Cashel mask - head shaking

[thehorseloader]

I am looking at trying a cashel mask for riding my headshaking horse(he is on other treatment as well). The 'quiet ride' version looks as though it doesn't block out much UV. However the field version is said to block out 70% UV. Does anyone use the field version for riding? I looked at the guardian riding mask but they are very expensive.

 

[stormybracken]

Hi - I have used both field and quiet ride versions, both equally successful for my pony, BUT the underlying causes (whatever they are at any given time!) will still be there, so long as I manage them I can ride without.

 

[thehorseloader]

Thanks so much for replying. So just to clarify, you have ridden in the cashel field version? I would be very interested in how you manage your horse as I am struggling at the moment. I know that the nose nets/masks are covering the problem, but I am struggling to find an effective, affordable way forward with the headshaking. In the hot weather we had over the weekend I would say my horse was a score of 8 on the scale if 10 is the worst. Any help/advice much appreciated. My horse has just started on 100 per day preds. I am also looking at two diff types antihistamines and costing.

 

[stormybracken]

This is a fairly wide topic, I'm discovering! Unless there is something obvious like ear mites or bad tooth or severe allergy, then there can be many causes of headshaking from ill-fitting tack to anxiety at leaving field mates, and of course there doesn't have to be just one cause... I think with Bracken it is cumulative.
Last year I think I got it right by maintaining my relationship with him, correct diet, correct level of exercise, and possibly some other magic ingredient I was unaware of. THIS year I think I upped our work load which tipped the balance of saddle from not ideal to downright damaging, changed his diet to cope with the increase workload, pushed him when he was (on hindsight) uncomfortable due to the saddle, lost some of the relationship in the process, and so on. There is something physical because the snotty nose is there, but when he's correctly fed and correctly exercised that disappears or doesn't cause such a problem. Until the new saddle arrives and I can put my theory into practice, that is all it is, a learning process.
Wouldn't it be lurvely if every horse was the same!!!