headshaking....turning away

MontyandZoom

MontyandZoom

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So after my recent posts about Zoom's dreadful behaviour, I am now almost certain it is headshaking. She is not too bad to ride in the evenings with a nosenet but I rode her today and she was borderline dangerous! She constantly is doing mini rears and leaping around, then plunging her head down. She was also jittery in hand and horrid on the lunge.

We only went for a walk down the lane and she was really awful. I have the saddler next week and the dentist booked just to triple-check there is nothing else going on but I have decided to give her some time off. I have Windsor sponsored ride on Saturday but I think we are going to have an accident if I keep trying to ride though it so I am not going to go.

I am hoping if I give her a month off, the grass will be less boingy and she will have got over her first season since it can't be helping. Feeling really down. We were doing so well, I have no idea what to do for the best.

Cookies for getting this far......just don't know what to do.
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If the double checks on her back and teeth go fine then I will get the vet out to see her. I have been researching and when she lost her eye, it was due to a kick to the face. I wonder wether there is some nerve damage that is causing the headshaking. She was like this, this time last year but it is worse this year.
 
I have put her on CalMag for now but will try the various shaker guards once I have used the nosenet for a while. Don't want to try everything at once in case I don't know what's worked!
 
Not read your earlier posts but if it's any consolation my daughter's cob started violently headshaking last week, for the first time ever.

I posted about it on here and lots of people said that tree pollen is really bad about now, and she was doing the Bluebell sponsored ride which is obviously through a lot of woods and he was almost unrideable - for 10 whole miles! So I am thinking of turning him away for a few weeks or so to see if it gets better. Another of mine is an all-year headshaker, but he is no worse at the moment, so his must be down to something else.
 
My horse is going through a headshaking phase right now, he is obviously very uncomfortable around his nose because he wants to rub it on a leg. Other than that he tosses his head and stamps at the same time.

I think with him it must be a pollen allergy because he is fine in his stable, ok in the school (does it only a few times) but when we are out on a hack it is every few strides.
 
My mare was coughing very badly the week before last, a combination of tree pollen and neighbours fertilizer. I gave her piriton, which stopped it. She had two tablets three times a day for a week, then down to one three times a day. Now much better and breathing etc are back to normal.
 
Definately try the calmers - maybe at a stronger dose till she is settled. Spring grass is often deficient in Magnesium and tends to make some horses super sensitive.

You seem to be getting all the right things done. Some vaseline around the inside of the nostrils will help trap some of the pollen. Only other thing to consider is the type of noseband your horse is wearing.

I see you have a grackle with the cross over set quite low, are you able to get the cross higher so that there is less strap going accross th esoft part of the nostril. If using a flash try taking the flash strap off.

Recently I've stopped two confirmed head shakers, by removing the flash strap. They both must have hated the feel of the strap across the skin of the nostrils.
 
It is a horrible thing headshaking. My mare became a headshaker, but luckily, mostly controllable by a nosenet. I wonder why it seems to be so much more prevalent these days.

Do explore everything, I am sure there is more research on this all he time. Think you are doing the right thing turning her away for a bit, if the headshaking and her behavoiur is bad it must be unbearable for her.

Good luck, let us know you get on.
 
PIRITON - Was it human strength that you buy in the chemist? Was really interested in that and would like to try it. Who recommended dosage or did you just work it out for yourself?
 
Interesting reading - from http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2009/01/108.shtml

Eye treatment found to help headshaking

January 28, 2009

Allergic conditions may be behind some cases of headshaking in horses, research suggests.
Headshaking is an irritating and frustrating problem for the rider and is an indication that the horse is suffering pain and discomfort.

The problem is often worse in the summer. Numerous causes have been identified, making it a challenging condition to investigate.

Occasionally a physical abnormality affecting the sinuses, teeth or ears may be detected. Often no physical abnormality can be found. Many cases are thought to be the result of pain in the trigeminal nerve that innervates the nose and face.

Various treatments have been used, with inconsistent results.

A report by Dr Catherine Stalin and others in the Veterinary Record suggests an allergic condition is involved in at least some cases.

The researchers described three cases of seasonal headshaking that responded to treatment with sodium cromoglycate drops.

The three horses were so severely affected that they could not be ridden. Headshaking started, or grew worse, when the horses brought in to the light from a dark stable. All horses showed signs of excessive tear production and photophobia.

Sodium cromoglycate eye drops were successful in relieving the condition, where previous treatments, including corticosteroids (dexamethasone), had not.

One horse had suffered seasonal headshaking for the previous two years. Within a few minutes of starting treatment with sodium cromoglycate eye drops it stopped headshaking and could be ridden.

Sodium cromoglycate acts by stabilising mast cells, preventing them releasing histamine as part of the allergic response.

The response to treatment suggests that in these cases the cause of the headshaking was an allergic conjunctivitis.

It was, however, interesting that there had been no response to dexamethasone which might have been expected to relieve signs of allergy. Perhaps, the authors suggested, this was more than a purely allergic condition, or maybe cromoglycate has other modes of action that are not yet understood.
 
Thank you so much for all the replies, I will get some allergy relief from the chemists and give that a go to. I feel much better about it since alot of people on here seem to have overcome it.
 
I don't mean to worry you but if she doesn't improve please get a vet to look her over. I had a mare on loan and she started to do this. Turned out it was the start of Cushings
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I hope you get to the bottom of your mares problem.
 
Anyone who suspects their horse to be a headshaker of any kind (there are around 60 causes) needs to become a member of the HEADSHAKING GROUP on YAHOO GROUPS. You need to have a yahoo email but its so worth it. A horse can start headshaking at ANY age but the average is 9 and is more often than not in geldings. One thing to be aware of is that it is very likely that a headshaker is in pain. Awful to hear I know as I own one but the quicker you realise this the better for him/her and you can get set to hopefully diagnosing the problem, although around 80 percent of horses are never completely diagnosed in full. This is because there are so many factors thought to be linked to headshaking. If the problem is found to be a head trauma in the past or an allergy then things can be done fairly swiftly to combat disorder, however if your horse is found to be anidiopathic headshaker ie a headshaker of unknown cause - many unfortunately are - things arent quite so simple and you may go through a million 'remedies' to find that nothig is completely successful. I wish, ultimately that my pony Tom never started to HS but failing that I would have settled for him doing it later in life as when he started really nothing was known about headshaking and so it continues for him 7 years on.
My advice to anyone who is suspicious their horse could be a HS is to do all of the obvious ... ie check back/saddle/teeth/bit etc, and if that is all fine get serious about finding a cause. Yahoo group - headshaking - has lots of ideas to help reduce headshaking with hundreds of members who are feel as sad and helpless about this condition. My pony was once a brill competition pony but showing has gone out the window due to HS. He NEVER headshakes in the winter to the point where I almost forget how bad it gets in the summer. Vets inspections have resulted in him seemingly being one of the most fit and well welsh cobs going for a 16 year old and its been said he will go on to a cracking old age whilst still being ridden but whilst HS continues we have good days and terrible days.. and so it goes on.
I could tell you all I have found out on here but it will take ages. Please register with the Yahoo group and look at helping your horse/pony.
Headshaking is a VERY serious misunderstood disease which it is thought can cause severe pain in the horses Trigeminal nerve in the face, so do your best for your four legging friend as soon as you can.
Kind regards
 
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