Anybody who has had experience with headhsakers... advice please :)

bigboyrocky

bigboyrocky

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New boy has shown lots of symptoms of having headshaking syndrome recently, and in the past week it has been much worse. I have done loads and loads of research and i think its pretty safe to say he definatley has headshaking syndrome!

We are moveing yards in a week and a halfs time where there is a lovely big indoor school, and we are also getting him some nosenets on saturday which should both help... But just wondering if anyone has any other advice for me??

Have had a mild headshaker in the past but a net has sorted that out, but his case is a bitmore severe. He had his teeth done last week, as we thought that could be the cause and had the once over by vet as the same time. His saddles also fit so he isnt in any obvious discomfort.

So... any suggestions/advice for me to make sure hes as comfortable as possible? Thankyouuu

(Also in CR)
 
Headshaking isn't just caused by pollen, so a nosenet alone doesn't always help.
My old boys headshaking was caused by a combination of bright sunlight and flies.
I would suggest buying a flymask with an attatched nosenet instead of just a nosenet as this will help with all 3 of the above causes of headshaking.
 
our mare is a headshaker, especially in the summer. last year, it got to the point where we couldnt ride her becuase she got so worked up. we tried the NAF Shakerelief and it has worked a treat. you have to give an initial "loading dose" and then you reduce the amount you give after a few days. On the hotter days, we gave her slightly more than usaul just to help her and we can now school her with out the fights and canter wothout worrying about being knocked out!!
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you can order it online and they tell you where your nearest store is that sells it! definately worth a try!
 
I have posted in earlier posts about my successful treatment of a seasonal (pollen allergy) headshaker with a homeopathic vet

Mine was worse in bright light, heat, during/after strenuous exercise.....

They all vary as headshaking is a symptom of discomfort with multiple causes - no two horses are the same, although there can be common treatments.

Hope you find some relief for him
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Some people have reported a possible link between pelvic discomfort and headshaking and I personally have seen the odd case improve after resolving a pelvis issue. Maybe worth checking as it seems an odd time of year for it to develop otherwise. It is also worth getting a veterinary diagnosis as there are a range of options available.
 
Friendly is/was (fingers firmly crossed here!) a headshaker. She was worse in wooded areas, near bean fields and anywhere that had been sprayed recently. She's an Arab and sometimes does the typical Arab head tossing thing, when excited, but when she was headshaking, you could tell she was distressed.

Sometimes she would shake so much she would forget where her legs were going or waggle her ear as if there was a bee in it and threaten to go up. On one occasion she shook so much, she fell off our yard drive.

One Spring, she had been standing in one place in the field for ages, not eating. She only stands like that if there is something wrong (e.g if the fillet strap on her rug has come undone) I couldn't see anything obviously wrong, so thought it might have something to do with her headshaking. I went and got her riding mask (I found the Crusader mask that covers the ears, eyes and nose, worked better than a nose net and ear covers, on her) and once she'd got that on, she went off eating again! So then I had to buy her the field version!

I tried a Dr. Cooks bridle and Chinese herbal medicine, neither of which made any difference. So the next year I tried Hilton Herbs Shake No More and an Elevator bridle. She got MUCH better.

In fact, for the last 2 years I haven't used the masks and last year/this year I haven't used the Shake No More. She still has the odd Araby head twirl, but not the distressed shaking. Whether the supplement or the bridle made the difference/she has just become immune to our pollens having been here for 6 years now/the weather was "right" for her or whether not having so many bean fields around helped, I don't know! I just hope this year is shake free too.

Good luck with your horse and sorry that was rather a long ramble!
 
You'll find depending on the year and the area that some years it will be worse than others.

Other than what everyone else has said:-

Also sometimes a change of hay will effect horses this time of year (when on cold wet dull winter days most horses are not too effected) because the pollen levels can differ in different hay, even if its been cut in the same area, somthing worth thinking about.

Just another point, when the dentist came did he/she bob the speculum on so they could double check the upper molars right at the back, sometimes this not done with some routine rasps etc and problems up there can cause headshaking/nodding etc.

Woodchip schools will also effect headshakers....even if its indoor purely because its woodchip which some people don't realise.
 
My mare headshakes in the summer terribly, infact i could hardly ride her as she did it so violently - it was caused by the flies, she still throws her head about now if shes fustrated - i think hers is stress related. Am investing in a nose net for summer and thinking of trying the NAF shake relief...........
 
Hi my boy headshakes in the summer, I use a nose net it works well but I also use nostrilvet. its a new spray that coats the inside of the nose.
 
Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your new horse but at least you've got the experience to recognise the symptoms and not just think your horse is being naughty. I've had my headshaking lad for 2 years now and have done a lot of research into this condition in conjunction with my vet.

I would advise making a diary so you can try and pin point specific trigger factors, things that set my lad off are: tree and rape pollens, stress, being too warm and low level bright sunlight (think ski slopes or sun refelcting off water). He is at his best when worked on a surface or indoors and is relaxed in his work.

I've tried numerous supplements (Naf, Global Herbs, Equine America), drugs (steroids, antihistamines, anticonulsants, nostrilvet) and control measures (nose nets, field masks) and have found that if I can minimise the trigger factors he is significantly better. I found the Naf Shake Free supplement helped slightly but I was having to feed it in massive amounts for it to make any difference and it cost a fortune. I'm undecided as to whether a nosenet really helps, but his field relief mask (equilibrium) does help. This last summer my vet asked me to try a different antihistamine called Cetirizine and also some soduim eyedrops. After starting these drugs (vey cheap) from June onwards my horse only had 2 headshaking attacks right through till September when he would tend to stop anyway and I suspect these attacks were stress related. My vet is now trialing the drug this year and is looking for volunteers who are able to collect the drug from south yorkshire.

Sorry for the long reply but I hope you can find something to help your horse, a lot of the time its trial and error and depends on your horse's trigger factors. PM me if you want anymore help
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