Shivers

[Farosh]

Hey what are people’s experiences with horses with shivers? Just want to know because I’ve never had one with it.

Tried a horse with it and the horse is amazing. Like incredible. Has been doing the 1.15m/1.20m job with a super amateur kid extremely well within the last month since it went to consignment. Horse is so scopey, perfectly forward but not hot, extremely adjustable, goes in a snaffle and jumps 10+ every time. Can jump around 1.30 like nothing and I don’t need it to do that, need it to take an amateur to the 1.0m in 2 years.

Grooms say they lunge it for 10 minutes always before ride, kind of think it’s a warm up thing more than a quietness thing. But if it is a quietness thing I don’t care I’m perfectly fine with the horse being hotter than it was when we tried it I really don’t mind spunk at all.

But the horse is so fabulous and it’s got a big price tag, doing a big PPE on it but just curious what peoples anecdotes are about shivers because I have none of my own. If it wasn’t for that horse would be on a trailer already.

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

I had one with shivers, started noticing it at about 8 or 9 years old. Very slight, slow hesitation to pick up rear leg, on side worse than the other.

It never really progressed (horse is 20 now and retired for other reasons).

I wouldn’t hesitate. They all have something (just like all humans have something). My vet, who himself had a high level jumper with shivers, was not concerned but always recommended lots of vitamin E (think 5,000 to 8,000IU per day) to prevent progression. I don’t know if that is what helped but perhaps??

[Bluey]

Depends on how bad he is now or has been progressing.
We had a super lovely horse that when we fed, rubber bucket on the ground, would start to reach down and then stretch backwards, wobbling, trying to get his balance and finally stand back up and start eating.
Worst was getting his feet trimmed or shod.
When you picked a front foot some times he would again stretch backwards and almost go to his knee with that foot, then stand up and be ok for a bit.
With hind legs, some times he would raise it high, high up, like he had a cramp, then slowly relax it back down.
Farrier always stood him by a wall, so if he started to fall, he would have a wall to steady him.

We never had a real diagnosis, he didn’t do it that often, I had videos of it and eventually the vet called it possibly shivers.

Horse was a wonderful horse and very safe to ride, but don’t know if it progressed how that would go.
Last I heard, horse was still doing fine a few years later.
I don’t know how that would work if a horse has to do strenuous work, if that affects shivers?

I would keep asking your vet and maybe get a second opinion, they know the horse in person and may have had experience with others with shivers.

[CBoylen]

I’ve had two. My junior jumper had shivers. It was never an issue. He showed all over the country at the 1.45 and retired and died from other issues without it ever progressing.
My current hunt horse has had shivers since I got him at five years old. He needs to be sedated to be shot behind if you want to be kind to your Farrier. Performance wise it’s not an issue. It gets slightly worse if he is in the stall more.
The ones that I’ve heard of where it progressed to be an issue it was always a shoeing issue and not a riding issue.
The lunging you mentioned should have nothing to do with shivers at all. They don’t need extra warm-up for it.

[GoodTimes]

I would say it depends how fast it’s progressing. It sounds slow in this horses case.

Years ago when I was a junior my mom and I bought a nice young thoroughbred hunter. 5 yo gelding. He was fit, sound, jumping small courses, but had trouble holding the right hind up.
Unfortunately for us it progressed very quickly. Within a year he developed fairly significant muscle wasting. We retired him to a trail home.