Stringhalt?

[chickenzoo]

Locking Stifle and String hault are two different conditions. Locking of the stifle is caused by the tendon of the knee being too loose and sliding over. It is corrected with a minor surgery. A lot of Arabians and straighter legged horses can have this problem. String Hault is a deterioration of the nerves and wasting of muscle from not being used correctly and the cause is still not known. I'm sure each in it's lesser degree both may seem a bit similar, but if you see a server case of String hault you can really tell the difference.

 

[PintoPasoFino]

Worked with several client's horses with stringhalt. Regular exercise is a great benefit to affected horses. The vet at our barn said exercise is beneficial, and recommended we work this particular mare over ground poles to get her flexing the legs more. That mare has it in both legs. There is another at the barn that was kicked right above the hock and as a result has stringhalt in that leg only. She gets regular exercise and also a equine massage therapist comes out and works on that horse. There is a surgery option out there where the ligaments are cut, but the results are mixed. Can last a long time, or hardly at all. For an aged mare, I think exercise would be a good route to go.

 

[littlepatchofheaven]

My horse has string halt. It acts up kinda like arthritis, in the winter its worse than the summer, but if she takes off galloping you'd never even know she has it! i bought her at an auction to save her from slaughter- from the info i could find out about her, the string halt started after she gave birth to her last baby. I do ride her occasionally, over all she doesnt seem to be in any pain, just takes her longer to start off walking in the winter, she kind of wobbles forward before she actually takes a step, then its a high step- she kicks her belly. my daughter named her angel star

 

[welsummerchicks]

Stringhalt is not caused by eating dandelions.

There are several diseases that affect coordination and are related to diet. One of them is commonly called 'grass staggers' and that name usually refers to various deficiencies or diseases the horse gets while on pasture.

No one really knows what stringhalt is, ie, exactly what is happening inside the body. Some studies have found lesions on the nerves, but it's never been demonstrated if they are related to stringhalt or not, and some with stringhalt don't have those lesions. There are many theories as to what causes it - all unproven.

My feeling is that it is such a complex series of motions that it may be due to an actual injury to the hind legs, or to a condition of the brain or spinal cord - which would explain why some horses have lesions on the nerves in the legs and some don't. It can occur in any breed, but I've long had the impression that it occurs more often in heavier breeds. THat's led some to believe that the strain on the hind legs is what causes it, and that's why some have looked for lesions right on the nerves of the legs.

Stringhalt basically is a 'disease by description' since the underlying mechanism is unknown.

However, the way the horse acts with stringhalt is very typical, and the consistency of it suggests a single underlying cause.

The horse will lift the hind leg (sometimes both, one after the other, but one hind leg will often seem to be more affected than the other) up and then stamp it down onto the ground. Some believe the stamping motion (rather than whatever causes stringhalt) is what causes lameness, and I've seen stringhalted horses become lame, even to the point of having to be put to sleep.

But some, other than the snatching/stamping motion, never actually seem to be lame or in pain. They may move normally at the trot and canter. They may only take a few odd steps when they first start moving in the morning. They may only do it when backing up. It can be barely noticeable.

Others are seriously abnormal, and they aren't even stable on their feet. They may even sway or fall.

Keep in mind that most horse owners aren't at all good at differentiating between these different conditions.

These days, many people insist ALL these are simply EPSM and treatable by diet. So you will see a bias - people will insist a horse DOESN'T have something that they don't want it to have....

Similarly, there's a condition called 'shivers'. The behavior is a little different - the hind foot is raised very high, the joints all sharply flexed, the leg held up, and it may tremble - the tail may even tremble. The foot isn't always put down hard like it is in stringhalt. Most old timers will tell you that while a few 'shiverers' go on for years with the same mild symptoms, that it isn't unusual to see a shiverer put down by age 7 - they can get very wobbly and it can worsen drastically over time. The mild cases may get quite tense when asked to stand with one leg held up for a time (like for shoeing) but otherwise may go on for quite some time being quite comfortable and useful. The really seriously affected ones, well, they may be put down quite young.

With either stringhalt or shivers, there is no way to tell if a horse will worsen or not. Because of that, most buyers avoid any prospects with even the mildest signs of stringhalt or shivers - there's just no way to tell if they'll stay mild or worsen and have to be put down.

The thing is, a good many people never get their horse properly diagnosed. They call any odd motion of the hind legs, 'stringhalt' and never get it diagnosed accurately. Some of these horses actually are lame from another cause, and could improve if they got the right treatment.

What are some possibilities of conditions owners have mistaken for stringhalt or shivers?

Some of these horses are actually 'Wobblers'. They've injured their cervical spine (meaning their neck) or they have malformed bones in the spine in the neck, so that these bones do not stay where they should. These bones are supposed to make a nice smooth channel for the spinal cord. Like sections of a hose, they have to line up or they damage what's inside the channel. If these bones are not where they're supposed to be, or they're damaged, the bones press on the nerves inside, in the spinal cord. The slightest pressure on the spinal cord will damage the nerves that start at the brain and extend all the way to the hind legs. Wobblers tend to have their hind quarters sway from side to side, and when trying to back up, they are often reluctant to back up, and can 'hunt' for a safe place to set down their hind legs. They may sway or wobble when being made to turn or even, on a straight line. Some of them will sway if someone simply walks behind them and pulls on their tail.

Some of these horses have EPM, which requires medical treatment. It is due to a parasite that damages the nervous system. It would be tragic if a horse had EPM, and was assumed to have stringhalt and nothing was done, instead of the horse being diagnosed for EPM and treated.

Some of these horses actually have muscle diseases that could be treated with diet. Their case is really tragic - they could be almost completely normal with a change of diet.

Others have lameness that could be treated by medication and rest or reduced work.

Some actually have stifle issues.

Some horses with tendon or arthritic problems in the fetlock or pastern, will stumble and then 'grab' their hind leg up in the air, making some think they have 'stringhalt'. Another possibility is fibrotic myopathy. In fact, there are a good many injuries and lamenesses that can make a horse look 'wobbly' or hitchy.

The bottom line for me is that since many horses get very poor veterinary care, when someone informs me their horse has 'stringhalt', I am always privately skeotical unless I am sure they've had it properly diagnosed. Stringhalt simply isn't as common as people think it is. There are many diseases and injuries that are much more common than stringhalt.

Stringhalt is even mentioned in a play by Shakespeare, so it's been with us for a long time. But really common? No.

On the other hand, a good many people will DENY their horse was diagnosed with stringhalt or shivers, because they want to sell it, and if it got around that the animal had stringhalt or shivers, they'd have trouble selling!!!

Attempting to find videos of horses that are properly diagnosed with these conditions, and really have what they are claimed to have -

Shivers:

Stringhalt:

Fibrotic Myopathy(due to injury - no statement here that this animal was diagnosed by a vet as certainly having FM):

This one also stated to have FM:

 

[Avalon1984]

I have a mare with stringhalt and it barely affects her at all. You can see it only whens he walks but when she trots and canters it is the most beautiful gaits you will ever see. My husband compares it to people who stutter when they talk, but can sing like an angel. My mare is defintely safe for riding and the stringhalt does not impact a comfy ride. She does get uncomfortable with the farrier so we bought her some stocks and that has helped a lot.

 

[EweSheep]

Welsummerchicks, could any of those symptoms be genetics? Or parents that may be carriers?

 

[babyblue2]

Quote:
Wobblers are injured or born with deformity's, so yes those are genetic. The others like lameness, arthritis and tendon issues can defiantly be genetic.

 

[littlepatchofheaven]

When i got my angel star, she was barely alive, it was touch and go, she had such a heavy worm load that we werent sure she would make it. We had the vet out and he diagnosed her with stringhalt, and figured she is in her 20's, that was 4 years ago and with the huge improvement in her diet plus minerals and grain she has improved greatly but still does have stringhalt, it acts up more in the winter. She is an arabian or an arabian cross if that helps anyone and stands about 14 hands.