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What to do for a horse with Stringhalt?
I've become very attached to a young (six years old) Clydesdale gelding at a rescue in my area, and he has bilateral Stringhalt. As far as I know, he is not medicated in any way, and his diet is not restricted at all, either. He has significant muscle wasting, but is in very light arena work (mostly walk, only a little trot because it's hard to ride a trot that feels like the horse has a flat tire, lol) once or twice a week, occasionally a ride in a hilly pasture.
He's certainly not the brightest bulb in the box (he's been at the rescue for six months and still doesn't know where his stall is), but he has such a lovable personality that I'd like to help him out if I can.
Are there any medications or supplements that he can be put on to help him recover? Some days are better than others, but he's nowhere near as bad as he was when he got there (he was a belly-kicker).
Are there any training regimens that would help him? I've done a little dressage on him at the walk to get him to become more flexible and get him to use his hind end more; is more exercise better for him? Should I make him trot hills and cavaletti to make him use his hind end and increase his hind muscle, or will that make his Stringhalt worse?
He is safe to ride as long as you recognize what kind of day he's having, and occasionally he's good enough to canter a lap or two in the (small-ish) indoor.
Also, can I expect a complete recovery in the long term? He is such an honest horse, I think if I were in the position to, I would adopt him, but I want to make sure the Stringhalt would be at least manageable, if not able to be completely cured.
3 Answers
- LaylaLv 51 decade agoFavorite Answer
Stringhalt is kind of complicated. Sometimes it completely disappears after a few months, but in other cases it never resolves, no matter what the treatment is. There is a surgical procedure that can improve the horse's gait, but rarely completely cures the stringhalt. Sometimes sedatives are also used reduce anxiety, but they also have limited effects. There aren't really any medicines that are known to help horses with stringhalt.
The best thing you can do is to accept that he may have stringhalt for the rest of his life and to do what works for him. Light work shouldn't be a problem, but be careful not to overwork him. You know him better than people on Y!A do, so you should do what you think is best for him. If you aren't sure, ask a trainer, vet, or someone else who knows him.
- 1 decade ago
i have found your question extremely interesting. i currently own a TB mare. last summer she began loosing her topline. through winter she did very badly despite filling her up on grain, in november last year she collapsed in the field. she had tied up very badly despite not being worked for about 2 weeks. she then in spring developed a hindend lameness an mild stringhalt. i had no idea what was going on. i consulted vets and back specialists etc etc. eventually i googled every symptom that she had thinking it may possibly be linked. i was right. her symptoms were all those of EPSM (PSSM). Basically her body cant utilise carbs/starches. they are stored in her muscles as glycogen an thats as far as they get. it explained the weight loss through winter despite the fact i was feeding her a huge amouint of conditioning mixes, it explained the muscle deterioration despite the conditioning mixes. and interestingly it explained the sudden hindleg gait abnormality. the only treatment for it is diet threapy. replace carbs with oil (soya oil preferable). it takes 4-6 months for the changes to take effect although i saw a difference in my mare within a week. 6 months later she is back in good weight, her muscle is slowly coming back and the stringhalt has dissapeared completly. she is also back to full wiork, jumping several tiomes a week. EPSM is especially common in draft type horses. another sign of the condition is weight shifting on the hindlegs whilst standing sytill. when my mare was eating she would be literally dancing on her hindlegs but since the diet change she stands almost still. it may be worth a try to try the diet therapy. the other option is to have a muscle biopsy done but as i was told by my vet if it comes back positive they just tell you to try the diet anyway. if you want more info please contact me x
