Headshaker or behavioural issue?

[Holly Hocks]

My mare who has had serious sinus surgery has a little habit and I'm not sure if it's headshaking or just nervous behaviour. I bought her in April last year, directly out of racing, got on her straight away and when hacking out (not generally in the school) - and only when heading back towards home, she would start throwing her head up. And it only happened in walk - as soon as I started to trot, she would stop.

Anyway, she had a tooth removed due to an abcess and due to a lot of complications she has only just come back into work. I started roadwork with her last week and she seemed fine. Throws her head up now and again, but I just gave her a nudge with my foot and she stopped. And it only seems to happen when she hasn't got anything interesting to look at. Today she was worse. I went for a slightly longer walk with someone who walks slower than her, so I had to keep stopping for them, or slowing down. She then started tossing her head up and down. I'm not supposed to be trotting her yet, but I did about 50 yards trot and she stopped. Got back to walk and she started again.

I know it's a habit of quite a lot of racehorses, but I can't decide if it's just agitation or whether she could be a headshaker. She doesn't do it in the stable apart from when she is getting agitated about getting turned out or when I am making her feed, and I haven't seen her do it in the field.
She does like to itch her face on her leg when I've untacked, but my old boy does as well, although he doesn't show any other symptoms such as head tossing....
Any idea whether I should just deal with it as a schooling/behaviour issue, or whether it could be true headshaking?
Thank you

 

[Sugarplum Furry]

How about trying her in a nose net? They don't work for every horse that properly headshakes with pollen, but if it makes a difference you'll sort of know one way or the other if it's true headshaking or behavioural.

 

[galaxy]

have you had her back and saddle checked recently? They can head toss to relieve tension in their back....

 

[Umbongo]

have you had her back and saddle checked recently? They can head toss to relieve tension in their back....

A cob I ride for someone does this. He tosses his head out on hacks...only in walk. He will do it more often when we are on the way back to the yard, or if we are alone.

Tried nose nets, no nose band etc. Got the physio out and she said he was tense through his back. He actually has some muscle wastage along his right side which I couldn't see until she pointed it out. Physio thinks he tosses his head when he is tense through his back/finds the work difficult due to the small lack of muscle on one side.

Could it be due to the serious sinus surgery or was it a problem before?

 

[Holly Hocks]

Hi Galaxy

Yes she had a full physiotherapy assessment before she came back into ridden work. She does have an issue with her pelvis - one side higher than the other, but both the vet and physio currently think that it's to do with muscle wastage - after all the sinus problems she had to have a fetlock operation, so has been off work since last June, and as we didn't know there was a problem with the fetlock at the time of all the sinus problems, she had probably been resting the leg with the fetlock problem for a long time and we just didn't notice...
I have just got her a new made to measure saddle which fits her like a glove
Dentistry work was all done at the hospital and they checked her when I had to take her back only a couple of months ago
She's got to go back to hospital for a CT scan soon, so I will mention it to them - she appears to be Edinburgh hospital's main patient!

Thanks for the nose net tip Gala. It's something I was thinking about, so I will get one and see how I get on.

 

[Holly Hocks]

A cob I ride for someone does this. He tosses his head out on hacks...only in walk. He will do it more often when we are on the way back to the yard, or if we are alone.

Tried nose nets, no nose band etc. Got the physio out and she said he was tense through his back. He actually has some muscle wastage along his right side which I couldn't see until she pointed it out. Physio thinks he tosses his head when he is tense through his back/finds the work difficult due to the small lack of muscle on one side.

Could it be due to the serious sinus surgery or was it a problem before?

Hi Umbongo
I only had her seven weeks before the sinus and tooth problems started, so I only actually rode her about ten times as she had been out of work such a long time even before I got her, so a lot of the work at the beginning was on a horse walker. She did do it when I hacked her out, but only when heading back towards home - she is a real keen bean to ride, although perfectly safe! I was of the impression back then that it was related to the tooth and sinus problems. I am also thinking that as she has been out of work her back will be weak, so maybe I should stick with short walks for now - we did go a bit further today and maybe it was too far for her...

 

[galaxy]

could be just weakness then and she's getting tired on the way home....

mention it to the vet and monitor how it goes.

 

[Holly Hocks]

could be just weakness then and she's getting tired on the way home....

mention it to the vet and monitor how it goes.

Thanks for your advice Galaxy - I will cut her walks down to be shorter. I had been doing about 30 -40mins and she only started her roadwork 10 days ago and today we were out an hour and 10 minutes - probably far too much too soon (hangs head in shame)