living with a hypp horse

Wondering if there are any other members that have and use a horse with hypp? I know there are alot of horse people who will not work with\own one because of the risk involved but I personally would not trade my boy for anything :)

A bit if background info on my hypp n/h gelding, Pension, registered name, Smooth Mr Luck lol...love it..


About 5 years ago I started cleaning stalls in exchange for lessons at a pretty popular barrel/lesson barn in my area..after a few months it turned into a daily paying job as the barn got much larger and the bo had no time to do stalls herself..Pension was a very popular lesson horse, very steady, tolerant, a great size for any rider, would plod around the arena with a kid on his back or was just as happy doing barrels or trail rides. In my opinion a perfect horse but maybe I'm biased ;) I had many lessons on pension and he quickly became one of my favorites...4 years went on and the BO slowly stopped using him, in my opinion he was going arena sour and the BO told me he just wasn't happy showing which was becoming a pretty key component of being a lesson horse at this particular barn..

Then came the day when she offered him to me :) it was becoming a liability issue with him being hypp n/h and the fact that he was not happy in the arena/showing made him about useless at the barn. She disclosed to me his hypp issue..i was surprised, I had no clue that he was hypp n/h, he had never had an episode or symptoms in the 4 years I had known him..So I took him home :) and that's where he shall remain for the rest of his days.. I was and still am floored at the opportunity to have such an amazing horse..he's only 12 about 16hh and has no physical limitations other then the hypp issue..hes such a quick learner, willing to do anything you ask of him and for sure the safest horse I have ever had the pleasure of owning. I can leave him in the paddock for 2 months and jump on him and he rides the same as if Iv been riding him 5x a week..just such a great horse..

Diet was a bit if an issue at first, at the barn he was receiving 4 flakes of grass hay and oats daily..i kept it up for awhile but it quickly became apparent that it wasn't going to do with my living situation. He was used to being stalled all night every night in a spacious padded stall, I had nothing but a three sided run in. We adjusted though, I got him in a different hypp approved feed and way uped his hay intake.

So anyone else with an hypp horse that would like to share stories or tips? I'm pretty sure pension and I can't be the only ones :)
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We have one at WP barn. On meds, but other than one episode, has not had any.

We keep Karo handy just in case, and make sure he gets exercised daily too.

What is hypp. I take it to mean the horse is highly strung, nervous, reacts to nothing, will bolt shy and all the good stuff.

If that is the case try multy mineral supplement high in magnesium and take the horse of any food that will warm the blood. I assume you want to calm it down.
And if I've got it wrong multy minerals will not do it any harm but minerals in solid form not liquid.

"Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis" is a genetic disease that has been traced back to Impressive, an AQHA stud. I suggest you visit Horse HYPP for more details.

Thanks for that I have never heard of it before, and had to take a chance on understanding or not.

Some HYPP horses will go through there life and never have an attack. I would speak to your vet about this horses diet because it really is key for this type of horse.

Welcome to the forum, PenDolly! I think it's awesome that you've given this boy a good home and thoughtful care! My QH is an Impressive grand-daughter, but n/n, so I've never had to deal with it. I agree that as an extra measure, it would be wise to contact the vet for additional advice with his diet - best of luck :)

Before I got my hypp nh horse I researched absolutely everything I could find on it. If you wish to feed more than hay (timothy grass hay is excellent) you can safely feed Senior Feed. Oats are another safe feed. What you are looking for is very low potassium and these are down in the 1%. He is better with turnout and movement. For salt I use mainly pickling salt and about 1/3 household salt. They do need the bit of iodine in the household salt. A lick does not provide any horse with enough salt because licking salt results in a sore tongue. You want to keep these horses drinking lots and peeing lots. If you have to trailer of 4 hours or more, talk to your vet about administering a diuretic to encourage him to pee. If you go to a show take a baggie full of salt, even mix several tbsp in his feed to encourage him to drink. Do not put him on a multi vitamin mineral supplement as it is high in potassium. So are carrots. Half a small carrot is ok. If you wish to learn about which "treat" foods are safe google hyperkalemia. The site applies to people but the list is helpful in identifying amount of potassium. Small piece of apple only. For treats I buy a 50lb bag of alfalfa cubes and break them in to wafers. Other than that it's timothy hay, oats, and senior's. Presently he is getting less than a pound twice daily, mainly so I can easily check them over. If you have other questions pm me and I'll answer them the best I can.

Yes have had N/H horses & still have one. Like others I researched alot when I first encountered it. {bought horse not knowing status}.My horses spend little time in barn{free exercise} that outdoor pasture life I believe is very beneficial to these horses.I watch what grain & supplements my horses get,plain salt & always free access to water.I try keep the same routines,I feed all my horses the same,have Karo Syrup on hand but have never had to use it & no meds have ever been needed.I have not witnessed any symptoms from my N/H horses i've had but feel equipped to deal with it if I have to.Besides the piece of paper that indicated their Hypp status you would not know

Iv actually had pension for just over a year now and with the help of my vet as well as my feed store owner who has some sort of degree in equine nutrition we have him looking great. He's currently on free choice grass hay, oats and Farr XTN which my vet was quite impressed with. Needless to say Pension is not a easy keeper but still worth it in my opinion :) glad to know there are other horse owners willing to deal with hypp horses..
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