Headshaking

[SJ_06]

Ok recentley we bought a 4 yr old unvetted(as stupid as is sounds)..

When I tried him, he went perfectley, no shaking what so ever, hes truely the most amazing horse ever, and im not joking!!
Apart from this 1 problem,
A few days after we got him home he starts shaking his head, just a little in walk, thought nothing of it, Teeth needed doing, got them done. fine.

however this continues slowley getting a little more each time I ride, but Odd-ly NOTE THIS: Mostly in walk cooling down at the end of each riding session. So we check the tack ect, all ok, just had new saddle done(hes comfterble ther)

Soon we start training and my trainer notices hes digging his head into his chest on the flat when we turn ect, she immediately says hes been worked overhard in drawreins too early.

So we have the phisio and she confirms he has pains in his neck, and does a few things(i dont quite know) but it hasnt worked.

Hes starting to shake in trot now (heres me having a sence of humour failure!!) so we call the vet out ( the other day)
He watched me ride and then afterwards felt around his neck and couldnt find a problem, then started saying his shaking might be due to an allergey and reccomended some things, inc nose net, ears ect.
so weve ordered these and he wants us to ring back once we know.then hes comin back out soon.

Im sitting here worried sick because the phsio said he had problems there(in his neck) and i just know inside thats whats causing him problems!! i just know!!
plus my friend said shes had youngsters who shake at the end of work because their muscles get tired..but then the vet must be right!!??

Im just so confused and worried for my little horse, he has so much infront of him, and if this is allergy shaking he could be retired at only the age of 4!! what a waste?!!

Sorry for the essay

 

[SJ_06]

Dads jus said it may even be because of the hay in the indoor barn hes stabled in(hays stored ther too) and the dust could be getting in his respiratory system? could this be poss? i remember his eyes were quite red on the first few days we got him home? and sometimes his nose is a bit runny?
help!

 

[Natalie_H]

It could well be an allergy. I have read a few case studies on this as my TB suffers with allergies - but he does not headshake so I am no expert. I know that some people have had success using nose nets? The dust from the hay could definitely cause him problems, but I don't know whether it would cause headshaking. Sorry I can't be any more informative!

 

[SJ_06]

i was thinking to try n shake the dust ect out of his nose/head? or because it agrivates the nerves? theres so many reasons it could be!! erghh

 

[Natalie_H]

Try doing a search on headshaking & allergies - it should give you some ideas which may help you eliminate allergens if they are the problem. At worst, you can rule it out? Also, try this link I just found:

http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/dbs/research/headshaking/causes.htm

 

[debbielinder]

if he is a headshaker its not the end of the world, when i was at a local affiliated dressage comp a few weeks ago i saw three horses being competed in nosenets, although i think the time of the year may go against this thiery if he was a headshaker he would shake his head more in the summer and less if not at all in the winter!

 

[Sparklet]

My daughters little mare headshakes - part in fury I think and part because she cant stand little flies bouncing off her nose during the midge season.

Sensitive riding has helped, changing her bit, nose net and avoiding riding when the sun is too bright and there are a lot of midges. She is a very itchy, sensitive person anyway so reacts to the slightest thing.

She is okay in winter though.

 

[jayvee]

Funny, have similar prob. One of the horses here has slowly but progresively started to head shake out hacking. Have known him for years and been ok but he is not right now. Had vet out, can't pin point problem, but he is very tight muscular in the neck and almost kinda lame high up in the hind quarters, vet reckons it all related to neck, which I can understand.. So getting physio + vet out later this week. He is also very short in the neck, not sure if thats a bad or good thing though.
What I am getting to is that it could be pain related like I think it is in our case(?)

 

[henryhorn]

It's a funny time of year to headshake if it's an allergic reaction, so your theory re neck damage sounds more likely.
We took on a retired horse earlier this year who was finding work impossible due to headshaking, within two days all his symptoms disappeared and he is now ok.
I think it is because we have little pollution here being high up and breezy, and no rape crops etc grown.
What sort of physio did you have out, have you tried a mcTimoney practitoner?
if not it's definitely worth the money, the one we used fixed our dog as well as several of the horses.
If nothing else shows up your only option may be an MRI scan...
You could perhaps with your vet's approval try him on some pain killers and see if they make a difference, at least you would then know it's pain not allergies.

 

[Tempi]

er why would his headshaking, if due to an allergy, cause him to be retired??????? Get him a nose net and put him on two suppliments by global herbs called Skratch Classic and Zephyr. Do a google on global herbs and it will bring it all up for you.

my mare has a pollen allergy, she wears a nose net and is very sucessfuly competing BD (is about to go up to medium level). Its not something that you need to retire your horse over........

 

[dixie]

Have you spoken to the previous owners?

Why don't you ring them and say how lovely he is but .....

They might just suggest something or remember something that could be affecting him. or of course they could just lie, however, you've got nothing to lose.

 

[Salcey]

I agree with Parisienne Girl, my mare hadshakes wuite badly but it can be controlled. It is not always seasonal as many people think. My mare is oversensitive around her nostrils, so it can be triggered by many different things such as polo mints.
Be assured its not the end of the world if your horse does head shake

 

[djb]

Follow your instincts and get the physio to come back if he is sore in his neck - or a different one if that one hasn't resolved it. Vets quite often don't pick up these muscular things

A horse on our yard started by swinging his head up and down then he started napping, then rearing. By the time the physio was called he was very sore in his poll and this had caused his back to be sore aswell - he was really quite bad and had 4 physio sessions and about 6 weeks off work. The physio was very good and would keep coming back until the problem was sorted - she has also rung a few times since to check his progress.

The draw reins may have caused the problem in your horse - the one above could not tolerate any restriction on his head such as a bungee or chambon as it was causing such pain in his poll.

 

[pameustace]

my little mare started head shaking when she first went into work at 5yrs old' she has a very short neck and couldn't cope' also she couldn't bend on the left rein' she had a neck problem and now it is sorted and I have taken the bit out' she is in a bitless bridle now and no problems at all with head shaking'

 

[debonhorse]

do you know if the previous owners fed him magnesium supplement. My t/b mare is a massive headshaker, I have been feeding this to her for about 6 weeks now, and she has almost stopped all headshaking. It could be something that simple. worth asking previous they may have forgotton to tell you that bit.! good luck whatever you try.

 

[watcherathome]

[ QUOTE ]
The draw reins may have caused the problem in your horse - the one above could not tolerate any restriction on his head such as a bungee or chambon as it was causing such pain in his poll.

[/ QUOTE ]

If this is the case, then even a bit with a slight poll action (like a gag) could induce it

 

[BethH]

Head shaking with work could be a sign of lack of balance, this is pretty common in a youngster - do you find your boy is on the forehand alot? The more tired they are, the more they do it, I am not saying by any means that this is the answer, but when my boy was 4 he used to do it towards the end of a session be it schooling or hacking. It sounds possible from reading your post that if your horse has very tired and tight muscles in the neck to start off with and is then having to work it could well be discomfort (mine had an uncommon back problem causing the problem, your does sound as though he has overused his neck muscles - trust your gut instinct!). Bear in mind he is young and only just starting to learn to move correctly from the back end, it is very hard work for them as they are building muscle.

I would definitely get the physio back, Mctimmoney practitioners (type of oesteopath) are very good or even a chiropractor who can loosen the tightness, you may find corresponding tightness around the gluts/back end as well so a few sessions to loosen him up may help and I would make sure you don't over do the work, I was always told to work a 4 year old about 4 times a week stick to 20-30 mins. I hope you find an easy answer, I know what it is like to worry yourself sick about buying a youngster that has an issue, it feels like the end of the world but you are doing something about it rather than ignoring it. If it is muscular you can always rest him for a few months so he can loose the muscle and then build him up again correctly, you have plenty of time so try not to worry too much - I know this is easier said than done!

Good luck - would be interested to hear how you get on

 

[SJ_06]

OMG BethH you know exactly what im talking about, seems like our 4 yr olds sound exactly the same!!
but the weird thing is he dosent shake when its windy, dad sugested if it is to do with the nerves in his face, the wind sensation could ease it?? and the other thing is the horse hes out of(and a few offspring) are all pictured wearing a fly veil with the dangley bits on the end?? maybe this could be the reason? mmm!!
well were moving to one of the outdoor stables today, so will see how it goes...
ordered the nose net but its not in stock atm, will have to wait bit longer.
and i know nothing of his past he came from the continent, i dont know who owned him over there.

 

[BethH]

People put a lot of things down to headshaking, if it is windy he probably rounds up beautifully going in to the wind, head nicely on the bit, Ryan does that too it is their way of dealing with the weather conditions. If you decide he is a headshaker my friend used some chinese herbal biscuits made by Horsewise (oblong black and gold tin) that she swore by, her headshaker would get really uncomfortable and rear, itch etc etc but the biscuits seems to really help him.

I have pm'd you back, but if you want to have a chat about some of the work I am doing with Ryan, I would be very happy to help, lots of work on pace, bend and building suppleness has really balanced him but it is slow going though. Best of luck to you let me know how you get on