Head shaking

F

FionaM12

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 August 2011
Messages
7,357
Visit site
Hello everyone, I started a thread here recently about my newly-acquired mare, Mollie. Briefly, my background is I've returned to horses after a 35 year health-imposed gap.

I couldn't go near horses for all those years, and now suddenly I can, so I've taken the plunge and bought Mollie. She is 17 and nervous, my previous thread was about how to cope with her and my combined nervousness! Thank you for all your help over that. It helped enormously and she and I are working on it.:)

Now I have another problem. Mollie shakes her head a lot when ridden. It's definitely affected by the number of flies about but also, she shakes it more at trot than at walk. Sometimes she grunts as she shakes her head and snorts a lot.

I've experimented with:

1) A fly fringe: this seems to drive her scatty. Hates it more than the flies!

2) A nose net. Same as fringe really, but I'll persevere and see if she gets used to it in case she has pollen allergies.

3) I've tried a bitless bridle. There may be slight improvement, but not a lot.

4) I've tried her with/without a noseband. Makes no difference.

5) I use various fly repellents. I can't say they help much really, and anyway she only has to hear them buzz near her and she starts nodding and shaking her head.

She's normally ridden in a plain bridle with a cavesson noseband and eggbutt snaffle. The head-shake seems to be associated with her nervousness, and improves on days when she's less anxious.

I'm making arrangements to have her teeth checked.

I wonder about her back, she carries her head very high and I remember from my old horsey days that this can be linked with back problems. Am I right? And how does one get a horse's back checked? Vet or other professional?

I've only had her during the summer, so I don't yet know if the head-shaking is seasonal.

Any suggestions and advice appreciated please!
 
have you thought about about her headband being too tight and touching her ears?
Have similar issues with mine re flies.
Would be looking at teeth, saddle( pinching saddle can cause head shake/toss, getting back/physio person and ensuring horse is working from behind into the contact... :)
 
My horse headshaked when i got him and i'm almist certain it was originally brought on by a bad back sadly he was so bad that he has never completely recovered and still headshakes but it's helped by a nose met
 
...apols silly pc.

....it seems worse during times of high pollen count so I also feed him pollenex global herbs for a few weeks in spring.

You will find that the nervousness will probably improve significantly once you find a solution mine is now virtually bomb proof and events to Novice.

Definitely get the back checked. Unless you have had the saddle professionally fitted or reflicked recently the likelihood is this may be having some effect a chiro or similar will look at saddle fit and advise best course of action.

P.s. The nose net didn'take a great deal of difference with mIne to begin as he was so bad but once the back started to improve it began to come into it's own. They don't work for all headshakers but seem to help a significant number. Good luck and do keep us posted on progress. Feel free to pm Meir I can help at all. I've really been through it w headshaking and always happy to help domeone else going through it. It's v frustrating vut often manageable once you "crack it".
 
Try the nose nets and supplements by all means; and some horses definately do respond to them. However, speaking from experience on this, please do not pin your hopes that one thing will be a 'cure all'. Orangepony is a headshaker and has been since the spring after I bought him. I bought him in the depths of winter; and headshaking was never considered.
His can be either full blown head-flinging or a minor sniffle depending on weather/atmosphere and where in the summer season we are. We have tried nets/masks/nasal sprays/ feed supplements (Global herbs Zephyr/Pollenx/shake free/Equine America's versions and some very expensive american stuff which did nothing but deplete my bank balance! :eek:Prednisolone/prednidale tablets/ human allergy injections/ antihistamines and nothing 'fixed' him. The only option left to us is the facial nerve coil surgery which I think is too radical and refuse to consider.


If you think it may be pollen orientated try and seek out some local honey. Orangepony responds very well to some honey made by bees 3 fields away from home in his feed early in the season but he will never be perfect. The only time this ever annoys me is when eventing as we always get 'unsteady in the contact/head) for our dressage. I find that honey in the spring combined with completely shaving his whiskers off reduces his sensitivity in the muzzle area. Try riding early morning/late at night to see if any difference.

Also, like mentioned before check tack and bridlepath (either keep super cropped or allow to full grow out; the stubbly stage is most irritating to orangepony. Browband is best if almost too long so headpiece is loose behind the ears. Do not trim inside/edges of ears as i found that his head often snapped up to shove his ears near my nose if flies were nearby!

Sorry for rambling reply, hope something in here might be useful! Any questions please feel free to PM, like hels_bells said, once you crack the management you can ride through the shaking and they can have proper jobs (mine events too) with moderate success.

Good Luck! :)
 
You can try oxychrome eye drops for hayfever I think the main chemical is oxychromoglate. You can get them at the chemist. There was a study with the use of these and they worked in some horses if pollen related.
 
Headshaking is sometimes linked to diet. I have known two headshakers to completely stop following a change of grazing (both owners believed it to be pollen related but it was diet). Join http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/headshakers/ , lots of experience and some very interesting reports on the effects of potassium and salt in the diet. Worth having a read.
 
Thanks everyone. This forum is a godsend to someone in my situation.

I bought her saddle through a professional saddle fitter, so hopefully it fits well. I have tried her with a borrowed saddle for comparison, the head-shake was the same.

Funnily enough, my own major health issues I mentioned earlier are allergies (life-threatening "brittle" asthma, hayfever, conjuctivitis etc etc) so I have some sympathy with her if pollen is affecting her. My dog has some allergy problems too. I don't know what it is with me and allergies!

Where do I start to find someone to check her back? An ordinary vet or specialist practitioner?
 
You should ask your vet to check her and to recommend a proper equine physiotherapist. Don't get "the local back man".
 
Clava said:
Headshaking is sometimes linked to diet. I have known two headshakers to completely stop following a change of grazing (both owners believed it to be pollen related but it was diet). Join http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/headshakers/ , lots of experience and some very interesting reports on the effects of potassium and salt in the diet. Worth having a read.
Click to expand...

That link's great Clava, thanks, I'll definitely do that.
 
One of our boys was very upset at the start and end of summer from headshaking..
We tried everything including nose nets, light filtering masks etc. We now use Pollen X from global herbs which seems to have removed 95% of his discomfort.... worth a try if you think it is pollen related.

Good Luck !!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top