Just out of curiosity...?

Question

ive noticed that horses get fasciculations(muscle spasms)

like when i see them just standing, i could see thier muscles just twitching randomly and i was wondering why. all the horses ive seen seem twitch ALL the time..

it seems like horses seem to get muscle spasms more than other animals...

im just curious why this happens.

why does it happen so often to horses?

Answer 1

I think you may be watchng skin twitches used to scare off flies.  

However, there is a genetic disorder called HYPP (especially found in the quarter horses of the Impressive line) that cuases muscle twitching as well as other complications.

BTW

The skin is twitched via a thin muscle layer attached to the skin directly.  It is not the same as the much larger muscles that are attached to the bone and used to mover the horse.

Answer 2

They're only twitching the muscles just under the skin. It gets rid of bugs they can't reach with their tail. A fidgety, excited horse might be twitching it's muscles just coz it's so wired.

Answer 3

An involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, they are bigger animals so it will happen alot. Its alot like a twitch, some of the spasms occur because of the irritation of the nerve that connects to a muscle.

Answer 4

its not a WHOLE muscle spasms really, its just the skin and they do it do discourage the flies, since their tail doesn't reach the middle of their back and their shoulders, they often twitch there...

dogs ears also do it, if you lightly touch their ears (the same way a fly would land..) then they twitch.  Same concept.

Answer 5

Horses have a muscle called the PANNICULUS that covers most of the body (except their face and lower legs), and allows them to "twitch" on command to shake off flies.  This fly shaker muscle is probably what you're seeing.  If the horse feels like something is on its skin, its normal protection against pests is to twitch the skin and remove the pest.  Its not a spasm, but a normal body function.  I wish I had a panniculus to get rid of misquitos!

Answer 6

it not mucscle 'twitching' it's skin moving and shaking to rid the horse of whatever is pestering the skin in that  area

horses have muscle just about everywhere and the mmuscle moves the skin on purpose the muscles are not merely "twitching" or spasming for fun

it's for a reason

and its usually to get an annoying bug off

Answer 7

As most people have already said, it is from bugs. Mostly flies. Horses can feel the bugs on their skin and twitch or have "muscle spasms" as you said. It is completely natural and they do it without much thought, like how a dog wags their tail when they are happy. Horses swish their own tails and twitch their bodies when the flies annoy them too much. Horses usually twitch from their withers, which can sometimes become very frustrating when you are trying to ride because they just wont stop twitching! You can't really blame them though! =]

Answer 8

they can controll it. They have flies or some kind of insect, such as horse flies, deer flies, stable flies, or maybe a knat. but either way the flies annoy them and the horse do not like the flies landing on them or biting them so they twitch to scare the flies off. even when it looks like nothing is on them, the horses can feel the smallest of things on them. they have really sensitive skin.

Answer 9

The horses are doing that on purpose to keep the flies off! When a fly lands on them they twitch like that to make it fly away. They do that when some other things touch them, too, just out of instinct. It's their natural bug spray.

Answer 10

it bugs, and u might not be abke to see it but many other animals do it to, the do the spasms so the bugs will get off or fall off

Answer 11

I noticed this too, sometimes they may do it due to flies being on them, but otherwise, not sure why this happens, ask a vet, maybe they will know why.

Answer 12

Most likely it's bugs they r biting the horse so he twitches to get them off. but it could be a sign of a problem, but it's probably just flies.

Answer 13

its bugs,they have bugs on them so they shake their muscles to shake the bugs off....they control it...

Answer 14

when a fly or other buglands on them the flinch to make it go away. it is a natrual reaction, just like when they swish there tail. there mane and whiskers also help :)

Answer 15

it is the flies! lol In the summer the flies are really annoying to horses and they crawl all over the horses' bodies they twitch to make them go away. Also sometimes, even if there aren't any flies around, there can be something irritating the horse. Like sometimes a peice of mane can bother them if it isn't in the right place and they twitch sometimes. I am sure horses sometimes do have spasms but i am sure what you are seeing so frequently are just pesky flies!

Answer 16

It is due to bugs that land on them such as flies. Horses are so sensitive that they know exactly where they are and they twitch the muscle that the bug landed on. And knowing from riding horses it usually gets the bug to go away (at least for a little while). That is why all horses twitch their muscles.

Answer 17

it is to keep the bugs and such off of them. apparently flies wont land on a moving object so when it moves, the fly goes away.

Answer 18

as far as i know the twitches are just to dislodge flies and other bugs. that's why if you touch a horse too lightly they'll twitch, because it feels like a bug crawling over them. the twitches can also be a response to being tickled by something.

Answer 19

Haha! It's probably flies! Horses especially, have very sensitive skin and when something touches the tips of their fur, they twich. :)

Answer 20

Horses are able to move most muscles in their bodies to help them control flies, it isn't like the whole muscle spazzing, it's just a piece of skin like moving to get the fly off. Since their main source to get the flies off is their tails, but horses tails can't reach to say their front shoulders or something, so they use their skin and they are able to twitch it to get the flies to go off.

Answer 21

It's actually not a muscle spasm. What your seeing is the horses skin twitching. It's skin is twitching because it is trying to get the flies off of him/her. Don't worry about anything, it just the flies! =D

Answer 22

Horses are like a bug's dream. Bugs love to annoy horses and eat horse p**p (Specifically, flies bother horses the most)

A horse uses his tail to swat at flies, his mane to swat/shoo the flies around the horse's head or neck, and they twitch their muscles to shoo off flies as well.

I'm not sure if its involuntary or not.

Note: It's not JUST flies, but flies are commonly around horses.

I hope I helped =)

Answer 23

Its from bugs and flys they twitch to get them off of them. They also so it if something is itching/scratching them, you can make your horse twitch by lightly tickling them.

Answer 24

flys, itches, some horses are slighlty spastic. it has to do with a thin layer of muscle under their skin they can twitch to make bugs go away

Answer 25

It's usually because they have bugs or some other thing that is bugging them. When it is  group i don't really know, but it could be because they are just moving their muscles to move them so they some waste away or something like that.

Answer 26

The does not make himself do it on purpose.  God designed them to do it automatically at just about any parts of their bodies.  It is to help them get bugs like flies and all off them.

Answer 27

This may be nothing or may be a serious problem.  

HOrses can twitch their muscles in response to a "tickle" stimulus.  They can shake bugs off this way without needed to use the limbs (like we do) to remove bugs.  They can also shake off their saddle pads (much to the dismay of their riders).

Do you see small areas of skin twitching and a small muscle having a "spasm" or do you see huge muscles (like the whole hind quarter or the whole shoulder) twitching or spasming.  If it is large muscles or large goups of muscles, than that is not normal and can be indicative of electrolyte imbalance, HYPP, or a myriad of muscle issues.

Answer 28

It's usually for flies etc. It happens often with horses because flies hang around their poo so the flies are around so they land on horses too. It happens way more in summer, and any hot days, because that's when you get flies.

Answer 29

It's just to keep flies off.

Unless, it is a large group of mucels, in which case it could be a serious problem and you should call a vet! Hope I helped!

Answer 30

Well since it's small ones, it's probably a reaction to flies. They can't use their tail or their head to discourage flies on their neck, and they can't always stop to itch their legs or back. They twitch to make the flies go away.

Answer 31

There just trying to get the flies off the middle of their backs or other places there mane or tails don't reach. Don't worry about it.