Questions for HeadShaking owners

TheCurlyPony

TheCurlyPony

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19 November 2008
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Hi,

Iam after some advice really about headshaking, I have looked at most of the sites that offer help etc but im truely not sure if my boy is a headtosser or not. I do however feel it is a seasonal problem.

As spring approaches he starts to get a little funny about touching his mane around the poll area to the point we start to have issues with putting the bridle on. He lifts his head fairly high so i cant reach to pop his ears in. ( how ever, he doesnt really like you to touch his mane at all tbh, you cant pull it).

Now what i havnt told you he is a curly pony, so at this time of year as a breed they shred there mane and tail, however mine does'nt. They shred there coat too, and believe me there is a lot of it, so he is very very itchey and like to rub. (with me so far :) )

Ok.... So he head tosses when we go out hacking, he kind of pushes his nose down and then forward. He does'nt try and rub his nose on his leg when we are out if we stop at all, he does'nt do it in trot or canter, only in walk. It almost as if he just wants to stretch down. I ride him on a fairly loose rein, and i do ride on the buckle end for a moment or two to let him stretch. He doesnt do it if i ride in the arena, he does'nt do it in the field, he has a usual roll in the field, but he doesnt go mad rubbing everwhere especially not his face. He is quiet a warm chap as he would be carrying the coat he does so maybe he is just ichy?

Do headshakers generally only headhshake while out hacking??

If anyone could offer me some advice etc i would be most greatful, im going to try a nosenet over the weekend.

Many Thanks
 
There has been a lot of discussions on headshaking lately on this forum, look through because some of the advice is really helpful. Headshaking varies from mild to quite severe. If you google 'Equilibrium nose nets' there is quite a bit to read on the subject which gives you an insight of how painful it is to the horse. Although it is a reaction to pollen/dust/midges, you cannot compare it to hayfever which we humans can suffer from. For some horses it is so painful they throw themselves to the ground because they don't know what to do. It certainly won't be a bad idea to invest in a nose net, apparently it can help by up to 70% or more.
 
I have a headshaker who will throw her head around and desperately wants to itch her nose on her knee all the time. The Equilibrium Nose net stops all that and you would never know she has an issue.

One idea many people suggest is that if the bridle is too tight anywhere and causes pressure then this can cause irritation. Check the browband is not too tight - can you get 2 fingers in? What about his noseband? Again tightness can cause them to be irritated. Maybe try slackening the cheek pieces so there is less pressure over the pole?

May be he just has a minor sensitivity rather than full headshaking.

There are loads of recent posts about headshaking so search for those to get more info.
 
In my experience the head shaking gets worse the faster the pace you choose - my horse is a seasonal pollen head shaker. He does it a little in walk and snorts at times, if you pick up the pace the trot can induce fairly violent head shaking and canter can be quite unseating!

I have found the nose nets to be very effective when used in conjunction with supplements to help with the pollen allergy.

There was a thread on here last week about head shaking that had a lot of information on. I would put a super clever link on here for you but I'm not that proficient on the computer!
 
Mine does it when he's hot and its only ever in walk. My vet recommended giving him allergy tablets as its the same part of the head that sends the signal to the brain to head shake/respond to an allergy.
 
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