Horse doing my nut Help Plz

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Hello,
My 12 year old tb is a headshaker, in all seasons, when ridden and sometimes when not.
There is no pattern to his behaviour, he just tucks his head in but up high and shakes, hacking/schooling, nothing I can say triggers it. Its almost like he grabd his bit and shakes and flaps his lips :confused: tried to get a video but not working! He does it alot and in the stable/ field too?

He is ridden in a sweet iron full cheek single joint and a flash for schooling and a dutch gag and grackle for jumping, he sometimes wears a hanging cheek for hacking.

What do you think could be the cause?
Forgot to add a market harborough for hacking sometimes and he doesnt do it with that on, but dont want him constantly wearing it!
 
I have owned him 2 years and he has done it for all that time and possibly more when he was in training, though he did used to normally go from walker to gallop so maybe not as much as he doesnt do it in canter.

Trust me to miss out the most important bits! Teeth are fine (2months ago)
Back, Saddle etc all fine (4/5months ago)
 
My horse started to do this when I was bringing him back into work after his KS op. I had the McTimmony chiro to him and she found his poll was rotated. Did some adjustments and completely cured the head shaking.
 
My 10 year old TB did/does this. She does it either when she's stressed or when she needs the physio. She has muscle damage down one side of her shoulder which affects her back, hence the soreness and needing regular physio.

If your horse does it all year, I would say that it isn't allergy related - it could either be a physical issue, ie back, teeth etc etc, or if the horse is doing it completely randomly it could even be trigeminal neuralgia. Good luck with finding an answer.
 
Beans2000 said:
Thankyou wagtail, i will look into a mcTimmony person..

HH- what is trigeminal neuralgia?
Click to expand...

I only know the basic explanation as I'm no vet, but just got this from a website which talks about it in idiot terms, so even I understand it!!

Headshaking is a mysterious problem in horses. Recent research suggests that it can be caused by a variety of factors: it can be behavioral (a vice or disobedience) or biological (caused by physical discomfort arising from tack, teeth or ear problems, allergies, nerve stimulation, sensitivity to light, and a variety of other possible causes).
The symptoms of headshaking are snorting, sneezing, and pronounced shaking of the head characterized by a side-to-side or vertical "snatching" motion, as though the horse had an insect up its nose. Headshaking horses will often try to scratch their noses on their legs, on posts, or on the ground. Headshaking tends to occur when horses are stressed by exercise or other factors. Most important, it tends to be seasonal, triggered in the spring or early summer, and tends to subside in winter.

Scientists posit that headshaking may be triggered by strong light (photic headshaking), which stimulates the fifth cranial nerve, called the trigeminal nerve, in the horse's face and causes uncontrollable itching, pain, and/or sneeziness. (Interestingly, this phenomenon affects as many as 25% of humans as well, and is called the photic sneeze or "ACHOU syndrome.") Photic sneezing is hereditary in humans and may also be in horses. Some humans also suffer from an irritation of the trigeminal nerve called trigeminal neuralgia (TgN) that can cause facial pain and muscle paralysis. The genesis of TgN, which primarily affects women over 50, is still being investigated by neurologists; these studies may indirectly help us understand photic headshaking in horses.

Recent studies suggest, but do not prove, that headshaking may possibly be triggered by rhinopneumonitis vaccinations, which may activate the herpes virus (EHV-1, EHV-4) which lies dormant in the horse's trigeminal nerve. This process is roughly analogous to the onset of shingles in humans.

Headshaking in horses is poorly understood, and just beginning to be systematically researched. It may have multiple causes rather than a single cause. We do know that horses tend to begin to headshake at maturity. Some horses headshake all the time, while others headshake only when under saddle or in strenuous exercise. Sometimes headshaking resolves spontaneously.
 
Thankyou HH, he never ever tries to rub on anythging else, maybe just spechial!!!

He has a massage booked in for tues now!
 
Beans2000 said:
HH- what is trigeminal neuralgia?
Click to expand...

I have it... A brain/skull malformation...

Imagine a nerve coming from the temple area and separating over the face... Of the three main branches, one does the top section, another between nose and top lip and the lower one bottom lip to chin... All having their own baby branches... It can feel like a spider is tap dancing on the skin and be annoying or just a bit of a breeze can either mildly set your teeth on edge or be excruciatingly painful... Or interfere with smiling or give that 'drop' look to the face... It's one sided for me... The wind set it off today - not an attractive look tonight I have to say... Fingers crossed I won't dribble all my dinner... :D :o

If I don't wear shades and get 'caught' by bright light in the eye on that side that can set it off too so I can understand the suggestion behind photic headshaking... And that it can come and go without being able to always pinpoint a specific trigger... I do wonder if the seasonal or pollen aspects might be related to topical sensation v inhalation like you would think with an allergy... Just because when it's on a roll I wouldn't be able to touch a soft feather against my cheek without a red hot poker type sensation erupting...

The discussion around TmN and headshaking does interest me just because of my own situation but I'll admit that its purely anecdotal, that I might be interpreting based on my experiences and there is individuality to consider...

At the very least, if your face is hurting it can make you use your neck incorrectly plus all that head movement - massage may have some benefit...
 
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