Dilema: Headshaking - could it be bedding?

golddustsara

golddustsara

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Please excuse my garbled musings but I am in bed with a rotten cold! New horse was going wonderfully until Thursday when he started headshaking. This has been getting worse with today me not being able to trot without a mass of headshaking with him doing it whilst ridden and on the ground- he also has a runny nose. The only thing I have changed since Thursday is the bedding - I put bedmax in on Weds. Someone told me bedmax can contain an allergen to headshaking horses - has anyone ever heard of this? New yard is near the coast so I can't think of there being anymore pollen than in his previous home... Only other things I can think of doing is checking saddle, back getting vet out etc.

He was eventing in his previous home in September and I tried him on two occasions then again at vetting and he didn't headshake at all wearing a nosenet or doing some exercise without. Vet said he probably had a mild case and given the quality of him and wealth of BE, BD, BSJA experience he wouldnt have any issues with me purchasing him.

I'm just at a loss and obviously want to get it sorted asap for both our sakes. Has anyone had any experiences of bedding changes causing an allergic reaction? Any experiences greatly appreciated as I'm feeling really miserable about it all
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I will take it all out tomorrow and pop some standard shavings in for the time being. Aubiose/Hemcore has also been suggested to me so its all worth a try. Just feeling so worried and being pessimistic because I'm ill
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If that doesn't work then I'll have to look at anything else thats changed since he's come to me... Nothing in life is simple eh!
 
hey hun. hope your ok. with the headshaker I had on loan, we really did have to watch bedding and also hay as the dust seemed to make it worse for some reason. Did you say he was living out in his last home? if he could cope living out until weather really sets it do you think that would help?

call me if you need me xx
 
Some beddings can cause reactions. My horse doesn't get on particularly well with shavings because the brand our yard uses are dusty, and my Sec D had problems with a certain brand as well. The manufacturer sprayed them with some sort of pine flavoured scent to make them smell nice but it really got up his nose.

If you can get it, try cardboard. We all bed on the now and it's lovely. No dust at all, nothing to get up their noses and not sprayed with anything.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Some beddings can cause reactions. My horse doesn't get on particularly well with shavings because the brand our yard uses are dusty, and my Sec D had problems with a certain brand as well. The manufacturer sprayed them with some sort of pine flavoured scent to make them smell nice but it really got up his nose.

If you can get it, try cardboard. We all bed on the now and it's lovely. No dust at all, nothing to get up their noses and not sprayed with anything.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes the bedmax smells very pine like.... Cardboard is a good suggestion thank you.
 
My horse is a headshaker but goes through long periods of not doing it then it flares up. I too have been in bed with horrid cold and I rode him for the first time yesterday since I'd been poorly and he started to headshake for the first time in months.

I have pretty much narrowed the cause of his headshaking down to pollen and more specifically tree pollen. In spring he suffers very badly when the tree pollen is high. When the grass pollen is high he is largely unaffected. It is also worst on days when the wind is coming from across the width of the country and hence gathering more pollen as it travels (south westerly in our case as we're in the north east). When the wind is coming from the north sea he is fine. So maybe it was a day when wind was from land to sea in your case, a lot of pollen could have been in it.

I think mine struggled yesterday because it was windly and the leaves were falling and probably dislodging pollen at the same time. But it took me about a year to narrow it down and come to the conclusion that tree pollen is to blame. There are millions of possible causes for headshaking. In the past I thought it could be bedding, feed, hay etc, also we're on a sheep farm and I thought that perhaps the sheep or chemicals sprayed on them were causing it!!!

But I think you are right to start with teeth and back. When I first got mine my vet said there was no point in them coming to check it out until his teeth and back were checked. If yours has stopped eventing, he could have changed shape and his saddle is not fitting as well as before. Also mine had a very bad back when I got him, changing his saddle and seeing a chiro has definitely helped him in general and the headshaking but has not cured it completely.

I don't know about bedmax, but I can well believe it that it could be the cause if it is causing an irritation to him. Like people every horse is different. I find some perfumes set me off sneezing terribly for example, whereas other people can wear lashings of the same thing and not be affected!! I guess take him straight off the bedmax and then if he stops you know the cause! However, I would think that after a period of time away from the bedmax (say an hour or so) he would stop shaking.

I always either ride mine in a nose net or carry it in my pocket as a back up when riding. It solves the problem almost completely in my case. You saywhen you tried him out you rode him with a nose net? Why was that? He must already have had the condition to be wearing one in the first place? It is not, in my experience, something people use on their horses unless they have the condition. So can the previous owner shed any light on why he is headshaking??

A lot of people on this site will be able to sympathise with you, it's a hugely frustrating and more and more widespread condition. Do feel free to PM me if you want to sound off someone for ideas etc or if I can be of any other help. Good luck and I hope you find a cause/solution.
 
Thanks Hels_Bells for the response. Yes spoke to previous owner- he has always been a slight headshaker but very very mild and controlled by a nosenet in spring/summer then nothing required in autumn winter. This is why its baffling me now as up until Thurs he was fine and as I said competing reguarly before I bought him. I am keeping fingers and toes crossed that the change of bedding will help. Its definitely a frustrating one for him and me.

Will try bedding and soaking hay first and foremost then move onto back, saddle, trying a comfort bridle and then vet.
 
It's a longshot but it might just be that causing it, if it happened as soon as you changed over. I initially thought maybe he'd got a bit of a virus, but then I re-read your post and realised you said it happened when you'd changed bedding.

The stuff we used to use felt strange as well, sort of waxing sticky feeling. Smelt very strongly of pine and the wax and dust used to stick to you.

Is Bedmax a type of shavings? Since moving over to cardboard, I couldn't imagine going back to shavings, they disintegrate so quickly and are really dusty. Make my boy cough (plus cardboard is half the price, which helps a lot
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Blimey - if you rode the horse in a nosenet that should have rung loud warning bells. If not the bedding, it's likely that the changing weather - to very cold - could easily have triggered this latest bout.
 
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