Horse desperate to scratch nose on leg when ridden?

wellsat

wellsat

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As title really. Gerry is not a headshaker as such as he doesn't do it when you really ask him to concentrate or if he's jumping. When he's warming up or when he's getting tired he is a bit flingy with his head trying to snatch a longer contact so that he can scratch his nose on his leg.

Any ideas? Thinking about trying him with a nosenet but don't think its an alleargy thing.
 
I have one that occasionally does this as an evasion. I think of it as a child who has "tummy ache" because it doesn't want to go to school! Usually just keep asking the questions, and the "itch"/"tummy ache" goes away.
 
Mine does this and she is a headshaker - I use a nose net and it stopped. She gets agitated with midges and flies on her nose - I find I have to still use a nosenet even at this time of year, especially out hacking where the midges seem to be at their worst.
 
Don't know if this will be of any help, but my horse used to do something very similar. It started to get a bit dangerous (he'd never do it in trot or canter) but when we were walking he'd suddenly stop dead and throw his head down to itch - I lost count on the amount of times I nearly went out the front door!!
Anyway, I wondered if the 'foam' that came out of his mouth when he was working was irritating him so I took his flash off and it was like an instant fix, we haven't had a problem since. So that might be worth trying if he wears a flash or a complicated bit that causes him to foam rather than 'swallow' as he's working, as I think it can definitely irritate sensitive skin?
 
Thanks :)

JT - he's in a plain cavesson with a crank but done up very loosely. He came to me in a flash but I'd rather her learned to soften onto the bit rather than strapping it shut if I don't need to.

Groom 42 - thats kind of what I've been thinking so far. He's been a hunter and SJer, he's not used to dressage and being asked to stretch over his back so he's throwing his toys out of the pram when he thinks he can get away with it. Just wondered if I might be missing something.
 
wellsat said:
Thanks :)

Groom 42 - thats kind of what I've been thinking so far. He's been a hunter and SJer, he's not used to dressage and being asked to stretch over his back so he's throwing his toys out of the pram when he thinks he can get away with it. Just wondered if I might be missing something.
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This is exactly when my boy did it! Dressage is a relatively new game, and he finds it hard work, but has no flashes/drops etc. He will work long and low, then twigs that a scratch means he can take a break before he is offered one. We just quietly asked him to pick up, go forward, and stretch, and told him he was being a git. ;) Hasn't played that card for ages now :)
 
Mine does this too. and as others have mentioned nearly gone out the front door on a number of occasions. She is in loose cavasson it is worse when really asking someything of her would class her as a very very mild head shaker too as often worse in summer outside nose net just irritated her. she did do it in the middle of a dressage test which was a little embarassing. She will also do this in strssful situations whcih is a bit alarming as you dont really need to loose your reins on an unexploded time bomb.
Never really found out why she does it def worse when teeth due and have found out she has a chronic back problem which might explain it? no idea if this is related as she is now only in light work as a result and the back prolblem is unlikley to be resoved :-(
or it could just be behaviour!!
 
So something's irritating him/making him uncomfortable, and you have to discover what that is .....

Has he got feather mites on the front feet? This would explain why he does this and might be worth looking into ..... or perhaps he's got itching on his face (midges/sweet itch?) or an allergy, or allergic rhinitis? Is there something in his ears like mites irritating him?

Then again it could just be the bridle/noseband/bit, as has already been suggested.

I'd say this is the horse's way of saying he's not comfy and/or not happy; and if you can catch it now before it develops into anything else, an evasion or whatever, that would be best. I don't think he's being deliberately naughty or whatever.
 
He definitely doesn't have feather mites, he's a Westphalian.

My reason for thinking it isn't an allergy is that surely he'd do it when he's not ridden? He doesn't do it when lunged, tied up on the yard, in his stable or when he's turned out.

I've tried him in three different bits so far, a KK loose ring with a lozenge, a french linked hanging cheek and a happy mouth dutch gag. All very different bits and he does it with all of them so it could be the bit but I can't see anything that they have in common.

I've bought him a lovely padded bridle with a comfort headpiece in case that helped and if anything he was worse wearing that.

The only thing which we know is a possible cause is that he had very bad teeth when he came to me. These have all been sorted now so definitely not causing him any pain but its possible that its developed as an evasion.

The only thing stopping me being sure that its an evasion is how vigorously he really does scratch himself when he gets down there.
 
Chiro is coming out tomorrow so will take it from there. Knowing our vets they'd tell me that it was just my poor riding if i told them my horse was snatching at the bit. Great if your horse has colic or its leg is hanging off, not so good at the subtle stuff.
 
Micah did/does this it drives me nuts. however I found if I give his nose a really good groom and clean his nostrils before riding he is fine
 
Thanks, had his teeth done three weeks ago when he arrived so its not pain there although he may be remembering it from when they were sore.
 
wellsat said:
Thanks, had his teeth done three weeks ago when he arrived so its not pain there although he may be remembering it from when they were sore.
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or as I say might just be itchy so make sure his nose is brushed and wiped inside with wet cloth/baby wipe first. worth a try
 
Thanks, without sounding like a complete idiot I've never thought of wiping the inside of my horses nose unless they are a bit snotty. Will certainly give it a go.
 
my horse never used to do it until i started usin a bit that encouraged him to slaver etc and he rubbed his nose on his leg and think he got a bit of a shock with there bein slavers on his leg silly boy took a while to get him to not freak out the fact he was slavering bit more ha ha
 
I have a pony that does exactly this, although sometimes when he stops and puts his head down, he doesn't always bother to scratch, it's as if the stretch down has relieved the itch. Othertimes he rubs his nose on his leg quite strongly.

I have had back and teeth done, tried different bits (he is better in a myler comfort snaffle), larger browband (better but not cured), nosenet (initially better then worse). An instructor thought it was his boot so took it off (no difference at all!).

I wonder if it is triggered by having the bit in his mouth or pressure on his back, as he doesn't do it in the field, but he is too kind and generous a pony for it to be awkwardness, plus he isn't overly bright so I am certain it's not a deliberate action on his part. In fact like yours, he forgets about it when cantering or jumping. But when you ask him to work in an outline in walk or when you come back to walk from trot, down goes the head.

Please let me know if you find a cure! Often when I wash up, my nose itches like mad and I have to rub it on my sleeve several times. Maybe it's the same sort of thing?!
 
Dizzy does this, or rather did, not so bad now :)


It got so bad in the Myler that we nearly ended up parting company :( :(

Changed back to the Happy Mouth mullen mouth for a while; also swapped the crank noseband for a cavesson (even though crank was loose). Immediate improvement :)

She did is with different riders, so not just me :o. Vet said that if things didn't improve, try Piriton in case it was an allergy thing.

Dizz is definitely better now, but I'm going to try a Bowen Therapist, see if she can get to the bottom of it.
 
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