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| Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) |
HyPP test
Laboratories
Shelterwood Lab
Veterinary
Diagnostics
Laboratories
Shelterwood Lab
Veterinary
Diagnostics
Today HyPP continues to plague the Quarterhorse industry and has spread into the paint and Appaloosa registries.
Impressive (registration #0767246) was not merely his name, but his genetic legacy. Impressive lived from 1968 to 1995 and sired
2,250 offspring.
He was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of quarter horses, a muscle-bound show stallion from Oklahoma whose foals boasted his
extraordinary heftiness. He was so strikingly muscled that he never lost a halter class. It is easy to understand why such a grand
specimen would be in huge demand as a breeding stallion. As a sire, he made over a million dollars a year and was well sought
after. At one time, his stud fee was up to $25,000 dollars. He earned himself the position of the fifth all-time leading quarter horse
sire. Yet all during this time he was spreading HYPP
But what appeared desirable could kill.
Impressive's heavy musculature came not from robust health and conformation but from disease: Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis,
(HyPP) an ailment that fires muscles into uncontrollable contractions and causes them to beef up as if they had been exercised
isometrically. The disease stands out because its spread was hastened and, in effect, promoted by breeders.
The spread of the disease is perpetuated by the favorable judgings given to diseased horses in showing, due in part to involuntary
muscle twitching which helps to build large, bulky muscles that judges favor.
HyPP was first noticed by breeders in the 80s. They called it “Impressive Syndrome” because only decedents of Impressive
showed the signs. However in 1992 a DNA test was made public to identify horses carrying the defective gene causing HYPP.
HyPP is a dominant gene so it does not skip a generation. The disease is passed from parent to offspring ONLY. There are two
types of HyPP. HyPP N/H means the horse has a single copy of the HyPP gene and will pass the disease off 50% of the time.
HyPP H/H means the horse carries two genes and will pass HyPP on to the said offspring 100% of the time. Because the disease is
isolated only to the Impressive line and a DNA test is available Dr. Speirs said back in 1992
“It is to everyone's benefit to take the necessary steps to selectively breed HYPP out of existence before it becomes so widespread
that this is impossible.”
It seems like common sense to breed away from a disease like HyPP, Right?
According to Dr. Speirs
“Horses with HYPP can experience unpredictable attacks of paralysis which, in severe cases, can lead to collapse and sudden
death. The cause of death usually is cardiac arrest and /or respiratory failure. The disease is characterized by intermittent episodes
of muscle tremors manifested by generalized or localized shaking, trembling and weakness. Occasionally, episodes are
accompanied by respiratory noises resulting from paralysis of the muscles of the upper airway (larynx and pharynx). …
Knowing what HyPP can do too the horse, why would anyone WANT to breed this disease?
Kid Classic Style is an 1,800 pound HyPP horse. He is a two time AQHA World Champion stallion with a stud fee is $3,500 and
that also includes an HyPP guarantee.
In 2005 Kid was the sire of 25 halter world & reserve world champions. If you do the math that comes out to $87,500 in stud fees
just for the 25 champion horses. Just think of how much money was made if you were to add ALL the mares bred to Kid!
Ted Turner, a top trainer at Aubrey, Texas who has been breeding and showing HyPP for years.
“The N/N horse usually doesn’t have that chisled appearance--that little extra something we’re looking for... That little extra
something is why people have been breeding the (HyPP) N/H horses. You always try to breed for that something extra, whether
you are breeding horses, cattle or pigs--you are always trying for the genetics that will give you this,” Turner says
Check out Kids Classic Style to see how HyPP gives the horses “that little extra something” Mr. Turner referred to as desired in
the halter world.
HyPP danger to horse and humans.
In culling out horses who did not "make the cut" as show or breeding animals, many HyPP positive horses are sold as grade or
"status unknown" to owners who have no idea what HyPP is, or the potential danger from a horse suddenly going down from an
HyPP episode, nor the care required for these horses. Some of these sellers even tell prospective buyers that the horse was
Negative for HyPP, only for the buyer to find out the hard way, that this information was false. Many ads state that HyPP is "no big
deal" and easily managed with no special feed or medication. It may be true for some, but a great many DO need to be on special
diets AND medications, and some still suffer episodes and die in spite of great care and management.
Many of these horses wind up in the hands of 4-H children who have endured the heartbreak of watching their beloved horse die
and not understand why. Sometimes serious injury occurs when an unsuspecting child or adult is in the saddle when the horse goes
down from an HyPP attack.
If you go to www.bringinglighttohypp.org and look in the experience page link there is a story of a young girl who was seriously
injured when the horse she was riding went down with an HyPP attack and had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. The
mother of the girl had no idea the horse she bought for her daughter had HyPP. This is one of main Reason why HyPP
education is so important. The people who profit the most against HyPP do the least and try to sabotage those of us trying to
educate and inform the public.
Some important things to remember about HyPP.
When talking to someone who supports HyPP I encourage you to keep in mind they are promoting HyPP.
Since there is nothing nice to say about HyPP they are probably going to tell half truths about how HyPP effects their horses. When
it comes to HyPP just simply look at things for what they are, not what someone making money off the disease says.
1. HyPP is a disease.
2. Some people breed for the HyPP disease for financial gain.
3. HyPP in no way benefit’s the horses effected with the disease or the horse industry as a whole.
What do the breed registries think about HyPP?
They encourage HyPP breeding by giving awards in the show ring, the more awards the more money people will get in stud fees
which creates more horses being registered and makes more money for the breed registries. The AQHA has taken steps to make
the general public more aware of HyPP by requiring all Impressive bred horses to be tested and the HyPP results stamped on the
papers. This makes it impossible for the HyPP breeders in the AQHA to sell a HyPP horse without disclosing the HyPP status. The
breeders get around this by simply pulling the papers and selling the horses as grade horses. The AQHA says they would like to
stop registering HyPP horses and have proposed rule changes saying they will stop registering HyPP horses, however they either
pull the rule change out at the last minute or change the date of the proposal, in other words they talk the talk, but have yet to take
any action. Also it should be noted that the AQHA purposely withholds the full truth about HyPP on their web site. Here is a quote
from the AQHA web site about HyPP written by Bill Brewer “For some time now, you have probably heard, or had first-hand
knowledge, of the condition known as Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP). This condition is characterized by intermittent
episodes of muscle tremors (shaking or trembling, weaknesses and/or collapse)..” You will notice that Mr. Brewer refers to HyPP
as a condition and purposely leaves out death when listing the characteristics of the disease. As we know from Dr. Speirs HyPP is
a disease and a HyPP horse can die at any stage of life even if the horse never showed any symptoms before. Again the AQHA
puts on a great front like they are going to do something about controlling the disease but continue to misrepresent the facts about
HyPP on their web site and have done nothing but continue to award people in the show ring for breeding the disease which is why
we have people paying $3,500 in stud fees that come with an HyPP guarantee. Another good example to show how the AQHA
does not mean what they say. The AQHA claims in their mission statement that they are for the betterment of the horse, awarding
and giving people incentives to breed for a disease is not taking on the interest of the betterment of the horse.
The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) unlike the AQHA does not pretend to do anything about HyPP. In fact the
APHA has taken steps to create a better environment for HyPP breeders. First off they are making it easier to register certain types
Quarter horses in the APHA. The APHA refuses the HyPP status to be put on the horse’s papers. So if you have a horse that
tested HyPP positive the APHA will not let you put the HyPP status on the papers. This makes it much easier to pass the HyPP
horses off to the public without having to pull the papers which leads to more sales for the HyPP breeders.
. The AQHA halter world is much different at the world level than normal competitions in fact who wins in the show ring is based
more on who you know than what your horse looks like. The AQHA used to have standards on what a Quarter horse should like.
However the judges began to ignore the standards the AQHA set for Quarter horses in order to let their friends win in the show
ring and it just so happens most of the horses were HyPP positive. The AQHA was forced to drop the standard for what a Quarter
horse should look like. That is why today in the show ring a halter horse can be in last place at one show and finish first in the next.
The judge can place the horse as he sees fit with no explanation of why. T
Some common responses from the pro HyPP side.
"I don’t make any money of HyPP" Interestingly enough these same people who "don't make any money off HyPP" will charge
you a stud fee to breed to their HyPP stallion. I have yet to see one stud owner who will refund your money if you get an HyPP foal
after breeding to their HyPP stud. If you’re an HyPP breeder and not making money it probably has something to do with your
business plan and not the fact you breed HyPP horses for free.
“I don’t breed for HyPP.” Of course no one is going to say I breed “for” a disease, especially one that can cause serious
suffering and death. When asked about the 50 % chance of having an offspring with the HyPP disease the response generally
sounds something like this. If the colt is HyPP positive I can deal with it.
“We give our HyPP horses better care than most other horses owners do“
Well I would hope so considering the HyPP horse has a disease. However stress is not good for an HyPP horse and many HyPP
halter horses travel from show to show and must endure the stress of showing. If the welfare of the horse was more important than
money and awards wouldn't’t it would make sense to do everything to help accommodate the horse to minimize the effects of the
disease? The stress of the show ring is too much for some HyPP horses to endure without medication. There are strict rules about
horses being drugged while competing in the AQHA. However AQHA makes an exception for HyPP horses.
“ None of my HyPP horses ever have attacks” Do you think if an HyPP breeder watched one of their HyPP horses suffer a
horrible attack they would want to tell you about it? If your promoting an HyPP stallion you don’t want to focus on the negative
side of HyPP. You want to focus on the positive points of the disease, like all the money you can make off HyPP, the awards, and
of course prestige comes along with owning a world champion. You will find that pro HyPP people will never talk about how an
HyPP attack benefits the horse.
Why I got involved with HyPP?
For several reasons. What initially got me involved was witnessing my horse The Nibblet suffer a horrific HyPP attack. After
snapping the lead rope to her halter she fell at my feet and lay motionless. I raised her head and it fell to ground with a thud. The
HyPP attack had rendered her totally paralyzed. At the time I had no clue what HyPP was. A few minutes later she regained
movement in the front half of her body and tried in vain to stand pawing her front legs on the ground in the process dragging the
back half of her body around the stall. I was looking on in fear not knowing what to do. I had called the vet as soon as she went
down got his pager # (it was Sunday) after explaining what happened he asked me if she had Impressive in her bloodlines and that
led to the HyPP and she tested HyPP N/H.
I had researched HyPP prior to the test coming back and discovered HyPP was a dominant gene so either the sire or dam had to
be HyPP positive. Turns out my friends stud was HyPP N/H and she never told me my filly had 50% chance of having HyPP. This
is the same woman who helped me out with horses and was even there the day The Nibblet was born in my sisters barn. She never
once said anything about HyPP then or the numerous times I stopped into her store to buy feed for The Nibblet. The irony of all of
this was she sold me the feed that caused The Nibblet to have her HyPP attack. The reason was the high potassium content in the
feed. After consulting a nutritional specialist I was able to change her diet to a low potassium level. She had a few minor attacks
during the diet transition and went on to go attack free as far as I know.
Impressive (registration #0767246) was not merely his name, but his genetic legacy. Impressive lived from 1968 to 1995 and sired
2,250 offspring.
He was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of quarter horses, a muscle-bound show stallion from Oklahoma whose foals boasted his
extraordinary heftiness. He was so strikingly muscled that he never lost a halter class. It is easy to understand why such a grand
specimen would be in huge demand as a breeding stallion. As a sire, he made over a million dollars a year and was well sought
after. At one time, his stud fee was up to $25,000 dollars. He earned himself the position of the fifth all-time leading quarter horse
sire. Yet all during this time he was spreading HYPP
But what appeared desirable could kill.
Impressive's heavy musculature came not from robust health and conformation but from disease: Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis,
(HyPP) an ailment that fires muscles into uncontrollable contractions and causes them to beef up as if they had been exercised
isometrically. The disease stands out because its spread was hastened and, in effect, promoted by breeders.
The spread of the disease is perpetuated by the favorable judgings given to diseased horses in showing, due in part to involuntary
muscle twitching which helps to build large, bulky muscles that judges favor.
HyPP was first noticed by breeders in the 80s. They called it “Impressive Syndrome” because only decedents of Impressive
showed the signs. However in 1992 a DNA test was made public to identify horses carrying the defective gene causing HYPP.
HyPP is a dominant gene so it does not skip a generation. The disease is passed from parent to offspring ONLY. There are two
types of HyPP. HyPP N/H means the horse has a single copy of the HyPP gene and will pass the disease off 50% of the time.
HyPP H/H means the horse carries two genes and will pass HyPP on to the said offspring 100% of the time. Because the disease is
isolated only to the Impressive line and a DNA test is available Dr. Speirs said back in 1992
“It is to everyone's benefit to take the necessary steps to selectively breed HYPP out of existence before it becomes so widespread
that this is impossible.”
It seems like common sense to breed away from a disease like HyPP, Right?
According to Dr. Speirs
“Horses with HYPP can experience unpredictable attacks of paralysis which, in severe cases, can lead to collapse and sudden
death. The cause of death usually is cardiac arrest and /or respiratory failure. The disease is characterized by intermittent episodes
of muscle tremors manifested by generalized or localized shaking, trembling and weakness. Occasionally, episodes are
accompanied by respiratory noises resulting from paralysis of the muscles of the upper airway (larynx and pharynx). …
Knowing what HyPP can do too the horse, why would anyone WANT to breed this disease?
Kid Classic Style is an 1,800 pound HyPP horse. He is a two time AQHA World Champion stallion with a stud fee is $3,500 and
that also includes an HyPP guarantee.
In 2005 Kid was the sire of 25 halter world & reserve world champions. If you do the math that comes out to $87,500 in stud fees
just for the 25 champion horses. Just think of how much money was made if you were to add ALL the mares bred to Kid!
Ted Turner, a top trainer at Aubrey, Texas who has been breeding and showing HyPP for years.
“The N/N horse usually doesn’t have that chisled appearance--that little extra something we’re looking for... That little extra
something is why people have been breeding the (HyPP) N/H horses. You always try to breed for that something extra, whether
you are breeding horses, cattle or pigs--you are always trying for the genetics that will give you this,” Turner says
Check out Kids Classic Style to see how HyPP gives the horses “that little extra something” Mr. Turner referred to as desired in
the halter world.
HyPP danger to horse and humans.
In culling out horses who did not "make the cut" as show or breeding animals, many HyPP positive horses are sold as grade or
"status unknown" to owners who have no idea what HyPP is, or the potential danger from a horse suddenly going down from an
HyPP episode, nor the care required for these horses. Some of these sellers even tell prospective buyers that the horse was
Negative for HyPP, only for the buyer to find out the hard way, that this information was false. Many ads state that HyPP is "no big
deal" and easily managed with no special feed or medication. It may be true for some, but a great many DO need to be on special
diets AND medications, and some still suffer episodes and die in spite of great care and management.
Many of these horses wind up in the hands of 4-H children who have endured the heartbreak of watching their beloved horse die
and not understand why. Sometimes serious injury occurs when an unsuspecting child or adult is in the saddle when the horse goes
down from an HyPP attack.
If you go to www.bringinglighttohypp.org and look in the experience page link there is a story of a young girl who was seriously
injured when the horse she was riding went down with an HyPP attack and had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. The
mother of the girl had no idea the horse she bought for her daughter had HyPP. This is one of main Reason why HyPP
education is so important. The people who profit the most against HyPP do the least and try to sabotage those of us trying to
educate and inform the public.
Some important things to remember about HyPP.
When talking to someone who supports HyPP I encourage you to keep in mind they are promoting HyPP.
Since there is nothing nice to say about HyPP they are probably going to tell half truths about how HyPP effects their horses. When
it comes to HyPP just simply look at things for what they are, not what someone making money off the disease says.
1. HyPP is a disease.
2. Some people breed for the HyPP disease for financial gain.
3. HyPP in no way benefit’s the horses effected with the disease or the horse industry as a whole.
What do the breed registries think about HyPP?
They encourage HyPP breeding by giving awards in the show ring, the more awards the more money people will get in stud fees
which creates more horses being registered and makes more money for the breed registries. The AQHA has taken steps to make
the general public more aware of HyPP by requiring all Impressive bred horses to be tested and the HyPP results stamped on the
papers. This makes it impossible for the HyPP breeders in the AQHA to sell a HyPP horse without disclosing the HyPP status. The
breeders get around this by simply pulling the papers and selling the horses as grade horses. The AQHA says they would like to
stop registering HyPP horses and have proposed rule changes saying they will stop registering HyPP horses, however they either
pull the rule change out at the last minute or change the date of the proposal, in other words they talk the talk, but have yet to take
any action. Also it should be noted that the AQHA purposely withholds the full truth about HyPP on their web site. Here is a quote
from the AQHA web site about HyPP written by Bill Brewer “For some time now, you have probably heard, or had first-hand
knowledge, of the condition known as Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP). This condition is characterized by intermittent
episodes of muscle tremors (shaking or trembling, weaknesses and/or collapse)..” You will notice that Mr. Brewer refers to HyPP
as a condition and purposely leaves out death when listing the characteristics of the disease. As we know from Dr. Speirs HyPP is
a disease and a HyPP horse can die at any stage of life even if the horse never showed any symptoms before. Again the AQHA
puts on a great front like they are going to do something about controlling the disease but continue to misrepresent the facts about
HyPP on their web site and have done nothing but continue to award people in the show ring for breeding the disease which is why
we have people paying $3,500 in stud fees that come with an HyPP guarantee. Another good example to show how the AQHA
does not mean what they say. The AQHA claims in their mission statement that they are for the betterment of the horse, awarding
and giving people incentives to breed for a disease is not taking on the interest of the betterment of the horse.
The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) unlike the AQHA does not pretend to do anything about HyPP. In fact the
APHA has taken steps to create a better environment for HyPP breeders. First off they are making it easier to register certain types
Quarter horses in the APHA. The APHA refuses the HyPP status to be put on the horse’s papers. So if you have a horse that
tested HyPP positive the APHA will not let you put the HyPP status on the papers. This makes it much easier to pass the HyPP
horses off to the public without having to pull the papers which leads to more sales for the HyPP breeders.
. The AQHA halter world is much different at the world level than normal competitions in fact who wins in the show ring is based
more on who you know than what your horse looks like. The AQHA used to have standards on what a Quarter horse should like.
However the judges began to ignore the standards the AQHA set for Quarter horses in order to let their friends win in the show
ring and it just so happens most of the horses were HyPP positive. The AQHA was forced to drop the standard for what a Quarter
horse should look like. That is why today in the show ring a halter horse can be in last place at one show and finish first in the next.
The judge can place the horse as he sees fit with no explanation of why. T
Some common responses from the pro HyPP side.
"I don’t make any money of HyPP" Interestingly enough these same people who "don't make any money off HyPP" will charge
you a stud fee to breed to their HyPP stallion. I have yet to see one stud owner who will refund your money if you get an HyPP foal
after breeding to their HyPP stud. If you’re an HyPP breeder and not making money it probably has something to do with your
business plan and not the fact you breed HyPP horses for free.
“I don’t breed for HyPP.” Of course no one is going to say I breed “for” a disease, especially one that can cause serious
suffering and death. When asked about the 50 % chance of having an offspring with the HyPP disease the response generally
sounds something like this. If the colt is HyPP positive I can deal with it.
“We give our HyPP horses better care than most other horses owners do“
Well I would hope so considering the HyPP horse has a disease. However stress is not good for an HyPP horse and many HyPP
halter horses travel from show to show and must endure the stress of showing. If the welfare of the horse was more important than
money and awards wouldn't’t it would make sense to do everything to help accommodate the horse to minimize the effects of the
disease? The stress of the show ring is too much for some HyPP horses to endure without medication. There are strict rules about
horses being drugged while competing in the AQHA. However AQHA makes an exception for HyPP horses.
“ None of my HyPP horses ever have attacks” Do you think if an HyPP breeder watched one of their HyPP horses suffer a
horrible attack they would want to tell you about it? If your promoting an HyPP stallion you don’t want to focus on the negative
side of HyPP. You want to focus on the positive points of the disease, like all the money you can make off HyPP, the awards, and
of course prestige comes along with owning a world champion. You will find that pro HyPP people will never talk about how an
HyPP attack benefits the horse.
Why I got involved with HyPP?
For several reasons. What initially got me involved was witnessing my horse The Nibblet suffer a horrific HyPP attack. After
snapping the lead rope to her halter she fell at my feet and lay motionless. I raised her head and it fell to ground with a thud. The
HyPP attack had rendered her totally paralyzed. At the time I had no clue what HyPP was. A few minutes later she regained
movement in the front half of her body and tried in vain to stand pawing her front legs on the ground in the process dragging the
back half of her body around the stall. I was looking on in fear not knowing what to do. I had called the vet as soon as she went
down got his pager # (it was Sunday) after explaining what happened he asked me if she had Impressive in her bloodlines and that
led to the HyPP and she tested HyPP N/H.
I had researched HyPP prior to the test coming back and discovered HyPP was a dominant gene so either the sire or dam had to
be HyPP positive. Turns out my friends stud was HyPP N/H and she never told me my filly had 50% chance of having HyPP. This
is the same woman who helped me out with horses and was even there the day The Nibblet was born in my sisters barn. She never
once said anything about HyPP then or the numerous times I stopped into her store to buy feed for The Nibblet. The irony of all of
this was she sold me the feed that caused The Nibblet to have her HyPP attack. The reason was the high potassium content in the
feed. After consulting a nutritional specialist I was able to change her diet to a low potassium level. She had a few minor attacks
during the diet transition and went on to go attack free as far as I know.
Welcome to HyPP central
Our goal at HyPP central is to provide
accurate information and bring overall
awareness to HyPP.
Now something very important to note.
Make sure to consider the source when
researching HyPP.
There are some people who sell HyPP
horses (because it gives the horse bigger
muscles ) and charge thousands of dollars for
HyPP stud fees. So it would stand to reason
if they are in the business of breeding and
selling HyPP horses, they have a special
interest in keeping HyPP going. They have
monetary ties to HyPP.
This is why it is so important to consider the
source when educating yourself about HyPP.
Our goal at HyPP central is to provide
accurate information and bring overall
awareness to HyPP.
Now something very important to note.
Make sure to consider the source when
researching HyPP.
There are some people who sell HyPP
horses (because it gives the horse bigger
muscles ) and charge thousands of dollars for
HyPP stud fees. So it would stand to reason
if they are in the business of breeding and
selling HyPP horses, they have a special
interest in keeping HyPP going. They have
monetary ties to HyPP.
This is why it is so important to consider the
source when educating yourself about HyPP.
Contact
john@fightingms.org
john@fightingms.org
330-347-6109