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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
 
| Have a head shaker on my hands. Not bad but interferes with work. We are working through things. Starting to narrow things down. Anyone have or ever had a horse that was a headshaker?? What worked for you. Had her scoped and her Trigeminal Nerve in her face was inflamed. Injected steroids straight to the nerve. Her head shaking seems to be exercise induced. Any help advice would greatly be appreciated! Before anyone ask, teeth are good.. they were just done by an equine dentist. Not teeth. Full lameness done. Trust me I’ve invested a pretty penny in trying to get this all figured out. |
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
  
Location: OH. IO | Out in the poll?injected? Plaque in ears? Aural plaque? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| All has been checked by vet! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
Location: Ohio girl moved to PA | My guy was shaking his head and constantly scratching his face for awhile and i went through everything as well. Teeth done by dentist, lameness, etc. I even had the dentist come back out to recheck and he found that he had sores behind his veryyy last tooth all the way up in the back, which would be under his eyes, on both sides, that still needed to heal. Once these healed, everything else stopped. |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | Feel free to shoot me a message :) |
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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | I had a mare that did it. Jerked her head like when a bug flies in their face. When she wasn't doing that she tipped her head to one side and chewed on her bit or spooked at nothing. She was flighty and flakey anyway...so I just wrote it off for the most part. One vet I took her to was sure she had an ear infection--that was ZERO fun to *attempt to* treat.
She ended up being tested and treated for EPM due to symptoms unrelated to the headshaking...but ironically, the head shaking pretty well stopped after treatment (as did a whole bunch of other stuff that I never thought was related...).
Not to say that's what you're dealing with, but it's a thought that I sure wish someone would've brought up as a possibility for my mare long before her EPM got as bad as it did. |
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 Go Canada!
Posts: 2954
| Have you x-rayed her neck? My mare shook her head during runs but not during every day riding and it wasn't noticeable any other time. My vet X-rayed her neck and she has arthritis in a couple cervical vertebrae probably caused by an old injury. I have no idea when or how she hurt herself, I've had her since she was a weanling and diagnosed this when she was about 8. My vet injects it once a year and it helps her a lot. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | I have one, she was to the point by the time I figured it out that you could no longer even halter her let alone ride her. She would stand and toss her head, or rub her face between her front legs so hard she would almost fall down. My fiance and a good friend were convinced she was being a spoiled brat but this mare has always been an over achiever people pleaser. She went from that to starting to mis behave in the trailer (at 8 years old after being hauled since she was a yearling) seemingly over the span of about 6 months and it just kept getting worse. AFter a process of elimination we had a diagnosis of Head Shakers, we did the Cyproheptadiine (sp) and Melatonin and her fly mask 24/7 which helped but the side effects of Cypro concerned me. A friend suggested Equine Natural Care herbs Joint Plus to help with inflammation which was a much better fit and for her. Then about 2 years ago I decided to try Cur-ost on her to see if we could maybe get her even more relief as even with the ENC I couldnt' ride on days that there was wind. I know the suggested routine for head shakers on the Nouvelle website is either the Total Support and Adapt and Calm or Green and the Adapt and Calm but I've had much better luck with Pure for my mare. During the winter when I can't ride much or the pollen count isn't bad I use the Green with good effect. |
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 The best bad guy on the internet
Posts: 3519
Location: Arizona | two head shakers I have known, one had cow ticks deep down in his ears, had them removed and all was good, the other, was some what allergic to the sun, she only shook her head toward the evening(sunset) during feeding, it was crazy, put a fly mask on her and all is good. Just my experiences. Good luck to you I hope find out what it is!! |
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 Winner winner chicken dinner
Posts: 2047
Location: California | My old mare is a head shaker like you have described. I ordered her a German Nose net and used it while riding with a lot of success. The one I had went above and below her muzzle. I tried to get the link for you but my phone is acting up...it’s the one on EBay. She was only seasonal (May and June) but she was miserable. The nose net was only $20 or so and put constant pressure on her muzzle so the nerve didn’t get zapped by dust or the air. It really worked wonders. Now that she’s retired she hardly shakes anymore. There is a group on FB, a lot of Europeans are on it which I thought was interesting. Good luck it’s such a hard thing to deal with!
Edited by phillyincal 2018-03-29 7:49 PM
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Location: Choctaw, OK | Epm. My mare started shaking her head while trotting or loping circles. She stopped after treating her for epm (she had also lost topline, stood funny, throwing her head down in a turn). About 10 months later some of the symtoms returned including the head shaking, treated again. No more head shaking. I treat all my horses for epm yearly or as i see symptoms.
Edited by RoughstockKennel 2018-03-29 8:12 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| SmokinGirlie - 2018-03-29 9:11 AM
Feel free to shoot me a message :)
Message sent! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| tj135 - 2018-03-29 2:20 PM
Have you x-rayed her neck? My mare shook her head during runs but not during every day riding and it wasn't noticeable any other time. My vet X-rayed her neck and she has arthritis in a couple cervical vertebrae probably caused by an old injury. I have no idea when or how she hurt herself, I've had her since she was a weanling and diagnosed this when she was about 8. My vet injects it once a year and it helps her a lot.
Not yet! Good idea! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| run n rate - 2018-03-29 2:58 PM
I have one, she was to the point by the time I figured it out that you could no longer even halter her let alone ride her. She would stand and toss her head, or rub her face between her front legs so hard she would almost fall down. My fiance and a good friend were convinced she was being a spoiled brat but this mare has always been an over achiever people pleaser. She went from that to starting to mis behave in the trailer (at 8 years old after being hauled since she was a yearling) seemingly over the span of about 6 months and it just kept getting worse. AFter a process of elimination we had a diagnosis of Head Shakers, we did the Cyproheptadiine (sp) and Melatonin and her fly mask 24/7 which helped but the side effects of Cypro concerned me. A friend suggested Equine Natural Care herbs Joint Plus to help with inflammation which was a much better fit and for her. Then about 2 years ago I decided to try Cur-ost on her to see if we could maybe get her even more relief as even with the ENC I couldnt' ride on days that there was wind. I know the suggested routine for head shakers on the Nouvelle website is either the Total Support and Adapt and Calm or Green and the Adapt and Calm but I've had much better luck with Pure for my mare. During the winter when I can't ride much or the pollen count isn't bad I use the Green with good effect.
Heist is a Great product. I used it for about a year on a gelding I had but it was so EXPENSIVE and I just couldn’t do it anymore. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| phillyincal - 2018-03-29 8:46 PM
My old mare is a head shaker like you have described. I ordered her a German Nose net and used it while riding with a lot of success. The one I had went above and below her muzzle. I tried to get the link for you but my phone is acting up...it’s the one on EBay. She was only seasonal (May and June) but she was miserable. The nose net was only $20 or so and put constant pressure on her muzzle so the nerve didn’t get zapped by dust or the air. It really worked wonders. Now that she’s retired she hardly shakes anymore. There is a group on FB, a lot of Europeans are on it which I thought was interesting. Good luck it’s such a hard thing to deal with!
Thank you! I’ve bought a nose net and tried it. Didn’t work. I even went on a group on fb and bought a Shakeaze and it is bulky and didn’t work. Just made her agitated |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| Keep the responses coming.. I should also add that she seems to be an exercise induced head shaker. Only does it when you apply pressure to her mouth.. flexing and setting head loping a circle. Once you let pressure off, she shakes. The weird thing is she will also do it when you put the saddle pad on her back. Which is odd to me. She also is an extremely aggressive mare towards our other horses. She will show her teeth and run at them if it’s close to feeding time and she thinks they are too close to her. In the arena, if another rider gets close to her, she pins her ears and throws her head at them. I took her to vet because I also feel there is a hormone issue going on as she always produces milk and has never been bred. Vet checked her for tumor on ovary. Nothing. She checked everything via ultrasound and palpating. Only thing she found was a follicle on left ovary. She gave her a shot to make that fall off. Still do not know why she produces milk. I swear if there is an odd one out there, I’d be the one to get it! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| RoughstockKennel - 2018-03-29 9:09 PM Epm. My mare started shaking her head while trotting or loping circles. She stopped after treating her for epm (she had also lost topline, stood funny, throwing her head down in a turn). About 10 months later some of the symtoms returned including the head shaking, treated again. No more head shaking. I treat all my horses for epm yearly or as i see symptoms.
Don’t think EPM. She only does it while being ridden. Hasn’t lost topline. Looks good. Doesn’t stand funny and etc |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | My gelding would shake his head also only while riding, he had hidden woft teeth got those taking care of and I also started riding him in a chain mouth bit and hes does do the head shaking any more.  |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | What type of bit do you use on her? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 619
| Southtxponygirl - 2018-03-29 10:30 PM What type of bit do you use on her?
Here’s the thing... I’ve not had her a year yet. When I bought her, the old
owners were riding her with her head cranked down in a tie down and was using a Martha Josey million dollar bit on her. This mare DOES NOT need any of that. I’ve got her in a jr cow horse right now. I’ve tried just a twisted o ring, a smooth mouth o ring, the colt bit from shallow creek, a simplicity bit.. the o rings she constantly would grind her teeth on the bit. The colt bit she didn’t do well in. I also notice when I ride her, it looks like her mouth isn’t closed all the way and you can see the side of her tongue. Teeth have been done and checked twice by equine dentist and my vet. They have sedated and looked all in her mouth as far back as they could go and nothing in there. I’ve been talking to Ronny Clampitt and he is making her one of his hacks that he feels may help her. He told me until I get it to ride her either in a halter or a bosal. No pattern just walk, trot and use more leg and foot, less hand. He thinks that she could have possibly gotten hurt at one point with too much bit and heavy hands at one time. It’s so frustrating and I want to cry because she is a NICE mare and wants to work. But when you turn a barrel, she shakes in between and it causes her to trip herself up from shaking. She is worst to the right than the left. Trigeminal nerve inflammation was on the left. She also has a swollen Parotid gland (salivary gland) on left side. Vet said that is typical this time of year for some horses when new grass is coming up. |
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