Headshaker...

AlDestoor

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Hi,

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the below. Shes booked in for full MOT at local hospital on Tuesday 25/06/2019.

On 24th May, My horse was working in the school with her trainer and she started messing with her head.

This continued in the form of small ticks and I put it down to pollen initially, giving her antihistamines. I turned her out and left her be to be a horse and when we had all the bad weather, we didn't get a single tick.

Fast forward to last weekend. I bought her in at 12:30 and she was in for about 6 hours, with not a single tick. Weather was wet. I went to ride and as soon as she saw my saddle, started ticking slightly. I rode and their were a few niggles. Just walked on a hack. However, when I untacked, she was horrendous- throwing head in the air, rubbing and dunking her nose in the water. She did this until I turned her out, where her ticks subsided.

The next day, services bought her in- no ticks. However when I went to her in the evening to turn out, again throwing head in the air. Stopped when turned out.

I've left her out for a few days where we had no ticks.

I went to get her in for a brush last night and she was ticking slightly, first when I put head collar on, a few on the walk up to the yard and when I brushed, nothing major just the little nod as If something landed on her. Walked her round the yard, nothing. Put her in lunge paddock and she started to get slightly worse when she was worked up/ excited.

That's where I'm at so far so I'll give you some history now:

I've owned her 6 years.

Shes a VERY anxious horse and gets worked up in the arena; I was trying to get her out of this by doing more arena work with her recently. Before this, she was a happy hacker.

She had a "comfort bridle" which she started playing up again in December through to April. She started bolting but changed back to normal bridle and this subsided.

She had physio out in April who advised she had some poll damage and laser therapy started. 4 weeks later the twitching started.

Never done this before.

She is seen by dentist twice a year, most recent vac was April, Chiro/ physio every 3 months. She has had a new saddle fitted and new bridle and always had the same bit. Farrier is every 6-8 weeks.

Shes booked in for check up on teeth, nose (camera), eyes and ears and also asked for her to be scoped for ulcers, with her anxiety levels being as they are, it wouldn't surprise me. She is also having x rays on back and head.

Shes sensitive in the cranial area at the front- under the forelock. She has enlarged grass glands which have been around since august last year and called vet 3 times asking for further investigation to be told that's just how she is.

She has a salt lick in field and stable, Feed has not changed. Same Haylage and bedding.

Part of me thinks I've blown her mind with the arena and this is her anxiety triggering it, thinking shes about to go in the arena but part of me thinks she has had some damage which needs to repair. I have videos, kept a diary since started along with pollen count and weather on those days.
 

splashgirl45

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cant really help but sounds like you have all covered. maybe she has hit her head at some point and when in the field with nothing on her head she is fine but once a headcollar or bridle goes on it presses on a delicate part of her head., hopefully after the vet work out you will be wiser....my old mare started headshaking quite violently when i moved to another yard. i had owned her for about 4 years and this was completely new behaviour. it took me ages to realise that it was oil seed rape that caused this reaction every year. i stayed at this yard for 8 years and if i avoided the area where the rape was she hardly did anything, i also used a nose net. i moved yards and for the next 4 years she never headshook again. there were no rape fields in the vicinity....hope you get to the bottom of what is causing it. good luck
 

AlDestoor

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I have thought this with the rape seed as I do know there are fields around however, with her not doing it in the field I'm a bit baffled.

I tried a nose net and that just annoys her more- like I said shes super sensitive to everything.

I'm hoping its not Trigeminal Head Shaking but Im thinking something has been damaged and left, which has resulted in this such as her grass glands and poll damage the physio mentioned.

She has comfort everything so fingers crossed they find something easy to treat on Tuesday. If it's her anxiety or allergies- I'm contemplating moving her to a quieter yard and having her allergy tested.

I've also ordered some shaker gard as this promotes nerve health just in case.
 

splashgirl45

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even when mine was in her field with rape all around she didnt do it until she was bought in to be ridden.. maybe its not as uncomfortable with their head down and nose in the grass...
 
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