advice on head shaking please!

[L&M]

I have been asked to hack out one of my liveries daughters horses a couple of times a week but recently, espescially since the sunny weather has begun, he is acting oddly.

Every few strides he will flick his head as if irritated by flies, although there are none, then snatch his head down. He then continues normally for a few strides before repeating the behaviour, and was nigh on impossible today to canter as his head was everywhere!

I do not have much contact with the owner as she only comes up a couple of times a month, hence being asked to excercise it (her mum looks after it but doesn't ride).

Obviously if this continues I will contact the owner to see if it is 'normal' for that horse, but having never experienced a head shaker, was wondering if this behaviour could be attributed?

Thanks in advance!

 

[nikkimariet]

a, back, teeth, saddle?? Are these up to date etc etc

b, flies

c, pollen count/hayfever

His behaviour sounds like Bruces; who is a massive fly hater. As you say there are no flies around, Bruce starts shaking his head as soon as the sun comes out!!! Would suggest super strong fly spray and a nose net after inquiring about the aforementioned checks.

 

[Tickles]

If snatching head down it could well be that back is uncomfortable as obviously that stretches. Plus what is a 'normal' head carriage for some horses just isn't for others. Is it possible you are holding horse's head 'in' a little more than horse is used to (especially if horse is unfit due to lack of work and you aren't as relaxed as you will be when you know horse better)?

 

[L&M]

Thanks Tickles. I have been riding him since Xmas and tend to hack him on a reasonably long rein, and he is usually a very relaxing and easy ride.

I know he has had his saddle checked recently but will try to find out when his teeth were last looked at - have an edt out to see mine in a few weeks so will suggest to owner might be worth a look.

It just seems weird that the head action had only started in the last few days, which is why I was wondering of it was photosensitivity....

 

[eggs]

Having had head shakers in the past this does very much sound like head shaking.

If this has recently become a problem it is even more likely that it is head shaking. It is very difficult to actually identify what the trigger is.

Fortunately both my horses that were head shakers responded very well to wearing a nose net during spring/summer. Neither head shook during the winter months.

 

[Echo Bravo]

Try a nose net on him and see how that goes

 

[L&M]

Thanks eggs and echo bravo - I am going to see what he is like when I ride him on friday and will speak to the owner about a nose net. At least if that eliminates the head tossing, we will know it is the route of the problem.

 

[Holly Hocks]

I put a post on here the other regarding whether my mare was a headshaker or whether it was just bad behaviour - she was doing just what yours was doing, but mine wasn't as bad as yours sounds. I started giving her aloe vera gel in her feed as I had a suspicion that her recurrent sinusitis was returning - couple of days later and the head tossing/shaking has stopped - not sure if it is linked or not, but she has gone from being a ride which was turning out to be quite unpleasant to a lovely responsive ride....how long it lasts is anyone's guess!

 

[unicornleather]

One of the most common causes of headshaking and largely overlooked is the browband being too short. It has the effect of pulling the headpiece up onto the back of the horse's ears, irritating them. To eliminate the browband see if you can get 2 adult sized fingers under it with ease when on the horse, if so then you can cross it off the list, Oz

 

[kirstyl]

Does sound like a headshaker, best thing is to talk to the owner about the behaviour shown. Having ridden a severe headshaker which showed itself very abruptly after months of lovely work, you need to know if this has happened before. The horse I rode was worse in the spring/summer months but could display signs year round. Sadly not a clear cut condition. Do have a look at Professor Knottenbelt's website (Liverpool University). He is the leading person in headshaking (and sarcoids and I'm sure plenty of other things!) for more information and advice.
It's vital to realise that a horse can be in so much discomfort or indeed extreme pain that they are capable of throwing themselves on the floor, because they don't know what to do with themselves. You need to be able to recognise that your horse isn't just being difficult etc, that he/she truly can't cope with the pain

 

[boxcarhorse]

To be honest it sounds exactly like headshaking. My horse started for the first time last year. It lasted a couple of months in the spring and then stopped. Unfortunately I've noticed a couple of little signs that it might be coming back this week.

I didn't find a nosenet made much difference. But I did find he was better on cold, wet days. Also there is a spray called Nostrilvet that you can buy online, which my vet suggested. I didn't try it last year but have some to try if it kicks off again this year.