Advice Needed within the Hour - failed vetting

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Llwyncwn

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One of my friends on the yard has found the most perfect horse for her daughter who has outgrown her pony. The 8 year old Sec D mare is based with our new dressage trainer about 25 miles away. We tried the horse on Saturday in very high winds and freezing cold temperatures and she went very well. Has won Performance Horse Show and Reserve Champ too, along with Prelim and Novice dressage. Trainer said that during the warm weather, the mare wore a nose net "for her comfort" as the flies bothered her.

Vet has just rung to say that there is evidence of head shaking after 5 stage vetting. Vet asked for her to be worked a little longer too. Today is very warm and still in comparison to when we looked at her.

I have absolutely no personal experience of head shaking and know that marks will be lost in the dressage arena without a net. Im told that a nose net may be BD legal, but not Pony Club legal. Can anyone advise please ? Any comments welcome.

ETS ~ Does head shaking get worse with age, is it something they can grow out of?
 
My mare used to need a nose net in the spring and autumn due to higher pollen and as long as she wore her nose net when it was required she was quite happy, they are dressage legal but can't comment on Pony club as I passed that age many moons ago. She was a County level large riding horse and I never had a problem in the arena, I'd take her net off prior to entering the arena.
Problem is there may also be an underlying problem which is causing the headshaking, I owned her from 2 days old to 21 when she was PTS so I knew her history, if she buys that ned she might be stuck with an uninsurable and unsellable ned worst case scenario.
 
Trainer sounds economical with the truth.

Headshaking can be caused by a variety of things, some easily managed but others not so.

It can get better with time or worse.

It really isn't a thing I'd knowingly take on and I'd walk away from this horse.

It will significantly affect resale potential
 
Having owned a head shaker, I would never knowlingly buy one. It's still very early in the year for headshaking symptoms and I would be worried at how the symptoms may increase during the high pollen season.

My horse was unrideable for half of the year, nose net or not. I realise some aren't as severe as Blue was, but I wouldn't risk it personally.
 
Nose nets are legal for British Dressage but you need to get written permission to use them.

A friend's dressage horse wears a nose net throughout the summer as headshakes without it. He also wears a fly mask in the field as headshakes then also. She thinks it's some sort of pollen / fertiliser type allery.

I don't think it is something they grow out of, although potentially a change of environment might help.

I think it would be difficult to make a decision on the pony without seeing how badly it headshakes and whether wearing a nose net totally resolves the problem - as they don't always work 100%
 
Any chance of a trail or warrenty (E.G if it became a problem they would refund?)

There are honestly alot of other 'Perfect' horses out there. I know how demotavating it is to have one fail, but it's best to look at it as possible, an escape from a protenialy bad situtation. I question the horses perfectness if it has failed a vetting and head shakes.

In short - if this horse hasn't passed a vetting, the vet doesn't believe it is suitable and capable of doing what the ride requires which here is dressage. Thats not to say it wouldn't pass for hacking.

I seems silly to buy a problem. : )
 
Thank you all so much for your quick responses. I have e-mailed my friend with a link to this page so she can read for herself.

A good point regarding the trainer - I did wonder why you would want to use a net for 'comfort' if it wasnt needed?

My friends daughter who is a lovely girl is terribly upset already, but you are right TS, better to know now than have the heartache in the future.

Didnt realise you needed permission to wear a net in BD. Thanks for that.

Hx
 
Unless the vendor is willing to substantially reduce the price (I really would not want to pay more than about 1K for a headshaker) then walk away. As others have said, you will have problems with insurance, resale and possibly other underlying health issues. If they will reduce the price to a sensible sum and you are willing to accept the risk then the horse maybe worth a chance as she seems perfect in every other respect. Why don't you discuss it further with the vet - how he thinks headshaking affects resale value and if he thinks there may be long term implications on the mares health/performance? Don't let the sellers pressure you into making a decision just because they know you really like the mare, this is one you need to research and think about as it is a big risk. Personally i think they know all about the headshaking which in turn makes you wonder what else they are trying to hide!
 
For a kid a definite no no , headshaking can be severe and vary from year to year. It can be very unsettling to try and ride a horse confidently with it's head going all over the place and chances of being competetive at PC type stuff is pretty low.

i know people manage with it if their horse turns out to be a headshaker but definitly not a problem I'd buy.

Trainer/seller already sounds dubious now, what else are they not telling you about?
 
needing a nose nets for flies is a different thing altogether to a vet diagnosing a head shaker. walk away, like Enfys said, pleanty of good ponies if you look hard enough.

Good luck x
 
As everyone has said there's loads of causes of headshaking and no obvious patterns to many of them.

If the vet can diagnose the cause and it's manageable (ie: pollen) then you know where you stand at least.

If it's not clear what causes it I too would walk away. Riding a headshaker can be very distressing and difficult and certain scenarios cause the horse distress too.
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Def keep looking, if any doubts and esp if technically faile the vetting, i remember the heartache of having many horses vetted back when i was about 12, used to get soo excited about them but so many fauiled (being older and wiser now, we probably wouldn't have looked at half of them now but what did we know!)

Finally found THE pony after many disappointments but he was brilliant and the best pony I could have ever had so i see it as the others weren't meant to be, he certainly was!
 
I think walk away - I own a headshaker, and although I love him to bits, and will never part with him, I would never knowingly buy another horse with this issue. I must have been abotu 13 or so when he developed it and I was utterly devastated. Also, you never know what causes it - in this case he went on loan and sustained a head injury which we think caused it - so there could eventually be additional issues that show up. It is a horrible condition, even though i can hack him with the use of a net and he is 'normal' I would give anything for him to be free of this.
 
I dont think I would risk it. At the end of the day you might end up with a horse that you cant do much with in the summer (when the headshaking is usually worst) and whats the point of that. I think the owners are being economical with the truth
 
There are loads of causes of head shaking, its such a complicated thing and not much is known about it.
I would try this horse for longer in loads of different surcumstances and situations and if you like her and can deal with it then its your choice, but with out knowing how bad she could be it would be a total mine field for you.
 
I would say walk away. We are looking for a JC pony for daughter and have looked at about 8. We have had 2 vetted and 2 failed! Unbelievable! Daughter was very upset but hopefully we have found another 'perfect' pony and he is being vetted on Friday so please keep fingers crossed.

Also, it sounds from your post as if your friend didn't attend the vetting? Being an untrusting person I would always attend a vetting of a horse you're intending to buy because the vet may want you there to discuss things or show you things - also you avoid the risk of the vet going along and being bribed or just ticking boxes without doing anything! Sorry if anyone's a vet I'm sure you're all honest but best to attend to be sure!

Tell them good luck with looking for another.
 
Walk away, there are plenty of other ponies out there.

I used to work at a yard where there was a headshaker, I got made to take him out hunting and all I could do was hold onto the buckle of the reins the shaking was so bad.
 
Thank you once again to everyone who has replied. My friend has been reading all the responses for herself with her daughter by her side (off school, throwing up as we speak
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). Asking for a trial period is pretty much out of the question as Lauren may get even more attached. No, we didnt attend the vetting, but our vets are from an Equine Clinic and dont miss a trick!

I am a little disheartened that our new trainer, although she happened to mention the mare wore a nose net for comfort, didnt expand on it. She must have known that it wouldnt pass a vetting due to the head shaking (which my friend has just told me that the vet said "a couple of violent shakes" and the trainer rode her very tight) but allowed one of her new clients to fork out for a 5 stage
frown.gif


Still searching ... if anyone knows of something similar, up to 15.2hh and within reasonable access of motorways (from South Wales), please let me know.

Thanks everyone.
 
Just got a pony that appears to be problematic - don't know if it is cinical headshaking or just tossing about a bit but if I'd had the chance to back out of buying him, with hindsight I would have. Take the opportunity to run while you can! I'm having such a headache about it all, it's so depressing and frustrating. The child will get over it, mine has to try to deal with it, and I wish she didn't.
 
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