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| So I recently bought this horse who shakes his head and sort of strikes the ground with is front feet while being rode. He did not do this when I tried him..mostly it is mild and i can tolerate and just ignore..but at times it gets so bad it becomes intimidating...like i am not sure if there is more behind the behavior. It seems to get worse the more you ride. Horse also has allergies. I am wondering if there could be some connection there...he acts like something is really bothering his face...His teeth were done this spring..i may get a second opinion on the teeth..but i dont feel like that is what is the issue..as i was told this horse has always done it but only when bugs are around his face...well there have not been any real bugs to speak of...so its not bugs either..Any ideas?? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1161
| I have a horse that is doing the same thing. I am having him tested for Epm. I would love to see what others had to say |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 912
Location: Alabama | Look up shakers syndrome. Good luck! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | What type of bit do you have on him? Make sure its not pinching or any burs on the mouth peice.. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | And another thing to check for is tmj pain.. |
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Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Not in Texas anymore. . . | My good horse has head shaking syndrome! It's a mild case and is caused from the strong sun rays during the spring and summer. (there are multiple causes) No problems in the fall or winter. I keep a fly mask on him with the nose shield during the warm times and it helps. But also have to give him 1cc of fluventazine per month to keep him comfortable! It's very painful for them (compared to getting hit in the nose with a baseball bat) but he has continued to be a top 1D horse while maintained! The fluventazine has made a huge difference!! There are many treatments for it so I just had to find what works for him. He doesn't ever paw the ground and his head shakes are very random and his nose/head just pops straight up. I've learned a lot from my vet and online vet journals, feel free to ask any questions and maybe I can help you out! |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | My mare used to do it all the time. Had teeth done, ears checked. Tried patches that were recommended. Finally took the ear piece off her bridle, pulled it back a hair past her ears, and she quit. I put the ear piece back on the other day and she started shaking again. Took it back off, and she quit again. Hers was a simple fix. Hopefully yours is the same. Good luck. |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| The bit is good..no pinching or anything..its just an oring that came with him.I will try taking the ear piece off the bridle to see if that could possibly be bugging him.. |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| sca_07 - 2016-05-14 2:48 PM
My good horse has head shaking syndrome! It's a mild case and is caused from the strong sun rays during the spring and summer. (there are multiple causes) No problems in the fall or winter. I keep a fly mask on him with the nose shield during the warm times and it helps. But also have to give him 1cc of fluventazine per month to keep him comfortable! It's very painful for them (compared to getting hit in the nose with a baseball bat) but he has continued to be a top 1D horse while maintained! The fluventazine has made a huge difference!! There are many treatments for it so I just had to find what works for him. He doesn't ever paw the ground and his head shakes are very random and his nose/head just pops straight up. I've learned a lot from my vet and online vet journals, feel free to ask any questions and maybe I can help you out!
Thank you!! What causes it? |
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Posts: 134
| My mare does the same thing. We found it's a TMJ issue with her. She grinds too, so not surprised. I had her adjusted and acupuncture too. Worked great as well as ditching the tie down. They found her jaw was almost locked so she was struggling to move her head freely. I'll need to keep at it until the muscle memory is corrected. Not a one time fix. It seemed to be worse after I had her teeth done and I think having her mouth held open irritated it. Good luck!! |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | My mare has HSS caused we believe by TMJ pain. Had good results with Cyproheptadine but was afraid of the side effects, it's an RX antihistamine. Moved her over to ENC Joint Us herbs with better results and no lethargy though I still couldn't ask her to frame up when I rode. I tried Cur-Ost on her last fall and she is doing beautifully, gaining strength to hold her collection for longer and longer periods and no trouble even on windy days. |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | http://www.nouvelleresearch.com/index.php/articles/382-headshaking-...
Read this ^ |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| This is all very helpful!! Thank you!! Hopefully i can find a way to manage this...i really like this horse!! Anyone wanting to share more feel free!! |
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It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | My mare was never diagnoised per say with it, but I have a really strong feeling she has it. She had a fractured tooth caused by trauma when having a cap pulled off, and then got an ear infection. Ever since then she has been real sensative, bugs would drive her batty, the wind would bother her, and certain headstalls. I never could tell if it was long lasting affects from all her trauma or what but since having her on Cur-OST she is a total different horse. |
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  Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | I love the Cur-OST products as well. They have been a life saver for a horse in my barn and something that neither I nor my horses will ever be without! |
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Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Not in Texas anymore. . . | Since it's still a "syndrome" I think it's still a little bit of a mystery. There is a ton of research being done on it and all I've read is how they have learned what helps to control it. It's a neurological thing so seems to me that is specific per horse just like a neurological issue in humans! |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Have you tryed just riding her in a halter to see what her reactions would be like? |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| Have not tried him in a halter...however looking back on the days i rode him and he didnt really head shake..it was cloudy/rainy. The days he was most bothered were in sunny days...My husband thought maybe it was his eyes...im going to s tart by getting him a uv fly mask..Poor guy..i feel awful now knowing this is painful for him... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 959
Location: Borger, Tx | Another possibility is ticks! Never in a million years would I have thought that my horses could get ear ticks (we live in the panhandle of Texas, very dry and hardly any trees) but they get them and shake ther head and also develop a sensitivity to having their ears touched when there are several in there.
Good Luck!
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Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Not in Texas anymore. . . | RunfastNTurn - 2016-05-16 11:52 AM
Have not tried him in a halter...however looking back on the days i rode him and he didnt really head shake..it was cloudy/rainy. The days he was most bothered were in sunny days...My husband thought maybe it was his eyes...im going to s tart by getting him a uv fly mask..Poor guy..i feel awful now knowing this is painful for him...
This is just like my gelding with head shaking syndrome. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 614
| I had a horse diagnosed with it and a nose net really helped along with valerian root on his bad days. I tried melatonin but he was goofy on it but it did stop the headshaking. I couldn't ride him at all in the spring. He would be loping along and try to strike up at his nose and rub his nose on the rail. I noticed once when I had his teeth worked on and adjusted by a vet he seemed to get a little better. I could ride him in the summer and winter with no problems. spring and fall we a challenge. |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| What did u do to maintain him? |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | fly mask might help
also his Poll might be out of whack .. with the bridle on it is painful. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | run n rate - 2016-05-16 8:28 PM
My mare has HSS caused we believe by TMJ pain. Had good results with Cyproheptadine but was afraid of the side effects, it's an RX antihistamine. Moved her over to ENC Joint Us herbs with better results and no lethargy though I still couldn't ask her to frame up when I rode. I tried Cur-Ost on her last fall and she is doing beautifully, gaining strength to hold her collection for longer and longer periods and no trouble even on windy days.
I had this mare's teeth and ears checked several times before the HSS was diagnosed by a vet and then also had her Hair analyzed, it also came back TMJ pain. We thought at first she was just having behavioral issues but when she got to the point I had to buy a draft halter for her because the pressure of her halter even set her off I decide we needed to look into it further. I also had had chiro adjustments on her to try to help, the last few times they couldn't even put their hands near her face or head, any pressure on her muzzle or poll and she lost her mind, she knocked over some panels rubbing her head on them on a windy day. We did the magnesium supplements and melatonin which helped some as far as her comfort out in pasture along with keeping her fly mask on her 24/7, windy days and very sunny ones were torture for her. The last time I tried to ride her before we got her on the Cyproheptadine she took about 4 steps and then launched herself, shaking her head, rearing, then about fell over rubbing her face on her foreleg. I bailed off and got the bridle off before I even worried about unsaddling, just tossed the rein over her neck and led her back to the trailer. She was shaking and the obvious pain and fear in her eye broke my heart, it was then I realized it was not a behavioral issue at all and this mare was in extreme pain. The vet that came out to check her understood, his wife and son both have issues with the nerves in their face, cannot go outside on sunny days without sunglasses and even then the sunglasses cause pain. My mare had hit her head in the trailer a few years back about 6 months before she started showing some issues with this problem. |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| This is what he is currently wearing.... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 614
| I used vision focus and calming with a magnesium supplement. I didn't feed him anything with alfalfa in it and kept him off new grass growth. BY doing that I could ride him as long as I used a nose net. He was perfect indoors didn't have to use the nose net because he didn't have to deal with wind or sun. I could do a weekend show indoors and had a different horse.
Edited by Dirt Dobber 2016-05-17 5:17 PM
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | On the Cur-ost Total Support mine can now be ridden even when windy...yesterday it was 14MPH with gusts to 30, loped along like an old pleasure pony.
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| Dirt Dobber - 2016-05-17 5:15 PM
I used vision focus and calming with a magnesium supplement. I didn't feed him anything with alfalfa in it and kept him off new grass growth. BY doing that I could ride him as long as I used a nose net. He was perfect indoors didn't have to use the nose net because he didn't have to deal with wind or sun. I could do a weekend show indoors and had a different horse.
What does the nose net do to help? |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
| Dirt Dobber - 2016-05-16 8:02 PM I had a horse diagnosed with it and a nose net really helped along with valerian root on his bad days. I tried melatonin but he was goofy on it but it did stop the headshaking. I couldn't ride him at all in the spring. He would be loping along and try to strike up at his nose and rub his nose on the rail. I noticed once when I had his teeth worked on and adjusted by a vet he seemed to get a little better. I could ride him in the summer and winter with no problems. spring and fall we a challenge.
Why were you not able to ride in spring and fall... was it triggered by allergies? |
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It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | run n rate - 2016-05-17 6:15 PM On the Cur-ost Total Support mine can now be ridden even when windy...yesterday it was 14MPH with gusts to 30, loped along like an old pleasure pony.
Same! I was worried mine would be an indoor horse only. She even liked coming into her stall mid- day from the pasture and would hang out in the barn alone and be perfectly content. Being on Cur-OST Total, and adapt and calm has her being a 'normal' horse :) |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 614
| RunfastNTurn - 2016-05-17 7:17 PM Dirt Dobber - 2016-05-17 5:15 PM I used vision focus and calming with a magnesium supplement. I didn't feed him anything with alfalfa in it and kept him off new grass growth. BY doing that I could ride him as long as I used a nose net. He was perfect indoors didn't have to use the nose net because he didn't have to deal with wind or sun. I could do a weekend show indoors and had a different horse. What does the nose net do to help?
The nose net covers the nerve endings and one of his triggers was allergies. They say you can use panty hose instead of the German nose net. the nose net has been a miracle for me riding outdoors. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Chances are pretty good that if you find the supplement that works for your horse to help with the nerve endings that are inflamed that often cause Head Shaking you wont' need nose nets or other things that help the symptoms...I haven't had to use one on my mare since we switched to the ENC herb, biggest reason I switched to the Cur_ost again was just looking for something that would help her get back all the way and not just on days the elements weren't against us. Magnesium and Melatonin helps some along with some MSM, the Cyproheptadine helped a lot also but there are some side effects with it.
Edited by run n rate 2016-05-19 10:41 AM
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Head shaking