Please help - head tossing

K

kal40

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Hi

Hoping someone here can offer some advice.

My sister is having problems with her section d. She has had him just over a year and has had some problems with him tossing his head. Not shaking it, up and down tossing.

She has done everything she can think of - teeth checked, saddle (in fact new saddle) checked and double checked, back checked, farrier regular. Changed bit, changed noseband, He even does it when she is leading him in a headcollar. She has tried nose net, ear coverer things, fly masks. He does it in summer and winter. if he is clipped or not.

His is fab boy and everything else about him is wonderful and they are getting on like a house on fire. She is running out of ideas and really wants to help him. Today out riding she couldnt get him into a trot because this up and down movement was unsettling his stride.

Has anyone experienced this or could point us in the right direction or maybe make some suggestions.

Many thanks

Kx
 
How old is he? I have a 6yo (also a section d!) Who would always toss his head in walk and trot-walk transitions. I found that as long as I had a constant contact he didn't do it.. He didn't do it in hand though, but he seems to be 'growing out' of it.

I am also in touch with the woman who owns his half sister and I believe she has an issue with head tossing.

You mentioned teeth were fine. Are wolf teeth present? If so, remove them and see if it makes a difference.
 
My 6yo Section D does this!

He's done it since I bought him as a 4yo, teeth checked last time in April. He only ever does it in walk, and it's grown less and less severe as he's got older - when I had him he would almost hit me in the face with his head.

I used to think it was a baby thing and he did it if he was a bit tired, but he's never tired these days and still does it very occasionally with no apparent reason.
 
It could be his neck muscles are hurting if something is out of line at the top of his back - chronic pain would certainly make him throw his head about to relieve the pressure. Get a REALLY good professional to check this out - sounds more like discomfort than bad behaviour.
 
Sounds like head shaking to me, my boy does the same.
I asked mt vet about my horse and she asked me what the symptoms were. I told her he throws his head up and down, sometimes quite violently.
She said this was classic headshaking which is not side to side shaking as most people believe.

She also advised my that if he is having a bad episode he is most likely in quite a lot of pain in the nerves in his face so to avoid working him on the worst days. I find mine is worse in the summer. I use a nose net and keep a log of conditions when it's worse, to try to see a pattern.
 
This might not be much help but my boy was a bad headshaker, I have been adding extra salt to his diet this year and, touch wood, it appears to have made a real difference.
 
Okay two ideas. One, he could have an allergy. We have a horse here that head tosses constantly. We put him on 10 cetirizine tablets daily and it is completely cured. The second horse came to me here as a Summer only head shaker. Owner tried all kinds and spent loads on vet checks etc. He tosses his head in the paddock, when he is being lead and when he is being ridden. Antihistamines had no effect so I tried him in a fly mask with ears. He was instantly cured. Turns out it was the midges getting in his ears.
 
Salt in the feed seems to be one answer to this problem I don't know why but it cures quite a few head shakers anecdotally speaking it is cheap to try as well you need to introduce it slowly until you get to a good handful per feed. At 25p per kilo it is probably the cheapest solution to any horsey problem
 
If you have checked everything, as I had 18 months ago when my newly purchased horse did this so badly it threw me off balance when riding him and started to scare the hell out of me...after every vet, physio, saddle, dentist check under the sun I decided to make head tossing the hard option. When he head tossed he pulled my arms out the sockets or the reins through my hand, either way he learnt I was softer than his previous owners.
My trainer asked me to try the following:
Surprise him when he did it by a tap with my whip and it was as if I'd interrupted his evasion technique he had developed. He'd do it again and I'd tap sharply with my leg. And I'd work him, not hard, but just trot on, keep trotting, and slowly, after weeks, months and now a few years the habit is almost gone, occassionally it comes back, more so out hacking than in the school as in the school I am working him and giving him a job to do and hacking it's often chilled on a long rein and he is tossing his head against no rein contact but I do remind him with my leg if it happens more than say 3 times closely together.

I must stress to have everything checked prior to this option and thankfully for me after nose nets and allergy tablets and everything else above I have mentioned this has been our resolve, good luck xx
 
My friends mare was a serial head toss er until she tried her in a bitless bridle - a scawbrig I think it is she uses - cured her mare overnight

ETA just seen he is doing it in hand too so that's prob not the issue... I hope you get a solution :/
 
Thanks for all the replies folks. I have given my sister the link to this thread so she can read your replies directly. I hope we find an answer as he is such a great horse and they are getting along really well apart from that.

Many things to think about.

Kx
 
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