Headshaking - nose net doesn't work - help!

S

sue_ellen

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 May 2008
Messages
197
Visit site
I posted a couple of weeks ago that I thought my lovely new mare was turning out to be a seasonal headshaker. I bought a nose net but unfortunately she just will not tolerate it and so I cannot use it. I mentioned it to the vet when she came to do vacs and she said that there are other things we can try, so I will be getting back to her, but I just wondered if any of you lovely people out there have any other ideas/remedies that I could try?
She is an absolutely lovely mare and there must be an answer out there somewhere, I am not giving up on her.
She is fine and there are no symptoms when she is not being ridden, but she starts to shake her head continually up and down, sometimes really violently, about 10 minutes into the ride, and she snorts a little bit too. It stops as soon as I get off.
Thanks for reading, any advice will be very gratefully received!
 
I've just started using nostrilvet for my boy, seems o have made a bit of difference.

I also have ventipulmin from the vet for when he gets too bad- if she's a really bad head shaker, this might be your best bet.

Also might be worth getting your vet out (if you haven't already) to scope her, worst case scenario they can usually operate.

Hopefully you can control it with other methods though!!

Did you get a half nose net, or a full one? I find that the half ones are useless, as they can open their mouths and inhale too :-/ worth trying a full one!!!
 
Are you a 100% sure she's shaking her head due to the pollen?

When you say she won't tollerate the nose net, what exactly is she doing?

Usually the nose nets offer some relief to headshakers (if it's pollen related) even if it only helps a little, you could also try some of the supplements that are about, many do tend to also help, Global Herbs for example do one and a few other companies, combine the two and it should help a little, but it depends how bad she suffers with it.

Does she only do it when she's ridden, any difference say if she's on the lunge? does it make any difference if she's just walking as usually the more faster work you do the worse it effects them due to inhaling more, so you'd expect her to react the same when on the lunge on a headcoller, or does she just do it when she has her bridle or the saddle?

They also tend to have quite runny noses, sometimes streaming eyes and will do anything to rub there noses and snort a lot, is she doing this as well?
 
One of my ponies headshakes, but his is all year round. Nose net made him worse, in that he tried to dislodge it by shaking more. Tried a bitless bridle the other day and he was hugely better, although still had a twitch. Might not work (or be safe!) for yours, but everything worth trying.
 
well maybe your horse has a deeper issue maybe somewhere on her head that touches where the bridle is, say the poll?
might be worth getting a physio out or the vet again and say that youre not positive its a pollen thing, ??:o
 
I had a horse thta used to headshake.

I got him a nose net, it worked for a while, but not long, and he would start again. It was fairly violent, but more annoying and dangerous than anything, becuase on a hack he wouldnt loook where he was going.
However, he wouldnt headshake in the school, or when I took him out for a hack across roads where we had never been before, and he only restarted when we got on familiar ground.
I do not know if it was a boredom grumpy headshaking, or if he may have had a pain in his back/neck thats caused him to do this, but that when somewhere unfamiliar or jumping etc he would concentrate rather than fuss.

Also.. A horse I used to ride, started to headshake a couple of summers ago.
We bought him a full face mask. Ears, Eyes, with a small nose net on the end, and I used to put it on over his tack. He would be fine to ride out if he had his mask on. Her might have a couple of fusses if it was a very very hot day, but other than that he was fine. However without it his headshaking would be unbareable and you wouldnt be able to ride safely. I believe his case was more concerned with his eyes. It could have been the flies, or we think he may have just been sensitive to the light.

I think it is just a case of trying to see what works best for your horse, but since you have tried a nose net, you dont think she has any aches or pains, then maybe try a full face net? As everyone else has said, try asking your vet, or a chiropractor and see if there is a change. ( even if it only lasts for a few rides atleast you know it has made a difference)

If not then maybe monitor the times that she does it. Is it when she is bored, relaxed etc. I think only when the only answer is behavioural that it will be time to give up on her, because riding will no longer be fun or safe.

Good Luck. x
 
I'm sure you've had back and teeth checked recently if this is how she is but if not definitely go there!

I use global herbs pollenex in my horse's feed which helps him a lot but I also use a nose-net too, which helps. I have heard that putting local honey in feed can help so I'm going to try that too and also some people put a hay fever tablet or two in feed (though there are arguments that such small a dose cannot help something as big as a horse) but it's also something I'm going to try this year.

Hope you find something. If you google headshaking in horses lots of information comes up. I think there are a lot of studies going on at Liverpool university IIRC.
 
sue_ellen said:
I posted a couple of weeks ago that I thought my lovely new mare was turning out to be a seasonal headshaker. She is fine and there are no symptoms when she is not being ridden, but she starts to shake her head continually up and down, sometimes really violently, about 10 minutes into the ride, and she snorts a little bit too. It stops as soon as I get off.
Thanks for reading, any advice will be very gratefully received!
Click to expand...

Sounds likely to be a ridden problem as seasonal headshakers will show symptoms when not ridden as well..
 
Thanks for replying everyone. She doesn't do it on the lunge, when the nose net is on, its the half type one, she just shakes and shakes to get it off, but again not when being lunged, because I thought if I could get her used to it on the lunge she would be ok with it when ridden, but this doesn't seem to be the case.
We have loads of oilseed rape near us at the minute which doesn't help, but I'm wondering if it is behavioural because there doesn't seem to be any pattern to it, the weather etc doesnt seem to make a difference. Had teeth etc all done, was wondering about a bitless bridle, but will do some google-ing and probs get the vet again.
 
I had a horse that was sensitive to strong sunlight and if liveried or ridden in certain areas (where the vegetation bothered her), she'd headshake when ridden. She was turned out with a flymask and when ridden, had vaseline or sudocreme smeared around her nostrils which seemed to stop the headshaking. She hated the full face net for riding even more than going without.
Incidentally, moving her to a different area resolved the headshaking, but she'll always be sensitive to strong sunlight.
 
Cadfael&Coffee said:
Did you get a half nose net, or a full one? I find that the half ones are useless, as they can open their mouths and inhale too :-/ worth trying a full one!!!
Click to expand...

Erm, horses can't breathe through their mouths?

OP - I have heard good things about nostrilvet.

Do you use the same tack for lunging as you do for riding? Maybe worth looking into why she does it when ridden but not when lunged?

I used to have a pony with a severe oilseed rape allergy (had you not known the problem you'd have thought he had strangles when it hit him hard) we were looking into whether feeding him local honey (as is done with human hayfever sufferers) would help but unfortunately different issues meant he was put down before we could try it. Might be worth a question to your vet.
 
I know it doesn't sound likely but I'd get your saddle checked and if that seems to be ok, get a physio to look at her back/neck. I can't imagine that she has a problem with pollen only when ridden. It really sounds to me as though this is a different issue.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I know it doesn't sound likely but I'd get your saddle checked and if that seems to be ok, get a physio to look at her back/neck. I can't imagine that she has a problem with pollen only when ridden. It really sounds to me as though this is a different issue.
Click to expand...

I would disagree, seasonal headshaking ie pollen related often only shows up when the horse is ridden. I bought Fleur last March, the headshaking appeared around April time but only when she was ridden & particularly near bluebells & trees, a nosenet has resolved it fingers crossed. If you google headshaking there is loads of information & also on the forum. Good luck.
 
Check the fit of the bridle, and try padding the headpiece if it's not a comfort bridle. Make sure the headpiece isn't being pulled into the back of the horses ears.
Also, worth trying her without a noseband and seeing if that helps, some horses don't like the pressure of a noseband on certain parts of their face. Think of how sensitive your face become whens your sinuses are sore, if its because of "hayfever" the horses head will be ultra sensitive, hence it showing up when in tack.

If you do think it's pollen related, as said, honey can also help, as can antihistimins. Global Herbs Pollen Ex seems very highly rated as well :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top