[d_dancer721]

Hello, the horse I am interested in buying has been having problems lately and Im not sure what exactly is happening to him. He's a bay and white pinto gelding between 12 and 15 yrs old. Hes one of the trail horses at my job.

He stands in a straight stall with all the other trail horses but sometimes he starts to lean back and falls down in his stall. He also does this outside while hes waiting to go on a trail ride, its usually when hes bored and he looks like hes falling asleep. However once hes up and moving hes fine and hes a pretty fast horse.

Im not sure if he just has problems with his front legs (you cant pick his front feet very easy) or maybe he has equine narcolepsy? Im not sure if I should even buy him now because of his legs. I love him alot and hes a real sweet horse (when food is not involved lol ) but if his legs are going to hinder his ability to do anything I dont want to spend all that money for nothing.

http://www.horsechannel.com/blog/vie...px?apid=104188

The link above is to his horsechannel page, i have atleast 10 pictures of him but none of him falling, Ill try to get a video of it.

So what do you guys think? His front legs are the problem or is it Narcolepsy?

[Deb]

Does the horse ever get turned out in pasture so he has a place to lie down and stretch out and get some good sound REM sleep? I am assuming he can not lie down when tied in a straight stall? I suppose he could be sleep deprived.

You really should get a vet check on him before buying him.

[Ceilidh]

I second that motion. Vet check. Horses should not collapse. I prefer box stalls to tie stalls (don't bother with them). I can see how a tie stall could create problems. My horses have 24/7 access to barn & pasture so they are where they want to be.

Does he pick his front feet up for the farrier? Ask the farrier's opinion too. Not picking up the front feet can mean he's either a twit about his feet and super possessive of them or he is in pain and unable to shift his weight off of his forehand. Get a vet out there.

[d_dancer721]

No guys he lives in a box stall just during the day hes in the straight stall and hes not tied up and we do turn him out.

[Ryle]

Equine narcolepsy is rare. Generally there is something else going on that causes horses to fall like this---sleep deprivation is one of the possible causes. Even being in a box stall and only being tied during the day, if there are things going on around his stall at night that prevent him from laying down and getting good REM sleep he may very well be sleep deprived. Especially if he is not able to eat during the day while tied and so needs to spend a good deal of his time in the evening eating to take in the required amount of daily forage.

A pre-purchase exam would definitely be wise before making a decision about this guy. And possibly taking him on a trial lease where you can put him in a different situation and see if the problem resolves itself.

[shenanigans]

I had a paint horse I used for work that had a very similar issue.
He would appear to have fallen asleep & then just drop, he would get up fine & was fairly active but it was odd.
I didnt own the horse & I never found out why he did that, he was sold eventually. But he was a very athletic horse, ran barrels & was a good reining horse, he was outside 24/7 on a large acreage.
I will be interested to read more about anyone elses experience...sorry d_dancer I have no answers for you but even with my experience with that horse I would be leary.
Definately go we PPE if you are serious about this horse.

Just wanted to add a side note, Buddy was sold 3x & returned twice due to this issue the last home kept him & "worked around it" but I dont know if they ever discovered why.

[phoenixfyre71]

unless you are 100% sure he is a "backyard bred" horse and has no good bloodlines, I would also get him checked for HYPP. HYPP can sometimes wait to show symptoms until the horse is close to or in their teen years. HYPP attacks can cause horses to have muscle spasms, twitches, weakness ,collapsing or sitting down in a dog position. I would have your vet check just to be on the safe side.

[ryu2832]

Sounds like a horse I knew who was sleep deprived. He eventually collapsed while being ridden.

[pntddrft2000]

It is interesting. We had 2 horses like this at our barn. Both were TB's. It is more common in TB's according to articles. But it isn't narcolepcy. Narcolepcy happens in a state of excitement. This problem is going on at a period of rest. And it is not HYPP. But it is a nurological issue that does progress. They collaps in the front legs first. It is like their legs unlock while they hit R.E.M. (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. But horses MUST lay down for R.E.M. sleep. Some horses get repeated injuries that need stitching by a Vet. I have seen this alot. We have mounted a big kick pad at the wall one of these horses prefers to stand most of his time to prevent injuries from his falls. I would avoid buying a horse with this issue.
Michelle

[3WishesDun]

Are those pictures pretty current? He looks thin to me. I can easily see his ribs and I believe also his spine (but the picture is small) I would get a vet check and then go from there. Good luck, he looks like a very sweet boy.