HEADSHAKING HORSE

[ApacheWarrior1]

My pony tosses his head around quite a lot - have tried everything I can think of to solve it - new padded and cut back bridle, teeth are all checked and good etc and this has been an ongoing issue in the two years I have had him, but it doesnt happen all the time.... yesterday however he was terrible in our lesson tossing his head and getting very frustrated right from the start - which as he hates lessons, is a common evasion for him - but it was extremely uncomfortable lesson as a result (he is young for his years and we are starting to introduce some balance and flexion so he probably found it hard/uncomfortable) - interestingly he didnt do any headshaking on our 10 minute ride back to the yard..... He doesnt like a contact and prefers to slop along on a loose rein out hacking which doesnt cure the headshaking but it often doesnt creep in until maybe half an hour into a ride (i call him my 30 minute pony as he always does this dead on 30 minutes!!... he hated the Easy Trek anatomical bridle - I think because it was pushing his fluffy ears forward....

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It could be a number of things saddle fit can cause it sometimes so I would get that checked, it could be seasonal so flies even the sun can trigger sensitivity, try some ear covers or a nose net sometimes they can help,

Some over padded bridles can cause more pressure points so maybe try a flatter thinner type head piece, are the cheek pieces at eye level? If they are too high they can sit on the facial nerve, try riding without a nose band see if that helps, you mention contact issues is his bit the right size is it the right shape might be worth trying a few different types, some can be too thick for a small mouth.

I would also get his teeth checked and if after you have tried various different things and his still doing it I would speak to your vet.

 

[webble]

What sort of head shake is it? Is it a toss or a nod?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I have a true headshaker. He has been retired fir 5 years now. He was terrible with tree pollen, which is the main pollen around now. I had to ride early before the pollen started to rise. Worse after a rain shower. Coukdhave a decent lesson but was fine to compete?
My curreridden horse shakes his head as we have contact issues. He is 98% better now as long as I rude him forward. He is very sensitive so if his noseband is wrong he will toss his head. Its completely different to my old lad. Does your horse strike his front leg out to itch his nose?

 

[Sossigpoker]

You need to get your vet involved. Either the horse is in pain in his back or legs or this is true head shaking , which is also painful for the horse. Trying to resolve it with tack and equipment isn't sufficient , you need proper veterinary checks and advice

In the meantime Google Calm healthy horses. It's a great website for head shaking.

 

[scats]

I have a headshaker who is triggered by sunlight. Can you keep a diary to work out what the trigger is? Record everything from weather, temperature, pollen levels etc.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

Are you able to ride him in a headcollar/rope halter and see if you have the same reaction (obviously in a safe environment!).

just another thought, do you trim his whiskers? There was an article on H&H a while ago about a horse who was a head shaker and if I recall it was going to be a PTS job and problem was solved by letting them grow

 

[Casey76]

Do some googling on Head Shaking Syndrome.

There are many causes of head shaking, which can be diet related, environmental etc. It may also be trigeminal nerve-related.

Start keeping a diary of the type of head shaking (head screwing, tiliting, shaking side to side, nodding, tic), diet, weather conditions, time of day, tack etc at the time to help you identify any patterns. Watch to see if he shows similar behavior in the field or box. You can then start to change one thing at a time.

easiest is to change bridle, look for something which give a wide berth of the ears, try without a browband and noseband (though you risk losing the bridle if he head shakes using a very simple set up). You can also try adding a nose-net, using a full face mask. You can buy eye protection/visors for horses who are photosensitive.

all of the above should be in collaboration with your vet

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I think you need your vet to attempt a firm diagnosis: I say "attempt" because even amongst vets there really are very few "answers" as regards headshaking.

My girly was diagnosed with trigeminal nerve headshaking last summer; this was after my vet referred the video footage of her actually headshaking up to Bristol Uni and that was the diagnosis that came back.

There IS a FB group called "Equine Headshaking Syndrome UK". I'm on that group, and it is a very useful one to join. Sometimes there are vets who contribute on there as well.

Unfortunately however, there seems to be no ONE "fix" for headshaking; it can depend on stuff like pollen, sunlight/rain/weather, bridles, teeth, neck-threadworms, magnesium deficiency, the lot.

I would strongly suggest you firstly get your vet out to see what's going on in the first instance.

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

What sort of head shake is it? Is it a toss or a nod?

its a full blown head shake as if I am an irritant to him - which I probably am!!! tossing his head and sometimes snatching at the reins

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

I think you need your vet to attempt a firm diagnosis: I say "attempt" because even amongst vets there really are very few "answers" as regards headshaking.

My girly was diagnosed with trigeminal nerve headshaking last summer; this was after my vet referred the video footage of her actually headshaking up to Bristol Uni and that was the diagnosis that came back.

There IS a FB group called "Equine Headshaking Syndrome UK". I'm on that group, and it is a very useful one to join. Sometimes there are vets who contribute on there as well.

Unfortunately however, there seems to be no ONE "fix" for headshaking; it can depend on stuff like pollen, sunlight/rain/weather, bridles, teeth, neck-threadworms, magnesium deficiency, the lot.

I would strongly suggest you firstly get your vet out to see what's going on in the first instance.

Thank you I will have a look on that FB group

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

I have a headshaker who is triggered by sunlight. Can you keep a diary to work out what the trigger is? Record everything from weather, temperature, pollen levels etc.

good idea I will do that thank you

 

[webble]

Be careful with the facebook groups there are a lot of desperate people on there making suggestions that have no veterinary premise

 

[paddy555]

one of mine was. after I had done all the riding in a head collar stuff I found 2 triggers. One was the wind. Not a full blown gale in winter but wind in certain weather conditions. Ride into the wind and he shook, ride away from it and he was better. The 2nd thing was the hay and specifically seeds in it. I had some hay with a lot of seeds. They dropped onto the floor where he ate it. They all cleared the seeds up. They didn't affect anyone except this one horse. I made a point of clearing up the seeds before he wandered into different stables and it made a lot of difference.

A lot of trial and error I am afraid. Hope you find a cause.

 

[ycbm]

Headshaking was the first obvious clue I had that my horse's neck arthritis was hurting him. The rest of his work up to then was the best and most flexible he had ever been.
.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

We have a horse & last year he started head shaking & coughing. This interfered with his schooling & competing, hacking out, virtually everything. We fed him quality hay which had been dampened & dust free bedding. After all this we had the vet come out to take a look. They scoped him which didn't reveal much & eventually we realised he was very sensitive to pollen. We started using a nose net when riding him. It helped a little but he was still having issues. With the vet we decided that he needed nebulising. We were fortunate that our insurance company would pay for a nebuliser, several other so called top horse insurers would pay for medication but not for the nebuliser. The nebuliser, around £800 was used on our horse from then right up to the present. He had steroids in it & then after a few months he was having saline solution. He is treated once every day, he's used to it now so no dramas. Now more than a year on he's a different horse, there is no more snorting, coughing etc. We have worked out that his issue is with tree pollen. We still nebulise daily so the problem does not return. It's a nuisance but it makes him more comfortable so we carry on doing it. There are a variety of reasons as to why a horse head shakes, what I've outlined above is why ours did, yours may be a different issue.

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

What sort of head shake is it? Is it a toss or a nod?

Its a full on toss of the head down to the ground and back

 

[Regandal]

You say that his bridle is padded, as well as being cut back. Padded headpieces can exert a lot of pressure on the poll. I’d get the bitfit people out, and trial riding him in a horsemanship bridle. Not all anatomical bridles are effective.

 

[honetpot]

Our old pony used to do this when he was bored, or tired. He would never do it when he was out at PC, at a competition, or hunting, but he would always when you hacked out do it for about the last fifteen minutes on the way home hacking. He would do the whole head waving thing, as it to say,'I have had enough and I want to slob', and its you left him alone he would stop, take up a contact, and he would be a pain.
He was twelve when we got him, and he was anyones ride, as long as you didn't ask too much of him, and made any novice rider look good, as he was extremely obedient, but you had to accept he did everything on his terms.
I have a very bad head shaker, it started when he was about five, and has got so bad he can not be ridden, and the head shaking is constant, once bridled.

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

Our old pony used to do this when he was bored, or tired. He would never do it when he was out at PC, at a competition, or hunting, but he would always when you hacked out do it for about the last fifteen minutes on the way home hacking. He would do the whole head waving thing, as it to say,'I have had enough and I want to slob', and its you left him alone he would stop, take up a contact, and he would be a pain.
He was twelve when we got him, and he was anyones ride, as long as you didn't ask too much of him, and made any novice rider look good, as he was extremely obedient, but you had to accept he did everything on his terms.
I have a very bad head shaker, it started when he was about five, and has got so bad he can not be ridden, and the head shaking is constant, once bridled.

This sounds very much like my boy - I laughingly call him my 30 minute pony - as you can set your watch by the time he starts shaking his head - 30 minutes exactly, then the tossing of the head starts.....

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

You say that his bridle is padded, as well as being cut back. Padded headpieces can exert a lot of pressure on the poll. I’d get the bitfit people out, and trial riding him in a horsemanship bridle. Not all anatomical bridles are effective.

Is there such a thing as a bit and bridle checker? Ive often thought I could do with one but would not know where to find such a person...and I will investigate horsemanship bridles too.... thank you.

 

[Regandal]

Is there such a thing as a bit and bridle checker? Ive often thought I could do with one but would not know where to find such a person...and I will investigate horsemanship bridles too.... thank you.

The bitfit people check both, although you don’t have to buy from them.