Dizzy Has Become Funny About Her Forelock Area

MrsMozart

MrsMozart

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Any suggestions?

She hasn't been hurt in this region (that I know of).

She's seen regularly by the back man, the vet, the dentist, the saddler, and the farrier (I have them all on speed dial and they come as regular as clockwork and frequently more often lol).

Her bridle has a padded headpiece.

Her ears are fine. She doesn't seem to suffer from fly bites in her ears like some horses do. I used to put Sudocrem in, but she wasn't keen on that and as the flies don't seem to affect her I've stopped doing it.

She leads in and out of the field on a loose lead rope (no pressure), usually bumping me up the bum or using her neck to help me up the hill :).

She's very rarely tied up, and tends not to pull back when she is except if the hose goes past the midpoint of her neck.

She has always hated water on her face, to the point where I was planning on some de-sensitization sessions when the warm days and my days off match up!

I am tall so can reach no matter how high she puts her head. I leave my hand calm and still on her forelock until she lowers her head. She gets a rub, and a Polo, but not a big fuss, it's all kept quiet and low key.

She used to love having her forelock brushed, dropping her head and going sleepy eyed. Now her head shoots up :(. She still seems to like the mid to lower part of her mane being brushed. I can touch her anywhere on her body without her objecting (other than the forelock!).

She's fine to bridle, although has recently started keeping her mouth closed whereas before she used to open slightly to accept the bit. Note: her bit was changed to a straight mullen mouth Happy Mouth after various trials and errors (she lets me know when she's not happy!!). I am thinking of trying a French link loose ring again, just to see what she thinks as it's been a long time since we last tried it.

Yup, another MrsMozart essay :). Hope I haven't missed anything out! :D

There's a cauldron of hot choccy on the range, all readers help yourselves :). For all useful answers (lol), there's a good number of Ferro Rocher in the pantry :D
 
Why don't you get Pat Parelli to come and have a go?

There, that should get the thread started. ;)
Can't claim that was a useful reply though :p
 
pmsl at mollya. i knew someone would say that!

Sounds like shes bumped her head? Maybe give her a few days off and see if it improves?
 
Sounds like it could be a poll issue to me....my girl went exactly the same and had to have the McTimmoney lady out....

It could also be a problem in the back or shoulders which is causing her to strain the muscles around the top of the neck and poll by over-compensating in that area...

I know you say you have all checked frequently but things can develop quickly through things like a play in the field for instance.
 
Personally, I would copy the Parelli video to the button. There is NOT a better way to do it.

Seriously though, I'd give her a few days off, and then if there is still a problem start ruling things out. But it sounds like she's just smacked her head off something!
 
Get a chiropractor out<back man/lady > .My boy had a back /lamness issue , got one out and checked his poll area , im not a expert, they are and they have a lot of ligaments , vet found nothing chiropractor did
 
assuming back ok and she hasn't put anything out, do you pull her mane? When oh used to pull his mares mane (I have forbidden him now!!) she used to be a bit funny after about you touching around her ears and forelock. Does she suffer with sweetitch? My mare gets it mildly (a sweetitch rug on all the time is all she needs to stay comfy). Before I worked out what the prob was, if she got itchy then it was worse along the top of her head and the top half of her mane. If I touched or stroked this area then she used to throw her head up, same with bridle-ing as I think it really made her feel itchy with any pressure in this area. Now with rug on she is fine and no probs.
Thanks for the hot choc, do you want some of my shortbread to go with yours? (am haveing a piggy day!)
 
Ponce off with y'Parellllllllllllllllllllllllllli nonsense :mad::p;)

This is a serious discussion! I have a horse with a dirty forelock!!!! :eek::eek::eek::rolleyes:

This has been building up over a few weeks, which has added to my confusion.

No sweetitch, but ta for the thought. Ditto mane pulling, I don't :D, other than the odd tweak, but I haven't touched her forelock to pull it in a good couple of months. She doesn't seem to mind the wee bit of pulling that I do; I only do a couple of goes at a time precisely so she doesn't get sick of it/upset :D. She wears a fly sheet. Won't keep a fly mask on (she thinks if spoils her good looks lol).

Shortbread is yummy, ta :D

Will call back man again... :)
 
Horrible thought but are you on a livery yard?
I know just before we left our previous yard Hovis got really head shy - I couldn't understand for the life of me why - until I saw the YM smacking him in the face with a leadrope....
Hope its not the same thing.

Either that or you're standing in the way of her adoring public?
 
Poor Hovis!!! :eek::mad:

On a livery yard, but she's out most of the time, although there is a footpath across one of the fields....

The thought re. being in the way of her public could be right! lol :D
 
Could she possibly have banged herself on anything at all? Tree-branch/fence/gate? We once had a mare who suddenly got very funny about leading, we realised that she had a bruised poll and then found out why! Kids on the yard were running round the corner to her stable screaming, which made her lift her head quickly and bang her poll on the top door frame. I have to say that it is amazing how they can injure themselves in the field, when you really don't think that there is anything that they can find to do any damage.
 
has she had a fly mask on? I know it sounds odd, but she might have that wierd feeling you get when you've had your hair tied back and take it out of the bobble... Ron goes a bit funny if I don't leave his mask off for a few hours each day (usually when he's in, which is during the day)
 
Nothing really useful to say MrsM but I found over the slightest thing happening it can take a horse a while to not react to something so maybe Dizzy has had an altercation with something in field or stable near her forelock/head, maybe even quite low key, that has frightened her? Totally different to your example but my stable door blew open once when pony was tied up outside, he was straining to get away and panicing but I managed to grab the door to stop it hitting into him. For about a week afterwards he was extremely wary of his door, whether shut or open! Would eye it really suspiciously if we were close and I had to open it very slowly every day if he was tied up outside for a while reassuring him as I did it and then he forgot it had happened and forgave the door apparently :) Or maybe it is a neck/poll thing, whatever it is I hope it resolves itself soon...you're long overdue a problem-free summer as far as I'm concerned!
 
Hi Mrs M - dunno if this is any use but here goes...

I agree with the thoughts of having a peek at teeth and also structural stuff - I've seen pelvis squintness come right back all the way from a jaw abscess in a youngster...

...while you are waiting for your back man to come - try and stand on mounting block (or get D1 to do for you!) and take a pic looking straight down at the withers - you'll get a really good insight as to how even/straight/out of balance her shoulders are.

Or - have her stand on a flat surface and look at her straight on - is one eye higher than the other - look at all the bony landmarks around the face and see if one side is higher/further out to the side than the other.

If she is in her box loose and is in a good mood and relaxed -have a scratch either side of her withers, see which side she likes more... stay on that side and slowly rub up her neck towards the first vertebra... feel the bony bit, if she likes it, try and find the direction of rub she likes most and go with that.
If she is still happy, stand underneath her head facing forward and slide your hands either side of her jaws and gently rub up and down (feel for what is different either side)... if she is still happy, stand to one side and slide a hand up to her forehead and rub there - feel for hard bits and the bits she wants rubbed - then try the forelock.

Sorry - didn't mean to go on - facial fascia is a pet subject! :o

Will share my tomato crisps?

Good luck - keep us posted!
 
Hi Mrs M -

What about ears - waxy stuff in them, that you could grow carrots in? that can make them a little head shy

Sinouses - cant spell at all tonight - what does her breath smell like?

Being wacked by some total to$$er

Poll or teeth

good luck
 
my pony has mellenoma just under his forelock which the vet says he will take off in the winter but it seems that he doesnt like tobe touched there unless he is itching on you which hes not mean to do! cheeck pony if you can hold her head just feel around for any lumps
 
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