here.
Keep an eye on your horse’s hind end condition, and his tail - those are your most obvious signs, IME, that shivers is progressing. Some shivers horses are rideable but make sure you are not taking advantage of the horse’s good nature - most horses are very stoic, and don’t let on that they are in pain while in work. If they are striding short, or having difficulty with easy movements (IE, picking up the right lead, extremely tight/tense) then they are unsound and should not be ridden.
The biggest issue when it comes to riding shivers horses comes from the fact that shivers rarely produces an obvious leg lameness, so people ride the horse even though it is uncomfortable. Don’t be one of those people - assess the horse critically - a horse can be lame and not be limping on a leg.
You may want to talk to your farrier about shivers and make sure the farrier understands the disease - however, some owners do blame shivers for Dobbin’s bad hind leg manners, so you will need to arm yourself with some concrete knowledge because if farriers had a nickle for every time they heard “Dobbin’s just got XYZ that’s why he’s so rude” they’d be able to retire at 35… Some farriers are better than others when it comes to not taking it personally, but some do not want to work with a horse with a cerebellum disorder and who could blame them - the horse could end their livelihood with an accidental fall.
Another thing some owners have done, and you need to talk to your farrier about this, is rasp a little hoof between trims - nothing drastic but enough to keep flares from happening, as some people prefer longer trim cycles because it is so hard on the horse. The farrier will need to show you this and you should not be doing it without his/her instruction first, but I have seen some boarders/clients take this route with their shivers horses with some good success. Buy a jack - teaching the horse to put their weight on the jack while you work around it really helps – and, some farriers, mine included, will keep the hoof on the ground while they trim it. It’s a major PITA for the farrier but finding one that understands the disease will make it much better for the horse. Talk to your farrier first because some will not shoe horses on dorm and I do not blame them.
The biggest issue is shoeing behind; ultimately, this tends to end the horse’s riding career before the actual disease does.
My other concern is, I think 40m of lunging every day is way too much - especially for a horse with shivers. Shivers is neuromuscular and lunging is very hard and repetitive on the body, which is something you want to avoid in a horse with a neuromuscular disease - exercise intolerance is not uncommon in shivers horses in light of this.
One more thing - my experience has been that shivers seems to come hand with PSSM and MFM. I don’t think the disorders are linked, necessarily, but I have seen several shivers horses also have PSSM or MFM - something to consider.
Good luck.
