Living with shivers

“The Mystery of Shivers” (EQUUS 448) hit home with me, and I would like to thank Kati Johnston for the tough decision to donate her horse Stanley to the research project. My horse Devon was diagnosed a few years back. At the time I had never heard of shivers, but I did some research, and when I found that the University of Minnesota was conducting research, I submitted a video.

Because Devon also has kissing spines and two small masses on his kidneys, I opted to retire him. He is now 15 and lives out with his buddy 24-7. Devon can still back up but will hold his left hind in a shivering way when he does. Trimming is done only when needed, and he is tranquilized to do so.

Devon seems to be affected only on the left hind, and with all of his other issues I still question if it’s truly shivers. Before retirement, Devon was an awesome ride. His only fault was occasional explosive behavior, which I now know was caused by the pain of the kissing spines. I considered doing surgery to correct them, but with the masses and the possibility that he truly has shivers, I felt Devon owed me nothing more. He did his best with the pain he must have been in, and he earned his retirement. Victoria Campo Jackson, New Jersey