head shaking - advice/experiences please

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sue_ellen

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Hi, I have not been on here for a while as I had to sell my boy last year when hubby was made redundant. However, things have improved and about 6 weeks ago I was able to take the plunge and I bought a new horse.

I will try to keep this short, she has been wonderful and exactly as the seller said she was, but when I first went to see her she very occasionally tossed her head as I watched her being ridden and her owner said that she only did it occasionally. When I got on to try her she immediately threw her head up and down and I thought "Oh dear!" However, when I rode her out for a little hack around the block she didn't do it, and when I went back and had a long hack out on her, she didn't do it.

So I took the plunge, made the decision and bought her.

When I got her home, she did the head tossing thing occasionally, which I can live with, but now she is doing it a lot more, and they are sometimes nose breakingly high!
Do you think it is the time of year? I have ordered a nose net, but it hasn't arrived yet. When I tried her it was early Feb, and the vendor, who was a dealer, had only had her for about 4 months, had only had her during Winter months.

I am quite an experienced owner/rider although certainly not an expert, and although I have heard of headshaking it is not something I have had to deal with before. I am just worried that she is uncomfortable, and she is so lovely in every other way that I want to find ways to deal with this the best way I can for her, as I have no intention of parting with her.

So, any advice or suggestions would be very gratefully recieved. Forgot to say she has had her teeth done, and she is ridden in a loose ring french link snaffle.

Thanks for reading!
 
We've got a pony at the yard with that does the same sort of thing, when it first started we thought it could be his teeth or back, so got those checked, and it wasnt, thought it was where the rider was holding the horse too much and was tossing the head because he wanted his head, that was ruled out, and we actually discovered that as it got worse it was a problem with his withers which were becoming more and more sensitive, to the point where if the reins where on them he would toss his head about until they were moved off them, weve been told its to do with his weight, the heavier he is the worse it is. Dont know if any of the above can help you tho :)
 
In your post you said it was only occasionally when you bought her. now it's getting a bit more often - we have just moved into spring and pollen count is getting higher in some areas. I'm not saying it is pollen but it is highly likely.

The other reason for headshaking apart from anatomical/muscular problems as described above is bridlework pressing on nerves in the face. This can happen if a horse is hypersensitive in those areas where nerves run. Check the browband isn't too tight, or the noseband. Try taking the noseband off maybe and see if this helps.

If it doesn't, then it's a process of elimination until you find the cause. Don't rule out gastric issues either... hope it gets sorted soon...
 
hi
I have a mare that suddenly started headshaking after I'd owned her for 2yrs. She kept suddenly snatching the reins, head tossing and desperately wanted to rub her nose on her knee.

No idea what causes it and is it become more and more common. I had her checked by vet. Only suggestion is that there are so many more chemicals around (sprayed on fields, in yards etc). It would take foreever and costly to know which one causes the irritation.

Overall, the pattern of headshaking is like that of someone who suffers from hayfever. I've found it worse on days when its warm and slightly breezy which brings out pollen (like now as we're heading into spring) and they seem more sensative.

I have solved it with a nose net (the half one by Equilibrum) and she is perfectly happy in it and you can compete in it too. Without the net, its like she feels things bumping her nose, but there is clearly nothing there. I

If it is headshaking, then no amount of telling off will stop them. Best find something like a nose net that works. I've tried herbal remedies but not found one that works.

However NCARTER posted a similar problem on this site recently...search for " Headshaking....avoidance technique??!! " . For that query a number of members recommended herbal products that worked for their horses.

There's also an injection your vet can give but its a bit of hit and miss as to whether it works or not.
 
Monty does this. I know it seems stupid but there is pollen about. He headshakes so wears a nose net and his had to go back on well over a month ago now.. which seemed ridiculous at the time but its stopped the head shaking. he is a bit of a pansy though, he's also really funny about flys around his ears, so the ear cover is back nhow too. I know theres pollen around too as I suffer from hayfever and had to start on the antihisamines around the same time this year. Hope the nose net works when it arrives.
 
One of the most common causes of headshaking and largely overlooked is the browband being too short.
It has the effect of pulling the headpiece up onto the back of the horse's ears, irritating them.
To eliminate the browband see if you can get 2 adult sized fingers under it with ease when on the horse,
if so then you can cross it off the list, Oz
 
Tightness in the poll can cause discomfort and shaking.

However, if its only just stated it sounds seasonal - a mare on livery with mine started a couple o weeks ago when the weather warmed up asnd nothing seems to help inc nets, fringes, massive nose bag type nose net, spray, supplements ... good luck!
 
I ride my horse in a nose net in the summer months. I realised his head tossing was caused by the tiny midges/flies that tend to be worse near hedgerows. I didn't use it in the winter and he was fine. In the last couple of weeks with the warmer weather the flies are out and although I can barely notice them even when looking for them they really bother my horse. Popped the nose net back on this week after a head tossing hack earlier this week and he is now fine.
 
Definitely seasonal headshaking!!!! You may have heard on the news, or read that birch pollen has just started this week! My horse has this problem and the only way round it is to use a nosenet for 9 months of the year and it most definitely makes all the difference! Strangely enough, he only headshakes out hacking and not in the school! However, do not despair as whilst you will not find a cure for it, the nosenet will be your saviour!
 
my pony headshakes for a couple of months a year - it seems to be when the blossom is on the trees - he only does it on certain tree lined tracks whilst hacking (not in the school) i invested in an equilibrium net - they are quite expensive and i was very dubious that it would work - but it work 100% - no shaking at all - luckily once the 'season' is over i can take it off.
It started for the first time this year last week - so a bit earlier for some reason this year.
 
One of mine does - we tried about five or six supplements before we found one that would work, and now you'd never know. The one that worked for us is a breathing supp rather than a specific headshaking one - from what I've read/people I've spoken to, different supps work on different horses so just keep trying till you find one that works!
 
Thanks for your replies everyone I will check the fit of the browband and keep my fingers crossed for the nose net when it arrives! I will also check the previous post.
Thanks again!
 
Sealine said:
I ride my horse in a nose net in the summer months. I realised his head tossing was caused by the tiny midges/flies that tend to be worse near hedgerows. I didn't use it in the winter and he was fine. In the last couple of weeks with the warmer weather the flies are out and although I can barely notice them even when looking for them they really bother my horse. Popped the nose net back on this week after a head tossing hack earlier this week and he is now fine.
Click to expand...

Same as mine! Definitely midges sets her off - headshakes from March to October! Worse at dusk. I use a nose net and ear bonnet and virtually eliminates it.
 
Hi,
I bought a horse that was 90 miles away, in spring, it didn't head shake.
After 4 years I have worked out it is rhodedendren he is allergic too.
I have removed his noseband, a nose net (the equilibrium one) made no difference. I have tried 3 different herbal treatments and the only one that helps him is NAF shake relief. This only happens when hacking, not in the school, unless I have hacked first.
My vet suggested antihistamines, but at £150 per month I thought not !
 
My mare started doing this not long after I bought her last April. I thought she was a headshaker - dentist found nothing. A couple of weeks later, masses of yellow snot started pouring down one nostril - it turned out she had a tooth abcess and when we got her to the hospital and they EVENTUALLY found it and removed the tooth, it turned out the tooth had been rotten for several months, if not longer.....
Mare came back into work about 3 weeks ago and started tossing her head again - not as bad and nowhere near as frequent. I thought it might be the pollen - got her some aloe vera from Aloequine (at least I think that's what they were called) and within days it had stopped....she hasn't done it since. It's expensive and I've still got her on quite a high dose, but am planning to reduce it shortly....
 
My horse head shakes as a result of a pollen allergy. He starts in February and is at his worst when rape is in flower.

I use a nose net when riding, he also has in his feed:

1. Aniseed
2. Buckwheat
3. Marsh mallow leaf
4. 4 x anti hystamine tablets.
5. squirt of Carl Hester Air Power

I also use Carl Hester Vapour rub before riding. Have tried Nostrilvet but didn't find it had any effect.

Good luck with getting to the bottom of it. I also found that his head shaking was really bad last year so i got the back man out and his head shaking had caused him to hurt his poll which resulted in ............. more violent head shaking! One session with the back man and he was a huge amount better.
 
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