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Article from the Thoroughbred Times August 31, 2002 about Shivers:
A new look at equine muscle disease.
New research points toward a connection between a dietary disorder and cases of shivers and tying up (rhabdomylosis).
In the most subtle forms of neuromuscular disease, affected horses may show only a hesitation in the upward motion of the hind limbs. These horses may back slowly or have slight difficulty turning in tight circles.
Owners often conclude that these horses are simply weak behind or are having trouble with growth spurts. Perhaps the farrier has remarked that the horse has some difficulty supporting itself when its hind feet are trimmed.
In the most severe forms of neuromuscular disorders, affected horses will snatch up a hind leg when asked to move. This involuntary motion is so swift and severe that it can cause the horse to lose its balance.
The horse holds the leg in a hyper-flexed position and, as it slowly lowers the leg to step off, the limb will shake or shiver. It is this rapid upward flexion and quivering motion of the hind legs that is specific for this group of unusual, puzzling, and potentially very serious diseases.
Shivers, stringhalt, and equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSM) form a unique group of neuromuscular diseases that have been present in horses for a long time but only recently have come under more intense study and review.
Shivers is a poorly understood disease that is being seen with increasing frequency. It was originally thought to occur only in draft breeds but has been reported in Warmbloods (especially certain Dutch lines), Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, and other breeds. Because the early signs of this disease are very subtle and resemble those of several other diseases, and because there is no definitive clinical test for shivers, such a diagnosis must be made by ruling out all other similar conditions.
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