Milliechaz
Well-Known Member
Hi all - before I go any further I just want to clarify that I do have a physio booked for 13th April but in the meantime I would appreciate your thoughts please.
Horse has been with me for 12 months. Went for backing in October and was there for 8 weeks. Only backed for hacking nothing strenuous as still bum high and wanted to allow her to grow and mature for another 12 months before taking her in the arena. She was worked everyday but not strenuously whilst she was there. Only ever wore a headpiece (no browband or noseband) as she has always had tickly ears. At the end of December before she came home I had a saddle fitter out to template her for a new saddle. Template was pretty even on both sides. She came home and I borrowed the saddle she was backed in for 2 months as her new saddle was delayed. After being home half way round a hack she started headshaking, not continuous but sporadically. I had added a browband at this point so changed it for a bigger one to make sure that wasn't what was starting the issue. It didn't change and I thought maybe her forelock/mane was tickling her as she has a lot of floof so started plaiting her to remove that from the equation. It didn't stop it. I then purchased her an anatomical bridle which didn't make a difference and a poll pad and that too didn't make any difference. Then her new saddle arrived. Tried her in it on the 1st day and she wasn't keen on the girth (it was leather) so I swapped it for a memory foam one. She then started kicking her belly when the girth was done up even though I did it one hole at a time. Once the girth is on the 1st hole on each side she is fine with me then tightening it one by one until safe to get on. No issues at all when mounting or when tightening the girth once on. She then started really objecting to having her bridle taken off. She wouldn't let me go near her ears/poll to remove the headpiece and would shake her head violently and panic until i had finally managed to get it off.
She is only ridden once maybe twice a week and not for longer than an hour, only at a walk. All of this issues came on week by week. So i got the saddle fitter back out just to double check the fit and she is very happy with the fit but re templated her and noticed that she is developing more on one side behind the withers than the other. I then mounted for her to look at how she was going and rode her round the yard. It became apparent that the headshaking started when walking on the right rein, her head was still when walking on the left rein. Incidentally she is more developed on the offside based on the new template. Anyway I have a physio booked for 13th April as something somewhere has changed very slowly but is getting progressively worse. I wont now ride her until she is checked out however out of interest I may lead her out to see if the same happens without a saddle.
I would never have been aware that the headshaking starting on a specific rein as i am only doing straight lines when hacking. I am not aware of her hurting herself throughout any of this time frame although she does bomb around with her stable mate when turned out. I am hoping this will be something and nothing, maybe a pulled muscle or trapped nerve given that it has come on very quickly and cant really be contributed to one specific change. I am assuming it is being displayed as headshaking due to all of the nerves running over the poll. Once the bridle is taken off i can rub and ruffle her ears after 15 minutes of it being removed. Another observation was that when i initially started plaiting her to take the floof out of the equation she didnt like the first bit on mane behind her ears being pulled tort to plait.
Sorry for the long post but wanted to give you context. I think that is everything. Thanks in advace.
Horse has been with me for 12 months. Went for backing in October and was there for 8 weeks. Only backed for hacking nothing strenuous as still bum high and wanted to allow her to grow and mature for another 12 months before taking her in the arena. She was worked everyday but not strenuously whilst she was there. Only ever wore a headpiece (no browband or noseband) as she has always had tickly ears. At the end of December before she came home I had a saddle fitter out to template her for a new saddle. Template was pretty even on both sides. She came home and I borrowed the saddle she was backed in for 2 months as her new saddle was delayed. After being home half way round a hack she started headshaking, not continuous but sporadically. I had added a browband at this point so changed it for a bigger one to make sure that wasn't what was starting the issue. It didn't change and I thought maybe her forelock/mane was tickling her as she has a lot of floof so started plaiting her to remove that from the equation. It didn't stop it. I then purchased her an anatomical bridle which didn't make a difference and a poll pad and that too didn't make any difference. Then her new saddle arrived. Tried her in it on the 1st day and she wasn't keen on the girth (it was leather) so I swapped it for a memory foam one. She then started kicking her belly when the girth was done up even though I did it one hole at a time. Once the girth is on the 1st hole on each side she is fine with me then tightening it one by one until safe to get on. No issues at all when mounting or when tightening the girth once on. She then started really objecting to having her bridle taken off. She wouldn't let me go near her ears/poll to remove the headpiece and would shake her head violently and panic until i had finally managed to get it off.
She is only ridden once maybe twice a week and not for longer than an hour, only at a walk. All of this issues came on week by week. So i got the saddle fitter back out just to double check the fit and she is very happy with the fit but re templated her and noticed that she is developing more on one side behind the withers than the other. I then mounted for her to look at how she was going and rode her round the yard. It became apparent that the headshaking started when walking on the right rein, her head was still when walking on the left rein. Incidentally she is more developed on the offside based on the new template. Anyway I have a physio booked for 13th April as something somewhere has changed very slowly but is getting progressively worse. I wont now ride her until she is checked out however out of interest I may lead her out to see if the same happens without a saddle.
I would never have been aware that the headshaking starting on a specific rein as i am only doing straight lines when hacking. I am not aware of her hurting herself throughout any of this time frame although she does bomb around with her stable mate when turned out. I am hoping this will be something and nothing, maybe a pulled muscle or trapped nerve given that it has come on very quickly and cant really be contributed to one specific change. I am assuming it is being displayed as headshaking due to all of the nerves running over the poll. Once the bridle is taken off i can rub and ruffle her ears after 15 minutes of it being removed. Another observation was that when i initially started plaiting her to take the floof out of the equation she didnt like the first bit on mane behind her ears being pulled tort to plait.
Sorry for the long post but wanted to give you context. I think that is everything. Thanks in advace.
