Head shaking when schooling

H

hannah_N

Member
Joined
30 April 2013
Messages
18
Visit site
So my warmblood mare has always been a fidget, and in spring her energy levels sky rocket but she has never been unrideable until now. When she's ridden in the school shes started violently head shaking and threatening rears. However out hacking or if there's a jump in front of her she's a quiet little angel! She's also being an awkward giraffe when I try to do up her throatlatch, but still allows me to tack her up fine apart from this. This is new so I'm wondering if theres more to her trying to stop me riding her.

Please note I'm working with my vet to get to the source.
The first thing I checked was her teeth and they are all good. Her back and saddle have been seen too.
Ulcers and ovaries are next on my list to investigate.

If we find nothing the likelihood is she's bored of schooling and dealing with it in the typical dramatic manner of a mare.

Just looking for more ideas or similar experiences that people could share!
TIA
 
Mine chucks her head around when her hocks are sore. It will often stop once she's warmed up - if it doesn't then I tend to call it a day because she gets worse if you try to ride her through it.
 
A long shot, but what's your school surface like? With the dry weather we've been having some surfaces can get more dusty than normal.
 
Thats what I was wondering. Or school surfaces have been really dusty - even the usually non dusty rubber one. (Although it has rained now of course...) But it might be worth borrowing a nosenet OP - and see if that makes a difference?
 
There's was a thing of headshaking in horses on a vet program last night. They are trialling surgery where they pass an electric current near the facial nerve to reset it.

It did make a comment that horses tend to do it more when ridden, which is often confused for poor bahviour.

I worked with a headshaker about 12 years ago, fantastic horse, it was such a shame. They never got to the bottom of it then and the horse was sold eventually (how, I'm not quite sure)
 
I'd get a full workup done if it's consistent. Mine had headshaking type symptoms (plus others) that had the vets stumped. Initially thought it was seizures, then headshaking but CT scan showed calcification of the nuchal ligament. It's rare but I'd never have found the cause had we not gone to RVC...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top