Big dislike of midges! Ideas anyone?

[sarahandzara]

So I took my mare for a hack today in the sunshine and there were a fair few midges about, she really hates them so I popped a nose net on her so they cant get up her nose. However still having issues. She throws her head suddenly sideways as if shes been slapped ..even through the nose net! :-(. Otherwise she's an absolute sweetie and not a very fizzy type or one to make a fuss over nothing. 

Anyone got any desensitisation ideas?
Any experiance please?

Thank you for any ideas! I thought the nose net would solve it but apparently not.

[antares]

How did you get anywhere near midges today? Lol I don't think it got above freezing at my house

How about a ride on fly rug?

[sarahandzara]

Haha! I am in cornwall and any bit of sunshine= midges! She does not seem to mind anything on her body- just her nose. ..... at least I assume thats what she objects to. She was never fussy about actual flies in the summer.

[VeronicaF]

we have midges all winter,they hide under things,and as soon as a bit of sun comes out, out they come.
I have heard people putting vasline on tips of outside nose but think that might be for hayfever?
worth a try?
I have read somewhere that midges don't like the smell of chicken?

vaseline would stop them being able to bite,


its only the female that bites,and she comes out before dusk and agin at dawn.
they don't like bright sunlight,or winds.

I don't know anymore,I wrap mine up like mummys,and have a fan in their shelters,but haven't anymore ideas.sorry

[sarahandzara]

Thanks for that- ill try the vaseline idea. I know its weird but I dont think they are biting her because this mare even reacts to spider web silk strung across a path and dandylion seads floating in the air in the summer! frustrating mare :-) Its more like she hates the sensation of them brushing on her whiskers. One person I know said 'well just take the whiskers off then' but that would be a last resort for me, id rather not.

[VeronicaF]

Hi Sarah, can you desensitisation , watch this video with fether duster,it would do the same I would think on her nose area,plus then move on to her going through ribbions,walking through ribbions,watch some of my videos with sunshine
hope this helps??

[sarahandzara]

a feather duster!!!! never even thought of that. Thank you!!!

[VeronicaF]

your welcome sarah, once you done feather duster and she is happy with that.

go through ribbions,get her use to seeing them from a distance first--then as she walks through ribbions they will brush her sides,touch her gently as she walks through them hanging down.

they are silky soft,you could try walking throuh with them tied to the side of the poles first,then one hanging down,then two and them more,go back to the start if she isn't happy
then slowing her down goin through them and so on,watch my video with sunshine.

then you could work up to doing a flag from a distance and working up to the flag touching her everywhere and so on

This is what I mean with ribbions after feather duster.

make sure its not too windy day,get her use to seeing them from a distance first.

only when she is happy with that do you get closer to them, have them tied back at first so their not flapping about.

once she is happy, have one hanging down,you could even cut them a really short height and only have one ribbion hanging, you could do one short one and work up to having one longer and longer,then having two hanging and so on.

you can see how how they touch the nose area and sides of their face as they walk through it,they are flying and silky soft

go as slowly as you want to in introduceing them the ribbions and in how happy she is with them

don't go too quickly.go as slow as your horse is happy with.
you could get an RA out to help you too.hope all this helps???


I have longer videos on here on the ribbions.

The ribbions would simalate things flying touching her on the nose area as she walks through
please excuse spelling.

the ribbions are really cheap,I got mine in £1 land,they are for doors,you can buy loads and cut then short working up to long,or cut them all out and only have one hanging,or tie them back on poles.see how your horse is with them and work to what she is happy with,no rushing forwards.

this is the video--






then you could do all the same but with a flag working up to a big bi flag,things flying touching her nose area that are silky soft and might tiggle her nose area.
plus get use to going under things that might touch her in that area.
please excuse spelling

[sarahandzara]

So the feather duster does not bother her in the slightest however the midges still seem to be a problem :-(. Perhaps its not the feel of them at all, perhaps its the sight? Anyway just as I don't think i'm explaining it very well Ive got some video footage of the problem from my head-cam:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wh5JFTrmP4

And this is her very first try with the duster on the same day as the hack video above

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTkscnFvVEk

and again:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3x9h2AUe7M

Im really not sure whats going on here!

[VeronicaF]

Hi Sarah,I see what you mean, at the very start of the video,I thought it was a confidence issue,like she was fully alert to any sound or anything around her, than I thought is it the same but with the bugs? it might be a very good idea to get her eyes looked at,as if she can't see very well,it would be a shock when they hit her face,she wouldn't know what that was as each one hit her face.

listern to your instinct with her sight and get her eyes checked.

if its okay with her eyes,could it be a confidence issues? like you know when your on high alert and the slightest thing can make you jump? does that make sense?

has she always hacked out alone? has she always done this? or just resently?

[VeronicaF]

Hi Sarah,I know nothing about this,I am just trying to help with suggestions, I been doing some reasearch,does your horse only do this on a hack?

I know nothing about this subject,so might be giving complately the wrong information.so take everything I write with a pinch of salt,I am just trying to help you. but might not be helping at all. as I don't know

I found this about salt adding salt to a feed
ihdg.proboards.com/thread/126659/reggies-headshaking-salt-miracle-cure?page=7

and this info
www.calmhealthyhorses.com/neuro/head_flick.html

and this-
www.calmhealthyhorses.com/success/hflick.html

I found this info
www.bitlessbridle.co.uk/fear-of-the-bit-part-2.php

The clinical signs of the headshaking syndrome represent a pathological exaggeration of a normal response. A healthy horse will respond to a fly landing on its face with a toss of its head. A horse with trigeminal neuralgia behaves as though it is plagued with a swarm of particularly vicious biting flies that refuse to go away. Imagine this, coupled with raging toothache in both jaws, and the reader will have some idea of a horse’s pain. Tic douloureux is one of the fiercest pains known to man.

[sarahandzara]

You know, something in the diet would make sense. The behaviour has come on gradually since she arrived 6 months ago. Im going to make changes one at a time so I can pin down what the issue is:

Adding salt
Removing alfafa
full face mask when riding- in case of photosensativity, horsey sunglasses haha

Shes not one to make a fuss over nothing

[VeronicaF]

Hi Sarah,I think your right to make a list and tick them off one by one,I have watched loads of videos about headshaking (or head nodding as some people call it)since,as I didn't know nothing about the subject before.

some say it was because of the eyes,some were because of teeth,and some the bridle,and some were ear mites,and some were the above subjects.

so its a case as "you said" of making a list and ticking them off one by one.

Fingers crossed you get down to the bottom of the problem and its a simple change of something or adding something.

please come back and let me know how you get on,as I will be thinking about you and how things are going.


ps

one video I came across with reasearch, and I don't know the person in the video,

or anything about them or what she is doing or if it works??

but I did find it interesting how she describe the parts of the horse head and skull and how things can affect them for diffrent reasons.


She calls it TMJ issues,

[sarahandzara]

An update for those who suggested various ideas:

result of salt and always using a nose net= a mare that is not nearly as reactive! :-) Still some reaction especially first thing on a hack but im hoping thats just habit. Fingers crossed we've cracked it :-)

[VeronicaF]

Ahh well done sarahandzara, what a difference already!!

interestingly, my ella who is a mini and who is teething she is 4 yrs,well she became unwell and had to have the vet out and it was all to do with teething, she was shaking her head..

I am so pleased for you and Zara.