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 Balance Beam and more...
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Location: 31 lengths farms | Think it is a distinct possibility my mare may have something like it...:-( |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1161
| I would love to also hear what people has to say about this I do also think that my gelding might have this as well. Vet is coming out on Wend. to go over things and ck him out. Can u tell me what your symptoms might be. Thanks |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | My mare has been rubbing her face HARD against the inside of her front legs, rubbing it on the fence,ect. Had her teeth checked, nothing. She has been extremely sensitive around her head which is very unusual for her, she used to love to have her ears and forehead rubbed and brushed. I have to be very careful when I put on or take off her halter, any extra pressure on both her poll and her muzzle seems to set her off. She almost acts like a knat or something is caught in her ear or her nose, she'll shake it a few times and her ear will kind of drop back a down a bit like she is completely distracted. She has been shaking her head from side to side when I ride, again thought it was teeth or something in her ear, nothing showed. Last Sunday when I rode she was actually pretty good, but it was over cast, Saturday it was 75 and bright sun shine and she was horrible. She jumped and lunged and reared and went to shaking her head frantically and rubbing her face on her legs again. This is an 11 year old mare that I showed in her first walk/jog WP show on her 6th ride ever, she is usually bold and confident and totally brilliant. Used to run 2D then got flipped by the farrier and started a long list of issues mostly ones we sorted out. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 698
Location: Northwest bound | I don't know if this would help and please consult with your vet first, but a gal that talks to horses was telling me that most (big percentage) of these horses have an imbalance in their electrolytes mainly and some with metabolic problems, but it usually subsided with an adequate amount of electrolytes. Might be something worth looking into. |
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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | I thought my mare had headshakers...but she had EPM. She acted like your mare, and still will sometimes when she is in transitional heat. I double up her detox and it usually takes care of it.
I know there are some out there that think EPM is over diagnosed, however, I had my horse at mulitple vets over multiple years trying to figure her out, and EPM was not mentioned ONE...SINGLE...TIME until she was completely neurological. What I wouldn't give to have someone suggest testing her earlier in her battle with it. So I'm just suggesting it as a possibility...
Her EPM manifested with face/head sensativity, random and violent pulling back, pinning one ear back or flipping her face like she had a bug getting in her nose. It the developed into stubbing toes durning a run, stumbling and rupturing her stifle, floating lameness/sore feet, to full blown neurological and uber sensativity to touch. We suspect that her portazoal infection is centered near her poll, but that's just an educated guess. Magnets help her a lot, and Animal Element detox saved her life and career (however did probably prolong diagnosis). Her's is stress related, and she's a flighty horse anyway, so it's a challenge sometimes. Hope you figure your mare out. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Good info Rocking... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1161
| Thank u so much for the good info. My vet will be coming out on Wend. so I will keep this in mind. My gelding is somewhat the same. Around two years ago this started when I would ride the would throw his head violently like he would be getting stung by something he became flightier and just all out different. Had his teeth checked, cked out by a couple different vets, chiroed, had trainer look at him, did research, chged bits and double checked tack. I thought it was just me so I had my sister ride him (they got along good in the past). He started a little with her cloudy overcast days he was fine and sunny days it was worse. Now this is the same gelding that babysat my daughter at the fair and gave her the cofidance she needed to excell.... I finally found a really good vet and hopping that she can help me out with this problem.... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1161
| Thank u so much for the good info. My vet will be coming out on Wend. so I will keep this in mind. My gelding is somewhat the same. Around two years ago this started when I would ride the would throw his head violently like he would be getting stung by something he became flightier and just all out different. Had his teeth checked, cked out by a couple different vets, chiroed, had trainer look at him, did research, chged bits and double checked tack. I thought it was just me so I had my sister ride him (they got along good in the past). He started a little with her cloudy overcast days he was fine and sunny days it was worse. Now this is the same gelding that babysat my daughter at the fair and gave her the cofidance she needed to excell.... I finally found a really good vet and hopping that she can help me out with this problem.... |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | lets see if I can get this to work...this is my mare on a cloudy over cast day. Someone also mentioned the chance she may have EPM. Thought I 'd try to post this to get some more input. Excuse the reins, you have to keep them slightly tight or the swing of the them drives her nuts.... |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Shoot, I trimmed it as much as I know how to but it is saying it is still to big...Blah! |
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 Winner winner chicken dinner
Posts: 2047
Location: California | My mare that I've had for 18 years is a head shaker. If you can figure out her trigger that will help you in the long run. For my mare it is a combo of things including vaccines and the first bright sunny day. I moved vaccinations to the winter, but I'm in CA so there is nothing I can really do about the sun. When she is out, I make sure she can have some shade (although she usually chooses to stand in the sun). I also put a guardian mask on her. For riding, the only thing that made it possible was the German nose net. I bought it on Ebay for $20 and it was a miracle for her. It cured her 100% for riding. With headshaking the trigmenal(sp) nerve in their face is ultra sensitive. For my mare, dust or even the breeze from riding would make her impossible to ride. The nose net keeps constant pressure on her muzzle and made her "normal". I would definitely give it a shot, I wish I had found it earlier.
Also, James Madigan at UCD is one of the premier vets on head shaking. I know you're up north, but it might be worth a trip to him to have your horse evaluated.
Good luck! |
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Regular
Posts: 61
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Sounds like a problem that my gelding had (a couple years ago). I attributed his to a possible reaction to vacccines and ivermectin wormer use. Took him to a vet, had him scoped and head x-rays etc. No help, until I used some homepathic meds and some feed supplement. Symptom free for over a year now. Message me for details: [email protected]. |
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 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | All good suggestions. I would also check their ears for ticks or mites if you haven't done it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Have you considered a magnesium deficiency?
http://headshakingsyndrome.com/treatments.html |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | phillyincal - 2014-01-28 6:08 PM
My mare that I've had for 18 years is a head shaker. If you can figure out her trigger that will help you in the long run. For my mare it is a combo of things including vaccines and the first bright sunny day. I moved vaccinations to the winter, but I'm in CA so there is nothing I can really do about the sun. When she is out, I make sure she can have some shade (although she usually chooses to stand in the sun). I also put a guardian mask on her. For riding, the only thing that made it possible was the German nose net. I bought it on Ebay for $20 and it was a miracle for her. It cured her 100% for riding. With headshaking the trigmenal(sp) nerve in their face is ultra sensitive. For my mare, dust or even the breeze from riding would make her impossible to ride. The nose net keeps constant pressure on her muzzle and made her "normal". I would definitely give it a shot, I wish I had found it earlier.
Also, James Madigan at UCD is one of the premier vets on head shaking. I know you're up north, but it might be worth a trip to him to have your horse evaluated.
Good luck!
Really interesting...I hadn't look at the nose nets because I didn't do my research, LOL!! I was thinking how the heck is a nose net thing gonna help when the issue is that any sensation on her face makes her react, now I get it!!! Geez, what a bone head I am :-/ |
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 Little Miss can't be wrong
Posts: 1478
Location: SW Missouri | I have a brand new net that we never used if anyone is interested in it. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms |
I saw that Magnesium was sometimes an issue and to tell you the truth she has had some other vitamin mineral issues, she doesn't apparently absorb Vit. E properly either and last summer I was giving them all a product called Muscle Up by Animed. I had been giving it because 2 of the 3 of them I was taking to Pendelton for the July race. Ran out in September and never renewed my supply...looking at it last night, its one of the higher supplements in Magnesium that I've found. That's what I have her on again right now, started her on Saturday. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Nose nets...this is all I'm finding. It just seems to me that it would be more irritating that helpful. Is this the right type of net?
http://www.equestriancollections.com/product.asp?groupcode=WE80014&... |
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Member
Posts: 9
| Hi, try the Equiwinner patches. My horse had it since he was 6 years old. He is now 22 and I found these patches about 5 years ago and he had a horrible case of headashaking prior to that and they just about cured him. I wish I got a comission for recommending then but I do not. I just know for a fact that they where a life saver for my horse. I have tried just about everything else with little to no success. My horse is still a 1D/rodeo horse to this day. They did not completley cure him in that I reapply them every spring/summer for maintanence and that seems to keep it to where he rarely has any mild symptoms. At his worst you could not even lead him out of the barn without risking getting hit by his swinging head.
Hope this helps  |
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Veteran
Posts: 101
| Went through the same thing with mine and turned out being EPM. Vets and trainers looked at every other possibility for over 2 years till he was finally full blown nero this past summer. My chiro was certain it settled near his poll and his muscle atrophy this summer showed up in his neck. He is at his best he's been post treatment (6 months) than he's been in 3 years. And oh ya, he failed the epm test and based off of symptoms I decided to treat anyways and I am SOOOOOO GLAD I did!! |
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