Head shaking-any advice

[Emma Louise]

I've had my mare for 3 years now and in the past few months she has started tossing her head around. She doesn't do it all the time as I rode her last Friday evening and she didn't do it once then on Tuesday we went out for a 3hr ride and I led her the last 2hrs as it was really bad. She just seemed to be really frustrated. She still did it whilst being led. I did move yards in Feb but there aren't any rape seed fields around-just lots of grass and sheep! I'm going to ride her in the evening tomorrow to see if she does it then or whether it's just when it's really sunny. Her teeth were done 2weeks ago and they were fine. She's been in the same Myler bit since I got her. Her back is due to be checked as it's probably 6-9months since it was last done. She's not displaying any other issues. I've read about nose nets and then people making them out of old tights. Has anyone tried this? I was going to give the tights a go before getting a nose net to see if it makes a difference.

I just want my happy pony back and feel a bit depressed about the whole thing.

Any advice most appreciated

[bertie666]

Try removing her from all grass for a month and see it that makes a difference - it can be the imbalances of minerals in spring grass causes it.

Check out the calm healthy horses website

[alonerawnut]

With the pony I used to ride, she would shake her head at the same time every year, when the cow parsley was in flower. It may not have been that - possibly something else flowering at the same time, but we noticed a big difference if she wore a nose-net when we rode. I made one using netting from a fabric shop and some ribbon (brown of course - we weren't into bling!). It'd be a fairly cheap and non-intrusive thing to try, even if it helps to rule something out.

[bonniesmum]

The best thing I have found is Vaseline. Smear it in and around the nostrils every day. It's a bit yucky basically sticking your fingers up her nose but is surprisingly effective. We find the nose net helps somewhat but out of the two the Vaseline works best.

I have no control over what is in our paddock because we're on livery but have heard anecdotally that getting rid of clover works a treat.

[portiabuzz]

It seems there are so many different options out there, salt has helped one poster on here, can't remember who now??

[jen1]

Look up the mineral boron , of borax , friend of mine have or are using it diluted in water, its working , pat colbys book irs a good source of info, my gut feeling its too much potassium , and other imbalances, look up calm heathly horses

[shan]

Depends on what type of pollen they have an allergy to - very lucky if you can narrow it down! So this summer I'll be using a nose net, plus I've been supplementing with salt, Mag Ox, copper & zinc. I've also had an osteopath out (neck was 'out') and have been doing lots of stretching work and she's much straighter now - neck / poll probs can cause or exacerbate head shaking.
Bonniesmum, I did wonder about Vaseline - do you plaster it on or just use a thin smear?

[bonniesmum]

With the Vaseline I do put a fair bit on. Basically I get a load on my fingers and shove them up her nose and smear it in and around. It's a smear but a thick smear if that makes sense. I think the theory is that it catches and traps the pollen. Any excess on my fingers I wipe round the nose and muzzle area.

[mrsfields]

i've just updated my headshaking thread - perhaps some of the info there could help your horse

here's the link:

ihdg.proboards.com/thread/126659/reggies-headshaking-salt-miracle-cure

i also tried vaseline, but it didn't help my lad - his seemed to be due to potassium/sodium imbalance which triggered nerve pain in his muzzle and tip of his lips, and putting vaseline on his nose made him absolutely frantic... the only thing that worked for us at the time was the nose net made out of tights (i tried loads of different types of nose nets, flap style, but they just irritated him more, but the tights fitted him snug over his lips and seemed to suppress the pain somehow - although he would shake constantly without the tights when not ridden, when stabled and out in the field)

i guess the thing is to find the trigger, and go from there... hope you can sort it out - i know how awful it can be! xxx

[portiabuzz]

Ah yes mrsfield it was you

[shan]

Funnily enough I've been adding salt to both the girls' feeds for the last couple of weeks, but without measuring it. I'm going to start weighing it and increase the dosage

[Emma Louise]

Thanks for the advice. I took her out for a quick hack in the equally to rule out teeth/bit issues and she did one little shake when the wind dropped but otherwise nothing. I put her bridle on back at the yard and took her out for another 10mins and nothing. It was dry and windy and the sun was setting so going to try riding in other weather conditions to see when it affects her the most as when she was really bad the other day it was still, warm and sunny. Got a nose net ordered to see if that helps as I don't like riding in the wind! Also started her on salt after reading mrsfields success story.

[portiabuzz]

hope it works out for you both x

[jen1]

Just be aware that in some cases a nose net to a head shaker, is like a crib collar to a cribber? If you dont know whats causing it, have you had a facial release person ? Cranio? Little is known about head shaking, so to assume pollen and stay there can be as bad as doing nothing, head shaker will do it in the field, what have you done to address the diet side, you need to get a specialist dentist out that can categorically say the teeth is not interfering with the hyiod bone area ! Boran and salt , and a chat to calm healthy horses might be a way forward, the problem I have with nose nets is folks use them horse stops headshaking , so the net must work! Not always the case they can mask whats really going on

[portiabuzz]

good point there jen