Autumn Grass and Staggers

It pays to be aware that there are TWO potential causes of ‘staggers’...

1. The ‘Lolitrem-B’ mycotoxin

which is produced by the endophyte fungus in Perennial Rye-grass.

Mycotoxins can be beneficial to the plant providing protection against insect attack.

Unfortunately they can also have adverse effects on the nerves and muscles of livestock including horses, causing the animal to lose co-ordination and judgement. The horse in the video clip is a good example.

When Perennial Rye-Grass is predominant in your horse’s pasture, the season for problems with the Lolitrem-B mycotoxin is from late summer through to Autumn. Studies have found the highest Lolitrem-B concentrations are present in the bases of stems/stubble and in the seeds.

2. Mineral Imbalances

which cause the same neuro-muscular dysfunction symptoms of staggers In our experience, this is actually the more common form, indicated when toxin-binders don't seem to be working.

In these instances the staggers is caused by acute mineral imbalances in rapid Autumn grass growth - especially after a drought-breaking rain. This cause of staggers is prevalent where there are cool-season grasses (most of NZ and lower regions of Australia)

The most susceptible animals are those who go into Autumn either already malnourished, minerally depleted or who have had some sort of digestive disturbance.

In other words they are not resilient – they have ‘nothing in the bank’.

Signs of Staggers...

• Muscular weakness – giving out in the hind quarters, looks like they’re drunk

• Falling over

• Trembling

• Big reactions to minor things, easily spooked

• ‘Plaiting’ with the front legs while walking, see video here: Staggers

• Heavy on the forehand, stumbling/tripping over nothing

• Uncharacteristic stopping at jumps

• Difficulty backing up

• Standing base wide

• Trouble judging distances especially 'depth' - as if their eyesight is affected

• Spooks at things underneath them, ie while jumping

• Hypersensitive to sounds

• The ‘Zonked look’ (Sleepy eyed, ears askew)

• Difficulty walking downhill

• Trouble with floating – scrambling or difficulty backing out

For every extreme case, where it is obvious the horse has ‘staggers’, there are hundreds of mild to moderate cases with maybe just a touch of one or more of these associated symptoms – it is best not to ignore them!

If you see any signs of staggers...

• take the horse off the offending pasture and replace with plain grass hay.

• Make sure you are adding salt to feeds.

• Over Autumn it is beneficial to add ToxAll (with Elitox & magnesium) to your horse’s feed. Toxin-binders need to be present in the digestive tract at all times to be effective, so splitting the amount into am & pm feeds is recommended.

Time frames to regain coordination vary from horse to horse but are usually around 1-10 days. If you don’t see improvements after 2-3 days contact us via our Enquiry Form so we can help you to identify what is deficient and getting in the way of recovery.

Safety

To keep the horse SAFE while he is so unsteady, make sure there is ZERO possibility he could accidentally stagger or fall into fences, down steep hills or into ditches. Put them somewhere safe and leave them until they have recovered, this keeps both you and the horse safe.