stringhalt ?????

[Dan2808]

Hi
Can anyone help me out.. what exactly is stringhalt?

Ive seen a horse advertised and it says £2000 due to having stringhalt...... so if someone could help me out and shed some light on what exactly it is, and if it affects riding ect

Thanks

[eventerbabe]

my understanding of the condition was that the horse lifted one hind leg higher than the other when moving. heres quite a good definition of the condition:

Stringhalt is a rare lameness that causes a horse to lift his hind legs higher and more rapidly than usual when he's moving. One or both hind legs may be affected, and the lameness varies from mild (just a muscle spasm) to so severe that the horse actually kicks himself in the belly when he tries to move. Conditions that make any horse's gaits more animated, such as cold weather and competing, can exacerbate the signs. There does not seem to be pain involved with the lameness, yet it is difficult to ride a horse that cannot control the actions of his hind legs.

i've seen a couple of showjumpers with this condition. i, personally, would not take on a horse with a condition like that.

[Jojo_82]

Stringhalt is basically a twitching or contracting of the muscle in the hindleg(s) that raise the hocks. In alot of cases you'll see the horse lifting the hindleg up quite high off the ground as they move.

It depends upon the severity of it as to what the horse can do, you need to see him/her move closely.

Toby (below) is about 20yrs old, an ex point-to-point winner who has stringhalt, but he is brilliant! He team chases, sj, does beautiful dressage, and keeps going and going! :D

Jo x

These were taken last feb at the VWH team chase... he took me round my 1st ever course! :)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/Jojo_82/TeamChasing/toby2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/Jojo_82/TeamChasing/Toby.jpg

[entreat]

"Stringhalt is a disease that results in an exaggerated flexion of one or both hind legs. Some horses may show only mild signs with slight flexion seen when the horse is backed or stopped suddenly. In other cases the flexion can be so severe that the front of the fetlock may hit the belly. If both back legs are affected a bunny hopping type of gait may develop. There can often be wasting of muscles around the gaskin. The condition affects the long nerves of the back which can also result in the larynx being partially paralysed. In these cases the horse cannot vocalise properly resulting in 'roaring'."

http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/rirdc/articles/disease/string.htm

[Wally]

When be bought Randalín her owner warnes us she had noticed stringhalt. We had her on a very long trial and I never noticed ONE episode and put it down to the owner being over cautious. She displayed her first and so far, only demonstration of it a couple of weeks ago, she did it about 4-5 times in the indoor school at the start of a lesson. She hasn't done it since.

It can be debilitating, or it can be like Randalín, the occasion, rare episode of one back leg. It is poorly understood but is classed by all vets as an unsoundness and a horse which displays it cannot be passed sound even though it may never effect them at all.

[Phoenix]

A horse on our yard had it quite severley had an operation but that didnt cure it either and it got progressively worse. Unfortunately the horse got cushings as well and in the had to be detroyed. This was not down to the stringhalt itself and although lots of horses have it and lead a full happy life (if you ever watch horse racing on the tele you often see horses in the paddock with it) I would save your money for another horse. Why risk taking on a horse with a condition like that - it could ending costing you alot of money and heart ache

[shandy84]

It depends how bad it is a horse on our yard has it and cannot be shod, has to be vert sedated to be trimmed is very unsafe to ride, but he tries so hard to help you it makes you feel bad for him having such a hard time of it pooor love

[Jacquie]

Don't let the fact this horse suffers from strighalt put you of viewing him.

My 18 year old TB's got it in both hind legs but it's not painful and doesn't effect his performance in any way. It's more noticeable when first turned out but improves slightly when exercised.

The only drawback is a horse get's marked down for it in showing classes and in higher level dressage competitions.

[JOJOBA]

I dont think a horse with stringhalt would be a great idea. If you have the choice Id get a horse witha completely clean. vice free bill of health.
Having taken on a horse with extra needs I dont regret it at all, but sorting him out takes twice as much time and costs twice as much.
The right horse will come along. :)

xxx

[Greta]

I found the following info: "Stringhalt is a term to describe a sudden lifting up of one or both hind legs, showing an exaggerated flexion of the hocks, when the horse is walking and sometimes when trotting.The cause of this condition is still unknown, but it is believed to be a nervous trouble. The hind leg is lifted up suddenly very high, so that the foot often hits the belly, as if trying to avoid or step over some obstacle. Special shoeing may be necessary to prevent injury to the belly, or to obviate concussion, otherwise htere is no remedy. There is no lameness and it does not interfere with ordinary work."

[shandy84]

Stringhalt is a rare lameness that causes a horse to lift his hind legs higher and more rapidly than usual when he's moving. One or both hind legs may be affected, and the lameness varies from mild (just a muscle spasm) to so severe that the horse actually kicks himself in the belly when he tries to move. Conditions that make any horse's gaits more animated, such as cold weather and competing, can exacerbate the signs. There does not seem to be pain involved with the lameness, yet it is difficult to ride a horse that cannot control the actions of his hind legs.

http://www.equisearch.com/care/lameness/dtstringhalt3803/

The diseases that affect the horse's movement have odd names: stringhalt, shivers and lathyrism.

Stringhalt typically affects adult horses of all breeds. It can occur in both a single case or, less commonly, as an outbreak on a farm. Horses with stringhalt show differing degrees of over-flexion of the hind limbs. When the horse attempts to walk, the hind legs are flexed in an exaggerated manner, and the leg is held up close to the belly.

The recent increase in the number of cases of equine protozoal myelitis (EPM) has caused more interest in these conditions. The changes in gait produced by EPM and other diseases

can be similar and therefore require careful diagnosis.

In mild cases, a gait problem can be difficult to identify-- only a hitch to the forward motion of the leg is noticed. In advanced cases, the hoof will slap the abdomen with each step. The leg may be held up for several minutes, and when both legs are involved, the horse may be unable to move without an awkward "bunny-hopping" action.

Horses can be so severely affected that they cannot stand. Muscle loss can occur in chronic cases, and sometimes the forelimbs can show spastic movement as well, characterized by toe-scuffing and stumbling.

Though the true cause of stringhalt has not been identified, outbreaks have been linked to certain pasture and climate conditions.

Horses grazing in poor pastures with weeds such as dandelion, cat's ear and flatweed are at risk. Drought and climate may play a role, because simply eating dandelions has not led to this disease.

Lathyrism is caused by ingestion of hay containing caley pea plants. Some cases of lathyrism in the U.S. have been linked to ingestion of sweet pea plants in poor pastures.

Shivers, seen in draft horses, is another oddity. These horses flex one or both hind limbs and show tremors of the large muscles of the upper leg. This gait problem is easiest to see when the horse is forced to back up or exercise. Though this condition resembles stringhalt and lathyrism, no known toxic plant has been linked to it.

Some horses with these gait problems can improve, especially if there is a plant-associated cause and the horse is removed from the affected pasture. However, improvement can take more than a year, and, unfortunately, in some of the cases, especially shivers, the disease is progressive and no amount of care or therapy can help. Treatment consists of good care and proper nutrition.

Stringhalt has been cured in some non-toxicity cases by cutting a tendon that lies near the hock. But cutting the tendon only works in cases caused by the neuromuscular system -- not by genetics or toxicity.

Surgical treatment for stringhalt

In those cases of stringhalt that result from trauma or irritation of the lateral digital extensor tendon, surgery is the preferred treatment. This tendon attaches to a specific muscle on the outside of the thigh, travels down the leg over the hock joint and finally farther down the leg to attach to tendons on the front of the foot. Trauma and irritation to the tendon in the area of the hock joint has been postulated to cause some cases of stringhalt. This surgery removes a piece of the tendon in that area. Stringhalt surgery can be done with the horse lying down under general anesthesia or while tranquilized in the standing position.


http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/articles/0298string.shtml