Head Shaking Syndrome

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Woodstock92

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Hey,
I took my horse to the vets yesterday for a scope up his nose. We originally thought he had pollips, however the vet has said it is head shaking syndrome. After reading all the symptoms of this syndrome, I now also believe he has this. I have been having a little worry. He is manageable at the moment but im concerned he may get worse.

I'd like to try and find out more about this syndrome and was wondering if anybody on here has had a horse with this?
Also I wondered how this effected your horse and what kind of treatments were available and if they worked? Did your horse get progressively worse, or was it sudden.

Thanks.
 
You'll find that it will affect your horse differently depending on the time of the month and also it will vary each year, some years they will be bad, other times you might have a good year.

Where you keep your horse and where you ride will also affect how bad he shakes, certain trees and bushes will affect him, also his pace, the more air they take in (doing faster work) the more they will shake.

So you can make lots of little changes that will help, once you notice when and what triggers it.

Also a nose net as well as using supplements such as Global Herbs Shake Relief will also help.

Your vet may also suggest an antihistamine injection/tablets that can also help.
 
Our big ginger lad developed this the first summer we had him (we bought him in March when no pollen around so he may well have had it before). The first year a nose net stopped it about 90% but in the 2nd summer he became so bad that even though he had a nose net in the field he still stood there all day headshaking. We bought him a Guardian facemask after recommendations on here. It blocks 95% of UV light which can be one of the triggers. You have to order it from the website in the US and it's not cheap - about £80 I think. It reduced the headshaking by about 20% I'd say. The other thing which really helped was Pollen-Ex from Global Herbs (again ordered online). I'm not sure how it differs from their Shake Relief but someone at our yard had had good results with it so we gave it a go. It stopped the headshaking completely within 3 days so we'll definitely be using that again this summer. Let's hope it keeps on working. We use the liquid version as he won't touch powdered supplements. He loves this though. Smells vile to me!
 
My horse is a head shaker. He is 23 years old and only developed the condition in the last 3 years. His head shaking is only apparent in winter when the weather is very cold and there is sunshine. So basically he is photosensitive. He will not show any symptoms at any time other than under those weather conditions. Sometimes the reaction is mild - just like a pin prick on his nose. Other times it is quite severe as its like a bee has stung him on the end of his nose and the shock runs up through the neck and down his body affecting his stride - to the extent that he will stagger a little. We have learned to live with it as, basically, there are only a few days in winter when the sunshines strongly.
I guess we are lucky compared to some!
 
Mines a heashaker too - shes affected by midges and other bugs and is worst around april/may time when there are loads around but she headshakes mildly for most of the year - she has just started again after having nov and dec headshaking free. She has started blowing her nose and rubbing it on her leg and grabbing at the reins when on aloose rein - these are her symtoms for the start. Later it turns into striking out with front legs, tossing head around, broncing, violently rubbing nose on legs,road,me-anything she can get too if I dont use a net.

She is unbearable in april without any control but I control it with a nosenet and and ear veil. I dont use any supplements as have found the combination of the 2 works well and reduces it by about 80-90%. The rest I can manage.

If I dont use the ear veil its a lot worse, if I dont use either I am chucked around all other the place, especially in canter.
 
Woody's pretty similar. At the moment he is manageable. To begin with we thought it was pollips on the inside of his nose but after a scope found everything is fine in there and the conditions i described are that of this syndrome. He is similiar in that he stands in his stable shaking his head violently or just his nose will twitch.
When i school he is fine, maybe the odd twitch but you wouldn't notice. When he is on a loose reign he throws his head up and down and when he is hacking i notce it. We use a nose net every time he is ridden.
He constantly wants to rub his nose once hes been ridden and still got the bridle on, whether its me, the fence or the stable. It is always immediately after he has been worked.
He's an 18hh Gelderlander X Dutch Warmblood.
He's an absolute star, I just really hope he does not get any worse
 
I have two headshakers and when I found out that I had them- I searched the forums for advice.

I have two very severe headshakers and nose nets made no difference and exercise made the headshaking even worse. It is a known fact exercise induces headshaking.

Please note, I am by no means a vet but I do have some advice for anyone who thinks they might have a headshaker.

I can totally sympathise with the desperate feeling of wanting to find a cure or something that works but I have wasted so much money on lotions, potions, biscuits and herbs when I should have gone straight to my vet.

There are 101 reasons or more why your horse might headshake and all cases differ.

I hope your horse is insured and is covered for diagnostics etc.

Advice:

1. Make sure your horses teeth/back and tack have all been recently checked. Rule those issues out.

2. Keep a diary detailing all that you see and believe to relate to the headshaking. Include climate, time of year, time of day, if the horse is indoors or outdoors, if its windy, raining and if it does it when in work or relaxed. Literally everything you see. See if your horse headshakes in the dark (if you can). Be as detailed as you can and over a good period of time.

2. Go to your vet with your diary. You will find that a diary is very helpful as it is part of the investigation! Crutial infact.

3. Discuss all options with your vet and discuss how you can take an invesigation forward. You will find that diagnositcs can be carried out in an attempt to discover the cause. Skin allergy tests can also be done to see if your horse is allergic to anything resulting in desensitisation vaccines given over a long period of time. Operations can be had- but they do carry risk and do not always cure.

Since going to my vet I have found out:

I have an allergic headshaker. He is allergic to 9 different things including pollens and his own skin dust. He is on a course of vaccines now to build up his immunity to them. He was reacting badly to the pollens and it caused irratation up his nose. Exercise was affected as during work he would breath more deeply and the pollens would irritate.

I have an ideopathic headshaker (facial nerve pain) who has since had a nerve laser operation in the face. He suffers from neurological pain. He has no allergies. Success of the operation is to be confirmed as he has only just had this at Newmarket. I do know it doesnt always cure it and I do know that not all horses get through it because they face trauma (rub the face after the operation and do not stop).

Generally nerve face pain is very painful. He either had to have the operation or I put him down. Either way- I could loose this horse but I had to try.

Both horses showed similarties in their headshaking:

Nose rubbing - itchy especially after working.
shaking of the head

Differences:

The nerve (ideopathic) headshakers headshaking progressed from what I thought was seasonal to shaking his head all the time. A vertical head toss and he snorted alot.

The pollen headshaker only showed his irritation during work.

All in all- headshaking is very uncomfortable for the horse. I would go to your vet!!!!!
 
Dancinghorse has pretty well summed it up except to add that headshaking is very painful and stressful for the horse.

My boy was so stressed yesterday he ate his own poo, great mouthfuls in a sort of frenzied way.

I have had the vet today and we are going to try putting him out only at night and on Danilon for two weeks to see if that helps.
 
I don't know if this will help you, but here goes with my story. A few years back I bought a lovely, but scruffy, section D mare. I broke her in and she was going really nicely with no issues. In the spring I decided to tidy her up so I could take her to some shows. That spring (the first I had owned her) she started shaking her head when she was being ridden. Went through the usual list - bit, back, tack etc etc.
Not long after I had my hair cut short. It looked good and was really easy to look after but my jacket collar really irritated me as it was touching the short hairs at the back.
I went out to my mare and gently brushed my fingers over the trimmed mane behind her ears where the bridle headpiece fitted. You've probably guessed what happened - she shook her head to remove my hand. I allowed her bridlepath to grow out again and she never had headshaking issues again.
This may not help with your horse but I thought I'd mention it.
 
One of my horses had to have a contact lens in for other reasons but at the time the vets only had a Blue one in his size. The idea behind the coloured contact lens' are to reduce the UV light entering the eye - like sunglasses - which is also another trigger for head shaking. The vet didn't into the head shaking side too much as that wasn't the problem with my horse. But it's just an idea to throw out there.
 
I also have an ideopathic headshaker due to facial pain syndrome. Dancinghorse gave a good account of the disease and you must go to the vet for a diagnosis. My 5 year old mare had platinum coils put in the nerve back in October and i'm afraid it hasn't worked to date so considering a second operation as the success rate goes up from 50% to 80% with the second operation. The diagnosis was simple after all other possibilities were investigated. She went to Bristol and had a nerve block and stopped HS instantly when ridden. It is a terrible disease and we have to do all we can to make sure they aren't in pain. Mine only HS when ridden at the moment and is OK at rest so if the second operation also fails then she will be retired until the point she starts doing it at rest.

Good luck.
 
I had a head shaker the most heartbreaking thing I've ever been through! The man to speak to is professor knotterbolt at liverpool, he was fab with my boy and happily spoke to me for over an hour on the phone going over the options with me, my boy did it constantly it was horrible he'd fall at shows and that's when I knew I had to stop riding, he then went on to have to coil surgery to which worked for 3 months and i was over the moon, but due to the numbness this causes in the nose many horses rub and rub as they have no feeling and every morning I would go to turn him out his nose would be such a mess. But after a few months it started again, my insurance was maxed out and no way could I afford another op, he was my dream horse and I sold him as a companion/ light hack in winter, he's now still in a forever home and loved dearly but still shaking and it's said to get worse as the disease progresses. I do look back now and think that I possibly should have done the kindest thing for him and had him pts.
 
Every day walking up the field he'd push his head into my back whilst shaking, I think it was his way of telling me he was hurting :( horrible horrible disease and it will be an amazing day when they find a cure!
 
I have a mare who started head shaking at age 11 for some reason. I put on a nose net by Equilibrium and she is very happy and works really well. I have tried different remedies but not found one that works.

I find that the headshaking gets worse in similar conditions that cause hayfever in people - so thats spring when there is a gently breeze and the pollen is flying around.

Unfortunately head shaking seems to be more a more common. I bred another mare who at the age of 8 suddenly started headshaking. The vet said there are so many things in the horses environment (including fields which have been sprayed) its very difficult to get to the route cause. Again she was quite happy in the nose net.
http://www.equilibriumproducts.com/head_shaking/net_reliefreg_muzzle_net/
 
My 6 year old started last March time. We thought it was pollen so and a full head mask seemed to help in the field. Also using a nose net, we couldn't actually ride him over the summer, not due to the head shaking but due to back injury. It didn't stop or calm down after the pollen season. We tried him on a course of anti histamine and carabamazepine, which is an anti epileptic. This did not help.

His behaviour recently lead us to think he may have gastric ulcers, this proved not to be the case. hen the vet checked his back he bucked, I touch his back and apply any pressure, nothing.

He is currently being treated again for a sore back. He's been on a bute trail. We are finding that on bute he no longer head shakes. Seems its pain related with him. Just trying to find what it is that is causing the back pain now, before the insurance runs out.

Head shaking can be so many things, best of luck.
 
I have read this thread with great interest as i have a head shaker diagnosed and had LOU 12yrs ago! After then i tried various anti shake supplements , and took up suggestions of feeding marmite and vaseline on his nose, but with no success, and gave up after a year or two.

My boy does a vertical shake, ridden/ lunging or in hand, it is as if he has an electric shock as it is a very sharp/quick reaction. He will then look for surfaces to rub his nose on. He is thankfully ok day to day in the field. I have given up all hope and not even looked at any further developments, as all the de-nerving etc was not an option back then when i took him to Newmarket, and hadn't heard of it until reading this thread.

I have however enjoyed him hacking, pleasure rides and dressage. He wears a nose net and has two types. The Equilibrium to compete in dressage and a Shires which is like a mesh bucket, for want of a better term, that covers his whole nose/muzzle. I do find the Shires is more successful and the finer mesh the better especially in the summer. I find he will shake even on sunny winter days but is not as bad as the summer months.
 
We have had 2 headshakers. My old man Arthur showed considerable improvement when wearing the shires nose net and a fly fringe.

Charlie had extensive investigations with Derek Knottenbelt at Leahurst, who suggested the platinum coils in the vagus nerve of his face. We decided against this at the time. Last season I managed to lessen the headshaking using a fly veil over his browband and noseband. The nose net made him worse.

I managed to show him successfully all last season by feeding a magnesium supplement, administering prednisolone eye drops, beconase spray up his nose and vicks round his nostrils. Hope this helps :)
 
ck1lottykelly said:
I also have an ideopathic headshaker due to facial pain syndrome. Dancinghorse gave a good account of the disease and you must go to the vet for a diagnosis. My 5 year old mare had platinum coils put in the nerve back in October and i'm afraid it hasn't worked to date so considering a second operation as the success rate goes up from 50% to 80% with the second operation. The diagnosis was simple after all other possibilities were investigated. She went to Bristol and had a nerve block and stopped HS instantly when ridden. It is a terrible disease and we have to do all we can to make sure they aren't in pain. Mine only HS when ridden at the moment and is OK at rest so if the second operation also fails then she will be retired until the point she starts doing it at rest.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Hi, I also have an idopathic headshaker, mine was operated in October too at Langford Vets. My horse is 12 and never did it before, then suddendly last August he started and become so bad I was struggling to even put his headcollar on., like your mare he had the nerve block that confirmed to have facial pain in the trigeminal nerve. Sadly the coil operation didn't work for him either but I am not considering the second operation because he has been so distressed after the first op and was rubbing his nose against the wall for weeks making it bleed, plus he was very very unconfortable and distressed and that must have hurt so much. The vet gave me Gabapentin which is a painkiller used for neuropatic pain, it helped a bit but he was still in a lot of pain, plus they cost nearly £1 a pill and he had to have 8 a day, so really expensive and not woorking. I then tried the DEX pulse therapy, which is a corticosteroid that you give orally for 4 days once a month and it did help as he started to be more confortable, that lasted about 2 motnhs but unfortunately he is getting worst again so I think now the kindest option is to pts.
I had my lovely boy for 9 years and i truly love this horse, I am devastated that he developped this horrible disease, litterally from one day to the next he has become a severe headshaker and is in constant pain for no apparent reason, whether he is in the stable, in the field, whether it is sunny or rainy, mild or cod, he is not confortable and you can tell not only by the constant flicks but also by the look in his eyes. I do hope they will find the cause of this and a cure as there seems to be so many horses out there suffering with headshaking.
Good luck ...
 
I have a seasonal head shaker - coincides with the start of the pollen season, but allergy tests all came back negative. Tried nose nets, local honey, Nostrilvet, steroids, anti-hysthamines, drinking wine (me, not him) - you name it.

YO suggested that I try Nupafeed Magnesium Calmer, as several people had found a side effect to calming was a reduction in head shaking.

Tried it and we're just about to start our third spring/summer on it :)

Courses for horses (;)) and vice versa but it worked for him. If I hack past a hawthorn hedge in flower next to a rape field, I'd still get a reaction, but generally he so much more comfortable.

I hope you find the answers you need...
 
Hi, this may sound like a very silly idea, but it's one that's been bugging me for quite a while, so here goes!

Has anyone ever come across the suggestion that some headshakers may have migraine?

I know migraine isn't mentioned as a condition experienced by horses, but there are several which affect people (asthma, lymphoedema) which not so long ago were also never referred to with horses but which we now know they get.

Having had many severe migraines myself I have been struck by the similarity between the 'symptoms' of severe headshaking and migraine. Migraine is triggered by a wide variety of causes in people - changes in humidity and air pressure, certain smells, sensitivity to light and noise etc. The trigeminal nerve, which has been implicated in headshaking is also sometimes involved in migraine (one recent treatment for migraine is to surgically remove pressure on parts of the nerve). Migraine is also now considered to be connected with other conditions and there seems to be a consensus that it is not as simple a condition as was once thought.

I would be very interested to hear other people's thoughts on this, to date I haven't come across anything that would definitively exclude migraine as a cause of headshaking and until this happens it may be worth investigating.
 
Im really interested in this post as I think I have a possible headshaker. I do have the vet coming out on Thurs to check her over as last night it was awful watching her eating her hay and every mouth she took she was throwing her head around quiet excessivly and violently so it might be her teeth/ mouth although her teeth were only done about 3 months ago. My McTimony Practitioner was there aswell and she said she had never seen anything like it before. I have also seen her doing it in the field aswell while shes eating grass but its not all the time whilst out in the field I dont think. She's started head rubbing a fair bit and when ridden she throws her head down constantly and sneezes alot,sometimes shakes her head and coughs aswell. She has also started rubbing her nose on her leg a fair bit especially while being bought in from the field and after being ridden whilst walking back to the stable to be untacked. She is worst while eating hay and being ridden but to be fair she could be as bad in the field but coz Im not there all day/ night to watch her then I cant really tell how bad it is whilst shes out.

Could this be pollen/ allergy/ head shaker?

Any help advise is greatly recieved.
 
Finn said:
Im really interested in this post as I think I have a possible headshaker. I do have the vet coming out on Thurs to check her over as last night it was awful watching her eating her hay and every mouth she took she was throwing her head around quiet excessivly and violently so it might be her teeth/ mouth although her teeth were only done about 3 months ago. My McTimony Practitioner was there aswell and she said she had never seen anything like it before. I have also seen her doing it in the field aswell while shes eating grass but its not all the time whilst out in the field I dont think. She's started head rubbing a fair bit and when ridden she throws her head down constantly and sneezes alot,sometimes shakes her head and coughs aswell. She has also started rubbing her nose on her leg a fair bit especially while being bought in from the field and after being ridden whilst walking back to the stable to be untacked. She is worst while eating hay and being ridden but to be fair she could be as bad in the field but coz Im not there all day/ night to watch her then I cant really tell how bad it is whilst shes out.

Could this be pollen/ allergy/ head shaker?

Any help advise is greatly recieved.
Click to expand...


These symptoms sound like classic headshaking, it is finding the reason that is your first step, hopefully the vet will have ideas to help.

If it is due to pollen riding in a nose net may help, keeping her in during the day out of the worst of the pollen or putting a full face mask on and soaking her hay if you dont already.

It could be something like a sinus infection so dont think the worst, good luck with the vet.
 
Be Positive - Thankyou for your kind words.

It certainly looks as though shes a strong posibillity as being a head shaker after reading all the responses to OP post and some people on here have got the same symptons.

Roll on Thurs then at least I will be nearer to having some answers.
 
Ginahgrace said:
Hi, I also have an idopathic headshaker, mine was operated in October too at Langford Vets. My horse is 12 and never did it before, then suddendly last August he started and become so bad I was struggling to even put his headcollar on., like your mare he had the nerve block that confirmed to have facial pain in the trigeminal nerve. Sadly the coil operation didn't work for him either but I am not considering the second operation because he has been so distressed after the first op and was rubbing his nose against the wall for weeks making it bleed, plus he was very very unconfortable and distressed and that must have hurt so much. The vet gave me Gabapentin which is a painkiller used for neuropatic pain, it helped a bit but he was still in a lot of pain, plus they cost nearly £1 a pill and he had to have 8 a day, so really expensive and not woorking. I then tried the DEX pulse therapy, which is a corticosteroid that you give orally for 4 days once a month and it did help as he started to be more confortable, that lasted about 2 motnhs but unfortunately he is getting worst again so I think now the kindest option is to pts.
I had my lovely boy for 9 years and i truly love this horse, I am devastated that he developped this horrible disease, litterally from one day to the next he has become a severe headshaker and is in constant pain for no apparent reason, whether he is in the stable, in the field, whether it is sunny or rainy, mild or cod, he is not confortable and you can tell not only by the constant flicks but also by the look in his eyes. I do hope they will find the cause of this and a cure as there seems to be so many horses out there suffering with headshaking.
Good luck ...
Click to expand...

Hi Ginahgrace,

She had the second operation at Langford in February and they put another 10 coils in. The other coils hadn't migrated and were still where they had been placed. Sadly it again doesn't look as if it has worked. She is still HS when ridden making it impossible to school and I feel bad when I hack her out. Riding is not enjoyable at all. She is also a bit worse when out as she hates the rain and wind in her face. Thinking of moving her to a less expensive yard and semi retire her to see what happens over time.
When i took her in October there was a lovely chestnut that was done the same day - that wasn't yours was it?
So gutted at the moment - I waited 20 years to have my own horse and she is only 6 and causing so much heart ache. Not gonna have another horse. Its all so sad. :( The vets say there is nothing else they can do.
 
On page one I posted about the fact that I had two different types of head shaker. Please read that post before reading this update. First being diagnosed as an allergy related head shaker. Horse was examined inside and out before going on desensitisation injections. After 8 months of me injecting him I was concerned as I should have seen improvement. Rossdales confirmed that he had developed idiopathic head shaking within the 8 months also. He did not respond to medication for his pain or nerve blocks therefore was not able to have an operation. Therefore classed as unridable He is now retired.

The idiopathic headshaker, the other horse, as mentioned in my previous post, was put under an operation to laser the nerves, at Rossdales. He had responded to nerve blocks making him suitable to operate on. He survived (they can face trauma by rubbing their face so much and not feel it after the op and therefore have to be put down). However after 2.5 months of aftercare, a vet assessment x 2. It did not work. I would never put my horse through that again. It was risky 50/50 success and survival rate. He was put to rest.

Head shaking is so complex, not straight forward and it must be examined, as to the naked eye it just isn't always what it seems. So please get your horse fully examined properly is all I can say. Operations are not always the way forward they are literally the last hope, but it doesn't always come out rosey so think very hard before you put your horse through it. I've decided I wont ever again.
 
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