# Suddenly head shy?



## DunOverIt (Dec 14, 2010)

Hmm. I'm interested to see what the vet says. How about her teeth? Is she due?


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

When I got my horse she seemed head shy. I could never get a bridle on her because I could not reach her head. She has actually pulled muscles in my arm because when I do grab her head she lifts it up very quickly and lifts me with her! So I had to start leaving the the head collar to put her bridle on.. She puts up less of a fight with the headcollar on. She then started to get better but if you do anything at all like pulling her head down etc she goes back to square one. I tried to put the bridle on without the headcollar the other day and it was just not happening..

Also when I got her I could not even put a headcollar on..It was hard to even do that. I had to put the lead rope over her neck and pull it down. Now she sticks on nose into the headcollar herself so at least that is fixed. I got her teeth done 2 months ago and I thought that would fix a bit of the problems but it didn't. 

I can now even touch her head and stuff without her pulling her head away which she used to do. So it is just the bridle that is the problem now.

So I dunno if she is headshy, if she was treated badly around the head or if she is just doing it on purpose.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Vida did the same thing a year or so ago. She had a tick bite way down in her ear that had gotten nasty. I and the vet tried everything to get down in there and medi it. Finally had to sedate her so she would stop freaking out. 
Yours may have an ear infection or something similar. Make sure the vet checks way down in the ear canal. Here's hoping its something as simple as that. 
You might also have him take a look at the eyes. If there is a peripheral vision loss, that can also cause a problem when your working from the side. See if she is as fitful if you work from in front of her.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Mine has just gotten slightly headshy...just from me accidentally giving him a little shock when I went to pet him on the nose.....poor thing. Something so simple.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

If it continues, I would have the vet out to check her eyesight, teeth, and for any other abnormalities in her head or mouth.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

If the chiro work doesn't show anything, then I'd definitely look at getting a complete physical to figure out whats wrong. My mare has started to get head shy, and its just because she's in a pasture with 4 other horses, and they tend to crowd the gate when one is leaving, so she's never actually been hit by the rope, but a rope is used to make sure the handler has space to get out. My mare just happens to be uber sensitive, so thats why she suddenly became head shy. She's fine though as soon as I get the halter on.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

DunOverIt said:


> Hmm. I'm interested to see what the vet says. How about her teeth? Is she due?


No she just had her teeth done in November. I'll have the vet check those too
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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

I'll have the vet check her eyes too. She has a small clouding in her right eye but that was checked recently and she wasn't having problems then. It could be getting worse though. 
I'm hoping she is just needing an adjustment. 
I trimmed her ears the other night and she wasn't bothered but I'll ask the vet to take a look in there as well.
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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Check her ears. I have had horses get sore ears and they didn't like thier head being touched. Bugs are what caused the soreness so it doesn't seem likely this time of year but maybe something else caused the soreness.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

I'll take a look in there. If I don't see anything I'll have the vet take a look too. 
I'm starting to think more about her eye though. When I was cleaning her up today for tomorrows show she seems a lot more twitchy on her right side than her left. Her right eye has some clouding in it and in November the vet took a look and said she'll probably start being sensitive to sudden changes in light. 

So I'm thinking it's just all around her head and probably a combination. I'm going to have the vet do a physical and chiro.


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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

I'm not saying you did anything like this, but this is a headshy story I have:

My instructor had a Quarab mare named Lily, who was 7 and very well mannered. He leased her out to an 8 year old girl and her mom. The girl was taking lessons, so she knew how to handle and ride a horse. But this girl was 8. She was too short to reach Lily's poll. So one day she went to unbridle Lily. She stood on her tiptoes, facing lily's head. The girl grabbed the bridle at the poll, and yanked the bit out of Lily's mouth. 

It took about 2 months to fix her "headshy" problem, and over 5 months before Lily would accept the bit without putting up a fight. (And I don't blame Lily, having a metal bar being ripped out of my mouth and banging my teeth wouldn't be pleasant to me either.) 

Could she have a problem with her bit? (fit, bridling, etc.)


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Something else I have seen and this only one time at that.

A horse began acting much like you are describing.

Couldn't figure out what was going on, but it turned out horse had gotten a thorn in poll area, pointed straight in. It had gotten to be very painful, of course, but it was just pure chance we found it.

Once it was removed, and treated, horse was fine again.

And have seen that with one on bottom of barrel, right at girth area, and horse was acting up when cinching up.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

I can try switching her bit out. It's switched out pretty regularly so she doesn't get used to one certain bit. Maybe she's getting tired of the one she has in.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

don't horses with blue eyes tend to have fogging?

I am guessing it's something with her eye as we had a horse go blind and he had issues and also maybe an ear infection but if you can touch her ears then thats probably not it.

When is the vet suppose to be out?


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

Caleigh doesnt have blue eyes. Caleigh is my Clydesdale. 
The earliest the vet can be out is the 26th. She's doing a conference in oregon until then. 
I'm pretty sure she's just really in need of an adjustment because at the show yesterday she would not pick up her shoulder at the canter, shook her head a ton, and was extremely heavy. That's something she only does if she really needs an adjustment. Her eye is probably a small part of it but im now pretty certain it's chiro related.
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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

A horse at my barn started getting head shy for an unknown reason about a month ago.

They found out that his bridle was rubbing him in the wrong places and it hurt.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

oops! I forgot. Legs is your blue eyed horse. Sorry about that.

She might just need an adjustment. Did you guys do okay though or did she seem rather miserable?

Hopefully nothing serious 

Good luck!


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

franknbeans said:


> Mine has just gotten slightly headshy...just from me accidentally giving him a little shock when I went to pet him on the nose.....poor thing. Something so simple.


Glad I am not the only one who has done that. I always feel so guilty.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

We did pretty well! I rode legs and Nordic Rider rode caleigh. I took caleigh in one canterbclass at the end and that's when I noticed the shaking head so I think the cantering was a bother. She got a 3rd though, might be because we skipped a corner and she almost smacked the judge with a big head toss. Legs did really good too! Im proud of both of them.

I'll have the vet do a full check anyway to be on the safe side. Her poll is probably out and her halter and bridle could be making it sore. Poor girl.
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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

horse's poll's can be out? I didnt know that!
She might have banged her head?


Congrats on the classes. That is awesome!


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

the poll is just another word for the point of the top of the head. She would be out at the joint connecting skull to spine. 
She very possibly could have pulled her head or bumped it reaching through the fencing to get grass on the other side.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Try to find out where she is sensitive. When my gelding did this, out of the blue, I checked his face then up around each ear. With one ear he was fine but very touchy with the other. He was very tender just below the base of the ear. I opted not to bridle or halter him. Later that day a huge ball of snot was discharged from his nostril, appearing a greyish white. That was the end of his bridling issue. He was 18. It happened again about 6 mos. later. And that was it. It never recurred.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

I can touch and pull all over head and ears without a reaction. It's unbridling and unhaltering where she jerks her face out of the bridle or halter braces and throws her head up and her body back.
When she's in her stall I can poke and prod and pull and push and get absolutely no reaction. It's only when her halter or bridle is being taken off and no reaction when it's being put on either.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I worked with a pony like this. He wasn't too bad to bridle but would fly back when it was being removed. I removed the browband and that's how he wore the bridle. I just unbuckled the head strap. In time he got used to this. I kept small treats in my pocket and when he stood quietly he got a treat. Sometimes progress was very slow. He'd had 5 previouse owners in his 7 years so we had no idea of what had gone before. I also practised just putting the bit in his mouth and letting him spit it out without bridling him. He was rewarded with a treat when he took the bit and after he spit it out. This was done about a dozen times until he began to reach for the bit. I continued to reward good behaviour each time for several weeks to reinforce it.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

This has just started though and I've had her for two years. She has only had one owner before me not including her breeder and that owner didn't ride her much and normally didn't use a bridle. Her breeders showed her under cart and harness and halter from foal up to 7 years old so a bridle and bit is nothing new. I can't show her in English without a brow band, it's not allowed or I would try that. 
She also used to willingly drop her head for the bit and now she stands at her normal height which I need a stool to put her bridle on. I'm a shorty. So I'm really thinking it's chiro related, at least I hope it is. I can't think of anything else and for the show this past weekend my trainer said in the last class she was very obviously out in her canter. I'm thinking maybe she slipped in the pasture and bonked her head or maybe she pulled it funny trying to get grass on the other side of the fence?
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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

She had chiro done and my vet said she was extremely out through her neck and head. Her back legs hips and shoulders are great. She said the clouding in her eye isn't causing her pain but the transition of it getting thicker is probably a very small bit of why she was tossing her head. She said it was her head and neck causing the problem but other than that she's perfectly fine!
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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

YAY!!!

I'm glad you found the problem and she is getting better.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

She got a bath today and her head straightened out and the shaking has stopped. She gets today and tomorrow off and an easy Friday and the vet ok'd the show on Saturday.
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