Romeo is violently head tossing......help please

VictoriaEDT

VictoriaEDT

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www.equinedental.co.uk
For the past 3 days when ridden/pessoad (if that is a word!) Ro has been acting really oddly. We would be walking along and all of a sudden he will really violently throw his head up and down (almost as if it is an unconscious movement out of his control) and stamp his right foot for two strides. He seems to do it when a fly lands on his face.

This is really strange as he has never done it before and plenty of flies have landed on his face in the past.

He isnt doing it in the stable but have noticed him doing it in the field tonight despite him being fly rugged head to toe and masked.

his back is fine as are teeth and he is sound.......any ideas?
 
Are you 100% sure his back is okay.I wonder if he has pulled a muscle and the headshaking is a reaction to the muscles being sore.It is worth considering if he has recently started working correctly in the pessoa as he could be using muscles he isn't used to using.
 
could have, I know another that started this year but earlier in the year.

does he field mask have a nose bit on it?

Its poss that something (pollen wise) is in the air that wasn't previously (not sure what!)
 
I would be more inclined to suspect the hot weather and bugs
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hot weather as it has been so little this yr he could have developed an allergy to some sort of pollen/dust!!Sounds like something is aggravating his nasal passages,could even be midgy fly things(they get everywhere
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),or low level virus
See how he is tomorrow and maybe ring vet for advice on monday
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Could even be sun related as he dosnt do it in the stable!!Photo whatsit(cant spell it
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)
Hope you get to the bottom of it!!!
At this time of yr there could be hundreds of reasons,my lad does it when raindrops splat his nose
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,when it pissing dwn he fine!!
 
I posted on here back in May when my daughter's cob of 4 years started violently headshaking overnight. He became unrideable, and would throw his head so far up he would nearly smack her in the face. We were very upset, and ended up turning him away. I noticed he still did it in the field if he trotted so I knew it wasn't the bit etc.

He stopped around 6 weeks later just as suddenly. Lots of people suggested it was a certain pollen (probably from the local woods, possibly bluebells as he started on the Bluebell Ride ironically). So perhaps there is something in the air this time of year that has started him off. If so he should stop again once the pollen/spores have gone.

So don't panic just yet - it might be a short seasonal allergy. I doubt the flies are causing it, he just can't bear anything on his face while there is something else deeply irritating him.
 
As far as i know his back is ok, he feels fine when being ridden and his back is checked regularly. In all he feels perfectly normal apart from these head shakes

His fly mask doesnt have a nose bit on but i fly spray the nose. Also have seen him with a few flies on his nose many times and they have never seemed to really bother him.

Spike - sounds sensible reply but he has been passoaed for about 6 months now no more than once a week and for 20 mins at a time and i spend time warming him up and down each time.

Its very recent and very odd...........dam orange horses
 
Thanks guys, he gets so upset with it.

Yesterday i went out on him with the girl who rides charlie my coloured and he kept rubbing his nose on charlies bum and almost pushed him into a ditch!

We stopped and Ro put his head on Laurens lap (we are 2hh higher than charlie!) and she checked his face all over but nothing on there.
 
I was just thinking, re the nose nets, I think they do poss help to limit the quantity of allergens (if it is) inhaled.

I'd tell you to check his teeth but.....................
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My friends pony will lunge then stop, rub her nose on her leg, then carry on lunging. She suspects shes a mild head shaker. Another friends horse suddenly started to violently headshake. Her stable was near where a new motorway was being 'laid'. She could only think it was that as she had owned him years.
Is there any Rapeseed nearby, thats apparantly well known to cause headshaking.
I would try one of the nose nets and see if it makes a difference.
I hope hes ok.
 
Try a nose net for her bridle. I got one after I took Hattie to a riding clinic in May and she started doing this and started becoming unridable. The instuctor said to get one and i've ridden with it since without problems! I use for lunging too. I forgot it the other day and she started the head tossing thing again.
 
Thats how my horse started headshaking, he would violently toss his head up and both front feet would come off the floor either that or maybe it could be his back why not try a fly mask on when riding see if he improves with that if it turns out to be head shaking i have just turned mine from being unrideable to perfectly normal by just putting a fly mask on and a nose net
 
Thanks for all your help, will get a nose net thanks SS

Just been on a 16 mile "not so fun fun ride" and i was really worried he would shake the whole way. I covered his face in fly spray and he only tossed once!
 
Just a thought but has he developed an allergic reaction to your fly spray, especially is you spray it on his nose. Also with the hot weather we've been having the sun could have made the delicate skin on his nose more sensitive and the fly spray could exacerbate this.
 
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