Recommendations for UV masks for headshaker for field & riding -

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Laurac13

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My friends mare has become a seasonal headshaker and we noticed her condition got much worse last weekend when it was really sunny, so she would like to try a UV mask (she has tried most other things already along with following her vet's advice)

So please can I have some recommendations for UV masks for use both in the field and / or when ridden and do you also use nose nets as well?

Thank you very much for any suggestions / recommendations. :)
 
Try smearing vasaline around the inside of the nostrils. It traps pollen particles and prevents them agitating the little hairs. Also works for humans!
 
pennyturner said:
Try smearing vasaline around the inside of the nostrils. It traps pollen particles and prevents them agitating the little hairs. Also works for humans!
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Thank you Penny, we have been applying the Vaseline in the mares nostrils before she goes out and when she comes back in (together with eye drops) and that has not stopped her headshaking sadly
 
I can only tell you what I'm doing so far this year, not sure how much help it will be. For riding I am using an equilibrium nose net and have bought their mask to attach to his bridle but it doesn't fit so not given that a proper trial yet. The nosenet certainly helps.

In the daytime in the field he is wearing a shires full face and ears fly mask so effectively has a nosenet on it (doesn't cover the nostrils in the same wrap around way but I've read that just the disruption of airflow they create can reduce irritation). The shires mask I don't think has as good an effect at reducing UV Ray's as masks like cashel, but he hates fly masks and this one he will tolerate, I think it must reduce some of the brightness. He has a field shelter to hide out in too.

Every morning he gets 10mg cetirizine (human hay fever tablets) per 50kg body weight. Vet prescribed a different type of antihistamine but at £150 a week I couldn't afford it so tried these. Vet advice was they wouldn't work but shouldn't hurt if I decided to try them.

In the evening he gets the fly mask taken off and Vaseline around his nostrils to catch some of the pollen/particulates. If he is particularly nose rubby or agitated like last night I give him another dose of antihistamines.

This routine seems to really be helping him (last year he was so bad behaviour wise we thought he had a brain tumour but it went away in October and started again in March so I'm now sure it's allergy related and am taking as much action early as I can). Last year he was stood in the field looking like he had a huge migraine, with dead dull eyes. He started to get like that last month but with adding the antihistamines and fly mask he is back to bright eyes and lots of personality again.
 
KatPT said:
I can only tell you what I'm doing so far this year, not sure how much help it will be. For riding I am using an equilibrium nose net and have bought their mask to attach to his bridle but it doesn't fit so not given that a proper trial yet. The nosenet certainly helps.

In the daytime in the field he is wearing a shires full face and ears fly mask so effectively has a nosenet on it (doesn't cover the nostrils in the same wrap around way but I've read that just the disruption of airflow they create can reduce irritation). The shires mask I don't think has as good an effect at reducing UV Ray's as masks like cashel, but he hates fly masks and this one he will tolerate, I think it must reduce some of the brightness. He has a field shelter to hide out in too.

Every morning he gets 10mg cetirizine (human hay fever tablets) per 50kg body weight. Vet prescribed a different type of antihistamine but at £150 a week I couldn't afford it so tried these. Vet advice was they wouldn't work but shouldn't hurt if I decided to try them.

In the evening he gets the fly mask taken off and Vaseline around his nostrils to catch some of the pollen/particulates. If he is particularly nose rubby or agitated like last night I give him another dose of antihistamines.

This routine seems to really be helping him (last year he was so bad behaviour wise we thought he had a brain tumour but it went away in October and started again in March so I'm now sure it's allergy related and am taking as much action early as I can). Last year he was stood in the field looking like he had a huge migraine, with dead dull eyes. He started to get like that last month but with adding the antihistamines and fly mask he is back to bright eyes and lots of personality again.
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Thank you for the tips KatPT, we didn't know about the disruption of air flow so that's certainly useful.

Friends mare is already on 60 antihistamines a day (vet prescribed) helping a bit but not enough :-(

Mare gets a bit more comfortable once in her stable in the evenings, we may try turning out at night and leaving in during the day especially if very sunny

Glad to hear your boy is doing well that's great news, long may it continue and thank you again for posting :-)
 
It's a horrible horrible condition so she has all my sympathy. If a bug touches my horse's head whilst out riding he reacts like he's been stung by a wasp. He gets worse with stress or excitement too, so a few weeks ago he'd been fine on a ride with just minor head flicking and then a herd of deer ran after him, he got a bit panicked and for the three miles home not only did he do a credible piaffe/passage but he was headshaking badly even with a nose net on. I don't class him as a bad head shaker yet but it does affect him in the field as well as when ridden so I'm desperate to find something that works. Is the mare on cyproheptadine (periactin)? That's what my vets wanted me to try. In in the day and out at night sounds like a good idea if a fly mask doesn't help enough. This year is the first time that my horse takes himself into the stable when I bring him in and tie him up outside. It obviously gives him some relief even if it's just from the bugs.
 
Have a look at Charlie's Products. My boy has a nags head ranch uv fly mask that filters 90 percent of the uv. He has pollen allergies and was having 10 ceterizine tablets a day and wears a fly mask 24/7 when turned out. Am currently trying global herbs pollen eze. It gets very good reviews. Think they also do a product for headshaking. Might be worth a look at their website .
 
KatPT said:
It's a horrible horrible condition so she has all my sympathy. If a bug touches my horse's head whilst out riding he reacts like he's been stung by a wasp. He gets worse with stress or excitement too, so a few weeks ago he'd been fine on a ride with just minor head flicking and then a herd of deer ran after him, he got a bit panicked and for the three miles home not only did he do a credible piaffe/passage but he was headshaking badly even with a nose net on. I don't class him as a bad head shaker yet but it does affect him in the field as well as when ridden so I'm desperate to find something that works. Is the mare on cyproheptadine (periactin)? That's what my vets wanted me to try. In in the day and out at night sounds like a good idea if a fly mask doesn't help enough. This year is the first time that my horse takes himself into the stable when I bring him in and tie him up outside. It obviously gives him some relief even if it's just from the bugs.
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Yes Kat its a very unpleasant condition indeed :-( What a scary incident you had with the herd of deer! Glad you are both OK. I am not sure which antihistamines her vet prescribed I thought they were maybe piriton? (but I could be wrong).
My friends mare seems to really like her stable at the moment like your boy too
We've not yet got the flies or bugs our way but I don't suppose it will be long!
 
vmac66 said:
Have a look at Charlie's Products. My boy has a nags head ranch uv fly mask that filters 90 percent of the uv. He has pollen allergies and was having 10 ceterizine tablets a day and wears a fly mask 24/7 when turned out. Am currently trying global herbs pollen eze. It gets very good reviews. Think they also do a product for headshaking. Might be worth a look at their website .
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Thank you vmac66 I shall look at Charlies products (hadn't heard of them before - looks good). My friend currently has her mare on the global herbs pollen eze but for her it hasn't done anything. I think she is going to try naff shake relief next as been recommended by a friend

She's also tried local honey, reiki, kinesiology in the past, local honey helped one summer, last year though she couldn't ride her horse at all in the summer nothing seemed to help enough
 
I use the equilibrium ride in face mask and field mask for my head shaker she is 99.9% better with it. She is not seasonal and has to wear them all year round. She's had years of investigations and nerve blocks in her face and hers definitely comes from over active facial nerves. I don't need to wear the additional equilibrium ride in nose net as that makes no difference to mine.
 
ossy said:
I use the equilibrium ride in face mask and field mask for my head shaker she is 99.9% better with it. She is not seasonal and has to wear them all year round. She's had years of investigations and nerve blocks in her face and hers definitely comes from over active facial nerves. I don't need to wear the additional equilibrium ride in nose net as that makes no difference to mine.
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Hi Ossy

Thank you for the reply and I am pleased you found something that works so well for your mare :-)

I just looked at the Equilibrium website and saw the UV facemask for the field but I didn't see one for riding, do you use the same facemask for both field turnout and riding?
 
Laurac13 said:
Hi Ossy

Thank you for the reply and I am pleased you found something that works so well for your mare :-)

I just looked at the Equilibrium website and saw the UV facemask for the field but I didn't see one for riding, do you use the same facemask for both field turnout and riding?
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I use this one for riding in
http://www.hopevalleysaddlery.co.uk/1120/Equilibrium-Net-Relief-Riding-Mask
Doesn't say it's got UV protection but it's done the job for me. I have dispensation from BD to use this one for affiliated comps as well.

The other one I was also recommended at the time was the cashel masks like this

http://www.charliesproducts.co.uk/cashel-fly-masks/12-crusader-quiet-ride-mask-080438100803.html

Never needed to try them though but have good reviews from the states.
 
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My seasonal head shaker has a nose net & ear cover thing when ridden which doesn't 100% eradicate it but really helps. He does have a equilibrium mask with ear covers which I use on bad days. He has no supplements at all as he's a terrible eater & will not eat a feed every day & it's unlikely he'll eat a feed with anything in,he lives out 24/7 as doesn't tolerate being stabled so there's no point forcing him to stay in. A fly rug really seems to help as when he's shaking a lot it seems to make him very sensitive all over,so I rug him up,put a mask on & smother him in fly spray & put fly gel on his face. His shaking was made worse by surgery he had,he had a really good year last year & I thought the nerve damage from surgery was finally settling but he's already worse this year & started quite early so must've just been a good year last year!
 
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