Head shaking.....

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jess2353

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I know this is hard to give
Opinions when you haven't seen the horse doing it but just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas what could possiblely be the problem.

My mare has recently started
Being backed, she's in her 3rd week now. But on the lunge and when ridden she does this very strange
Head shaking.
it's starts off small amounts and progressively gets worse, to the point
She's rearing or starts charging
About shaking her head.

She doesn't do this everytime
She is worked though.

last 2 sessions she's been rather bad which could protentionally be dangerous if She's ridden when it starts to happen.
being rather unbalanced anyway when she starts to head
Shake badly she looses sense of what her feet are doing and often trips badly.

her teeth are fine and she's ridden In a French link snaffle and only just had her saddle checked which was all fine.

anyone expirenced something
Similar ?
 
Sounds like she could be a head shaker. Most show much worse symptons when ridden. I'd get the vet out after checking the bit fits correctly.
 
Try switching her French link snaffle for an ergonomic single joint like a demi anky or an unjointed snaffle. Some youngsters find the movement of a french link too much.
 
It sounds as if she is head shaking -but theres loads of possible reasons for that. I dont know much about it in depth, but roughly speaking i guess you could lop it into 4 sections? - aggrivation from ears/poll/bridle/bit/teeth/ saddle /general physical discomfort. stress /mentally overstretched. Allergies. And trigeminal neuralgia. I'm pretty certain my vet said the last one is not limited to riding, they will have onsets in the field as well? But i guess it would depend on the trigger. This is a good article http://www.liv.ac.uk/equine/referral/headshaking/

Personally, I probably wouldn't be panicking just yet. Re reading your post, I'd look physical first (i always remember learning how horses will tilt their jaws when a rider sits heavier on one side of the saddle, it's not surprising young horses don't know where to put themselves) any chance teeth have changed? Does she ever do it without the bit? or if Lunged in head collar? You said just being backed -is she still in a lunge cavesson? Some really hate the contact on their nose?

Quite Like this link :
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...98103237.43559.110300399109341&type=3&theater

Good luck
 
I actually have never heard
Of head shaking syndrome. Just googled it and watched some video's of horse head
Shaking and sadly enough looks & sounds all too familiar to my poor mare. Still will get the vet to diagnosis but doesn't look good :(

Thanks
Kat I've changed her bits over several times to try see if that's the problem but she
Does it bitless aswel :(
 
I've just read a very similar article to that actually.

she's lunged in her bridle and a bungee. She only does it once she's been warmed up, then once she's warmed up she even then does it standing.
Have never seen her do it
In the field though.
When you take the bridle off
She rubs the left side of
Her face everytime like something iterates her.
she's only been backed 3-4 times now only in walk & only for
Small amounts of Time but she's
Started do it then aswel not severely thought, does appear to get worse when exercise is increased.
 
I'd take the bungee off - is there a reason why they feel she needs that? Is she being ridden in That as well? I would suspect, having been sat on 3 times in her 3 weeks of backing, she will be struggling if anything like that is being used. I had a little mare sent in some time ago who was funny with her head -they'd been lunging her in side reins, poor little mite was all locked up in her muscles just behind her poll. they were a very pro yard, but put "image" before basics sadly.
There is also some research about the bit being linked to rubbing on leg, I think, but not sure how substantiated that is? You said she does it bitless as well -is that in a head collar, or a hackamore, or a "modern" bitless bridle?
 
I think because she has a very high head carriage and wasn't listening to the bit as she was holding her head too high. she's been backed before as a 3yo and
Is now just being brought back into work.

No she's not ridden In a bungee.

I used to walk her out in a controller head collar and she done the head shaking very slightly then which I put down to her just being
Awkward as she's been quite
A madam when out n about and likes to take the mick.

Never seen her do it In her normal head collar though but then it's only walking to and
From the field which is about 10 yards
 
Does she rub the side of her head on her leg at all?

I have a pony that headshakes, he always tries to rub his head on his leg. One of his eyes was slightly mucky - it occasionally ran, but only slightly - so I asked the vet to flush out his tear ducts, and since then he has hardly done it. It probably won't help your mare, but if you don't have any luck with other options it is worth a try.
 
Can't say I've seen her do that much maybe once or twice not when she's being exercised though.

I'm going to call the vet tomorrow & get them to run some tests, glad your boy is doing well. Hopefully will find a solution with my little lady
 
I rode a horse that was a headshaker for a bit, it was very severe throwing the whole body off balance and was much much worse on sunny warm days, often ok on dull rainy days (not ideal a child's pony club pony!)... some are sensitive to light and some have a pollen allergy, among many other possibilities. We weren't sure, I was going to try a fly mask to act as 'sunglasses' and or/nose net but they ended up deciding to sell. The people had been mis sold the horse and only tried her in an indoor school, rookie error eh. She was an absolutely lovely horse other than that.

That would be a worse case scenario but it could equally be that he is a bit uncomfortable somewhere, quite probably in the mouth, and that it can be sorted. I think ask your vet and if they are not sure ask them about recommending a physio who may shed light on it. It could be a trapped nerve or anything really.

The last horse I had on loan did it quite a lot in trot but it was mainly being unbalanced I think (didn't help me to stay balanced!). Plus his saddle didn't fit at all.
 
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