# Equine Head Shaking Syndrome



## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Ehhhh so its the time of the year when my horse starts his Equine Head Shaking Syndrome back up. (Equine Head Shaking syndrome is basically like tourettes of the head and sometimes it becomes constant and has 60 known causes and is usually seasonal) So I was wondering if there is anyone on the forum that deals with a horse having this condition. I would love to talk to them.


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

Hello hero. My horse has recently started head shaking more than normal, she had incident last week when she was really throwing her head to the floor and back up again. Luckily a vet was on the yard at the time and got to see her behaviour, the vet tells me she's never seen head shaking so severe. The cause of her head shaking is still unknown, it could be seasonal, but this is the first time she's ever done it (i've owned her for 6, almost 7 years now, and she's almost 12 years old).
The vet says it could be due to allergens, but it could also be something involving nerve pain. We're now keeping a diary every day of her behaviour and trying to paint a bigger picture.
Having had experience of the condition, what are the sorts of things you do to cope with it? We tried one of the muzzle nets to filter out any allergens, but she was terrified of it for some odd reason, and when we finally got it on she stood looking very upset by it, and refused to eat her food.
Another odd behaviour we have noticed is that she, for some odd reason, sometimes wont take treats out of my hand anymore. She moves towards the treat as if she wants it (she is never one to refuse food) and will often look to one side, and if you move the treat towards her she sort of snatches it, often dropping it on the floor, and throws her head in the air.. have you ever head of this happening before? Also what is interesting is that if you stand to the side of her, and hold her head down with the other arm, she will take the treat straight out my hand no problem (and her head doesnt end up in the air).

She's left us all completely baffled! 
Any advice or answers will be greatly appreciated.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Well Hello Chadders! Well first off my horse who was 8 at the time was diagnosed with Equine Head Shaking Syndrome in late summer of last year but the problem was it was at the end of "seasonal period of time" he had it. Therefore I was only able to try a few things. And i will tell you what I have tried in a moment but first i'll tell the strange habits my horse does.
First off my horse has never not taken a treat out of my hand but does throw his head up randomly. Other behaviors he did when his head shaking was in full blast.
-Was first he had the "twitch" which is the vertical and horizontal head toss and it becomes frequent at times to calm
-He began to hate his nose being touch (he used to loved being pat him on his nose)
-His lips will twitch non stop at times 
-He has nasal/eye discharge
-He likes to hide his head at times such as in a corner of barn, under trees, and even other horses tails.
-He will rub his nose on his front foreleg or on other objects 
-And he tends to zone a lot and just freeze which he used to not do that
^^^^^ These are all symptoms to Equine Head Shaking syndrome. Do your horse has any of these???
Also some of the equipment and treaments I have tried was a Guardian mask, which basically is a mask that covers the eyes and block 95% of sunlight due to the horse maybe being sensitve to the sunlight. ( that did not work for my horse)
Then after trying this my horse stopped during the fall and winter...On April 2 of this year my horse started to show more frequent signs of head shaking. Other things I have heard to work is garlic, some herbs, and maybe medication but I have yet to try it.
Its a great idea to keep a diary. Thats what I do. I would include the wind speed, weather condtion (ex cloudy, light rain, etc), pollen, and if you ridden or not a some more.
I'm looking foward to hearing more about you and your horse!


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Also horses that are 8 years and older tend to develop the syndrome. What breed is your horse?


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## horsesexposed (Apr 9, 2011)

In most of the cases i've seen, it's because some beginner, or rider-who-thinks-they-know-it-all put a huge nasty bit in a horse's mouth, jerked and was rough with the bit for a while. The bit caused so much damage to the horse's tough and nerves that it developed this. All the horses never had it before. I don't know what you ride in, but mabye trying to switch to a bosal or a non-mechanical hackamore might help. Switching to a bosal helped 2 horses that i know of. They still shake a little sometimes, but mabye 1 or 2 times a month. 

If it's not allergens, then I'd definatly say that it's the bit, and you should try downgrading it or just not use one at all. And I know it's not what you want to hear, but if you use a Tom thumb, or twisted wire, or anything like that, I've even seen this done with a snaffle, but it is probably your fault, or the person who had the horse before. But it can be fixed. Don't worry! I reallly hope you solve this problem! The horses that I've worked with who had this and recovered are now healthy and happy! And like I said the head-shaking is very rare with those horses. I wish you the best of luck!!


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## Super Nova (Apr 27, 2010)

horsesexposed said:


> In most of the cases i've seen, it's because some beginner, or rider-who-thinks-they-know-it-all put a huge nasty bit in a horse's mouth, jerked and was rough with the bit for a while. The bit caused so much damage to the horse's tough and nerves that it developed this. All the horses never had it before. I don't know what you ride in, but mabye trying to switch to a bosal or a non-mechanical hackamore might help. Switching to a bosal helped 2 horses that i know of. They still shake a little sometimes, but mabye 1 or 2 times a month.
> 
> If it's not allergens, then I'd definatly say that it's the bit, and you should try downgrading it or just not use one at all. And I know it's not what you want to hear, but if you use a Tom thumb, or twisted wire, or anything like that, I've even seen this done with a snaffle, but it is probably your fault, or the person who had the horse before. But it can be fixed. Don't worry! I reallly hope you solve this problem! The horses that I've worked with who had this and recovered are now healthy and happy! And like I said the head-shaking is very rare with those horses. I wish you the best of luck!!


Well from what I have read they don't really know the cause/s.....I am looking into the possiblity that my horse is starting to have this syndrome.....so far what I have noticed is that on cloudy days she is fine on sunny days its noticeable but only while being ridden.

And I can tell you it has nothing to do with the bit and the way she has been ridden as we have owned her for the last 12 years....since she was 4.

Super Nova


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

Hero many thanks for all that information, it has really helped. We have spoken to the vet about medication, she was referring to if the head shaking is due to transgeminal neuralgia. Have you ever heard of this? But the drugs are relatively untested, so we are reluctant to move forward with that.
Some of her symptoms match up to hero's, such as the 'twitch', she does freeze every now and again, but only when there is something really scary looking which she would normally have a good look at. But there is no sign of discharge/lip twitching/discomfort in the nose area.. although we have noticed her standing at odd angles in the stable.. but her behaviour in the field.
(As for her breed, she's a TBxID)




horsesexposed said:


> In most of the cases i've seen, it's because some beginner, or rider-who-thinks-they-know-it-all put a huge nasty bit in a horse's mouth, jerked and was rough with the bit for a while. The bit caused so much damage to the horse's tough and nerves that it developed this. All the horses never had it before. I don't know what you ride in, but mabye trying to switch to a bosal or a non-mechanical hackamore might help. Switching to a bosal helped 2 horses that i know of. They still shake a little sometimes, but mabye 1 or 2 times a month.


I almost wish it was the bit that was causing her to head shake.. :? but she's only had one previous owner (her breeder) and her behaviour just doesn't match up to that.. she hadn't been ridden for a long while because i was at university, she's only been lunged.. and this has started in the time she hasn't been ridden. She also doesn't head shake at all when being ridden/lunged it seems like it develops sporadically in the stable.. As i said, it's still a pretty recent behaviour for her so we're still trying to make links as to when she's head shaking and when she's not.


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## Super Nova (Apr 27, 2010)

chadders said:


> Hero many thanks for all that information, it has really helped. We have spoken to the vet about medication, she was referring to if the head shaking is due to* transgeminal neuralgia*. Have you ever heard of this? But the drugs are relatively untested, so we are reluctant to move forward with that.
> Some of her symptoms match up to hero's, such as the 'twitch', she does freeze every now and again, but only when there is something really scary looking which she would normally have a good look at. But there is no sign of discharge/lip twitching/discomfort in the nose area.. although we have noticed her standing at odd angles in the stable.. but her behaviour in the field.
> (As for her breed, she's a TBxID)
> 
> I almost wish it was the bit that was causing her to head shake.. :? but she's only had one previous owner (her breeder) and her behaviour just doesn't match up to that.. she hadn't been ridden for a long while because i was at university, she's only been lunged.. and this has started in the time she hasn't been ridden. She also doesn't head shake at all when being ridden/lunged it seems like it develops sporadically in the stable.. As i said, it's still a pretty recent behaviour for her so we're still trying to make links as to when she's head shaking and when she's not.


Yes that is the nerve that is involved with the head shaking....it causes a tingling, shocking feeling.....hence why the horse bobs its head or rubs its nose on things it's trying shake it off....much like a fly.

Exercise can make the situation worse.

My vet's horse bobs her head for about 2 weeks at the same time every year then it just simply disappears....allergies are also thought to play a part in this syndrome. 

If it only develops in the stable I would suspect allergies like dust or flies.

Super Nova


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

I also forgot to mention she seems abnormally itchy.. no idea if this is related, but she seems to be rubbing up against walls more and turning her head to 'chomp' at her own sides! - She has no history of skin issues.


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

Super Nova said:


> Yes that is the nerve that is involved with the head shaking....it causes a tingling, shocking feeling.....hence why the horse bobs its head or rubs its nose on things it's trying shake it off....much like a fly.
> 
> *Exercise can make the situation worse*.
> 
> ...


We did notice that last week, about 15 minutes post exercise her head shaking began. She doesn't head shake all the time, but that did seem to bring on a bout of more severe twitching


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## jdw (Mar 17, 2011)

So sorry for you guys and these great horses!! I have NEVER heard or seen anything like this, so you are educating me!! This would baffle anyone~Thanks for sharing, and I hope things get better for yall and a breakthrough come about for them. (maybe an allergen blocking shot someday?)


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

horsesexposed said:


> In most of the cases i've seen, it's because some beginner, or rider-who-thinks-they-know-it-all put a huge nasty bit in a horse's mouth, jerked and was rough with the bit for a while. The bit caused so much damage to the horse's tough and nerves that it developed this. All the horses never had it before. I don't know what you ride in, but mabye trying to switch to a bosal or a non-mechanical hackamore might help. Switching to a bosal helped 2 horses that i know of. They still shake a little sometimes, but mabye 1 or 2 times a month.


For me and my horse I know it is not the bit because in the beginning when he started head shaking I stop using a bit and switch to a hackamore right away with no success. Only thing I really know about the condition with my horse is it is seasonal. He first started around April of last year and then stop and now is starting back up with more servre head shaking like before. It really is rather sad because my horse does it all the time from April until about October. Rather he is out in a pasture or under saddle, but some day it is more servre then others. And I just don't know what the next step is for me and him. I tihnk I'm going to try a nose net.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

chadders said:


> Hero many thanks for all that information, it has really helped. We have spoken to the vet about medication, she was referring to if the head shaking is due to transgeminal neuralgia. Have you ever heard of this? But the drugs are relatively untested, so we are \breed, she's a TBxID)QUOTE]
> 
> I'm glad your vet is involved with helping finding your horse a cure or treatment. My vet just kinda diagnosed him with it and said its because light sensitivity to the sun, but I know that is not the ONLY reason because he tends too do it when it is cloudy and storming. I'm starting to think my horse's tossing is caused by wind. On windy days he tosses his head more, and not so windy days its less. Also I have read on another website that TB's are one of the common breeds to end up the syndrome.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Super Nova said:


> Yes that is the nerve that is involved with the head shaking....it causes a tingling, shocking feeling.....hence why the horse bobs its head or rubs its nose on things it's trying shake it off....much like a fly.
> 
> Exercise can make the situation worse.
> 
> ...


I know a few other people with horses that have Equine Head shaking syndrome and it seems the time periods all are different, therefore showing all the different causes. Like I said earlier my horse's time period is from April-October.


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

HeroMyOttb said:


> I'm glad your vet is involved with helping finding your horse a cure or treatment. My vet just kinda diagnosed him with it and said its because light sensitivity to the sun, but I know that is not the ONLY reason because he tends too do it when it is cloudy and storming. I'm starting to think my horse's tossing is caused by wind. On windy days he tosses his head more, and not so windy days its less. Also I have read on another website that TB's are one of the common breeds to end up the syndrome.


Our vet is wonderful yes, although just as baffled as we are!.. Reading over the diary we made over the past 3 weeks there don't seem to be any overlying trends as to when she's shaking and when she's not, in terms of weather. But I suppose 3 weeks isn't long enough to make a valid judgement, if you've been dealing with the condition for years. She hasn't been shaking for a few days now (she hasn't been exercised either though) i've been asking everyone i know to keep an eye on her. As it's impossible to watch them 24/7 :shock:

In terms of the nose net, this is what our vet recommended to us straight away. But as i said a few posts ago we had massive trouble with getting it anywhere near her! She was _terrified_ of it to say the least! Having left it next to her stable door for a few days, we can get it on her, but she refuses to eat anything when she's wearing it. I'm going to keep trying it with her though. This is the one i have...

Net Relief® Muzzle Net | Offers relief from headshaking symptoms | Equilibrium Products - In Harmony With Horses

... the only trouble is, is that it says it is not recommended for any use other than for riding. And it seems her head shaking is more prominent in the stable, and i've never seen her shake her head so far when being exercised.. The vet said otherwise before we bought it, and insisted she wear it all the time. So I shall ask her again about that. But according to reviews of the nose net it has about an 80% success rate for head shakers.

Another thing my vet said, which may not be feasible for you (it certainly isn't for us).. is if you give your horse warm water rather than cold to drink, this has been known to help too. Hopefully heated waterbuckets are in the pipeline :lol:


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

I must try that nose net! I need to order it soon. Have you found anthing with the weather as of now that could be causing her tossing?


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

Update on my mare: Strangely her head tossing in the stable is almost non-existant now... instead she has begun shaking more so when riding. What is odd though is that she will head shake for the first 15 minutes of work (more so in trot than walk or canter) and the behaviour will decrease as work goes on. But she is noticeably more spooky - making a huge fuss over people walking up the path towards the arena. Is this what you find at all with Hero? Jewel's head shake during riding will be a sort-of, awkward 'jolt' upwards, head raised high for at least a few steps, and bobbing up and down slightly.. but could last down a full side of the arena. before then working beautifully for a while..?!
Although i am appreciative that her head shaking several weeks ago was pretty severe, it does seemed to have calmed to a great extent. It's hard to recognise what would be 'normal' head shaking for a horse at this time of year with more flies around, when it's in the back of my mind she may have an allergy... i just wish horses could speak!
As for her head shaking during riding - because she is shaking during the beginning of work and as she begins to listen to me it vanishes; it makes me wonder whether this business is some sort of evasion out of being worked?.. or possibly because she is a mare and she could well be in season?? All the same, it's still odd behaviour for her, as she's known for being a very predictable and placid mare.

How's your Hero doing at the moment?


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Well Chadders I just want to let you know that Hero goes through periods of time when his head shaking becomes more calm which is how you describe above. Some days Hero does his head shaking just when riding and other days he does it at all times of the day. Now when I ride Hero it is always different. Some days he head bobs worse and worse into the ride. Other days its just while walking he does it. This is why i'm having such trouble finding out what works for Hero, there seems to be no certain cause right now or even multiple! I know its not him behaving bad under saddle because he does do it most of the time in the pasture. As of now Hero has gone through a very calm period. He has only done his head twitching nonstop one day for the past two weeks. So i'm at a lost right now and I am dreading this summer thou.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Chadders how is you mare doing?


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

Apologies for such a late reply.. im back at university now, Jewel is in the care of mother, who tells me Jewel seems to have calmed down a lot recently. Head shaking is minimal, and non existent (apart from what would be considered "normal" head shaking in a horse). Under the saddle she is better behaved, less spooky. I'm hoping that i've seen the end of it now.. or at least until we can see what she does at a similar time of year next year. 
We never managed to get the nose net on her successfully without her thinking it was going to kill her.. so luckily it doesn't seem like we need to use it.

It's such a hard behaviour to pin down, we noticed that she would head shake more in sunny/windy conditions than in cloudy/still. And the behaviour when it started was severe in the stable. Then when ridden, more so at the beginning of a ride than at the end. On a couple of occasions she came in from being ridden and would start head shaking severely for anything up to an hour, but that was rare.

How is hero? you said he seemed to be calming down a bit, did this continue? Have you tried the nose net at all?


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

My friend's horse was just diagnosed with photo-sensitivity. Several times recently while out on trails, he's just start tossing his head for no reason. I don't know if that's the same thing as equine head shaking syndrome, they she seems to think it's easily treatable with eye drops.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Chadders that is great to hear! Hero is still rather calm! This time last year he was going full blast with his head shaking but as of now he is hardly doing it, but he does still head shakes a bit but I can handle it. I had different vet come out to do Hero's vaccines and asked him about head shaking syndrome and all he said was it is a very frustrating condition..Which duh I already know that! . I wish I knew what causes his head shaking So I could keep where he is at now. I'm just waiting for him to all of sudden start "ticking" again. :/


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## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

My gelding recently has started to consistantly throw his head up and down...it's gotten to where he won't even eat from the roll we have out which he used to ALWAYS do...now he just sits under a tree and "pouts" with his head down. 

I thought maybe it was the miracle collar, so I took it off, and all that does is make him windsuck, so I put that back on. I thought maybe it was the love bugs, so I put a fly mask on him, and that didn't help at all. 

He'll eat out of his bucket, but he get so annoyed sometimes he'll start kicking, and it's really got me concerned. Is this the same thing? He never did this before!


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## chadders (Apr 7, 2011)

SAsamone said:


> My gelding recently has started to consistantly throw his head up and down...it's gotten to where he won't even eat from the roll we have out which he used to ALWAYS do...now he just sits under a tree and "pouts" with his head down.
> 
> I thought maybe it was the miracle collar, so I took it off, and all that does is make him windsuck, so I put that back on. I thought maybe it was the love bugs, so I put a fly mask on him, and that didn't help at all.
> 
> He'll eat out of his bucket, but he get so annoyed sometimes he'll start kicking, and it's really got me concerned. Is this the same thing? He never did this before!


It does sound very similar yes. Jewel had tendencies to avoid eating, it was is if she wanted to, but couldn't. She ate from her nay net fine. But dinner in her bucket and treats out the hand were often ignored though. Her behaviour in the field (or the bits that i saw) she was eating normally.

Funny you should say your gelding is a windsucker, because jewel is too. One thing we did notice though, was that she didn't windsuck at the times she usually would.. she would rather head-shake. Although she isn't a compulsive windsucker, and will only do so time to time when eating. The vet mentioned that she may be windsucking _less_ because her attention is focused on whatever is causing her pain/irritation in the head region. 

As MyHeroOttb said to me earlier on in the thread. Take note of how severe the head shaking is from day to day, along with weather conditions/whether you rode that day - patterns may, or may not, begin to emerge. 

The most common cause for head shaking is allergies, i believe. The nose net and antihistamines are available for this, but im not sure how effective either method would be. Because you would have to first attribute the behaviour to allergies. 

The other possible cause is transgeminal neuralgia. I recommend you google "transgeminal neuralgia in horses".. there's some really good information websites. Read up on that and see if that offers any more clues as to what's going on. I know the condition is similar to that in humans, who suffer severe "false pain" in the face. Drugs are available to humans, but as it stands horse medication for the disorder are relatively poor-tested.

I hope this helps you. Good luck getting to the bottom of it... it's very hard to pin down!




HeroMyOttb said:


> Chadders that is great to hear! Hero is still rather calm! This time last year he was going full blast with his head shaking but as of now he is hardly doing it, but he does still head shakes a bit but I can handle it. I had different vet come out to do Hero's vaccines and asked him about head shaking syndrome and all he said was it is a very frustrating condition..Which duh I already know that! . I wish I knew what causes his head shaking So I could keep where he is at now. I'm just waiting for him to all of sudden start "ticking" again. :/


That's really good news! What a relief (for now). Luckily our vet is very good indeed, although there isn't really more she has said other than what i've regurgitated in the thread already. If it is allergies though, as i mentioned earlier, antihistamines can be known to help a bit. It seems like such a unpredictable behaviour, i spent countless hours 'observing' jewel in her worst bout and then for weeks after. Picking up on any odd behaviour she might display. But we could never put it down to a cause..




MyBoyPuck said:


> My friend's horse was just diagnosed with photo-sensitivity. Several times recently while out on trails, he's just start tossing his head for no reason. I don't know if that's the same thing as equine head shaking syndrome, they she seems to think it's easily treatable with eye drops.



... this could possibly make sense also. Does your friends horse take eye-drops all year round then? or just before trials? My mum thought the problem might be in her eyes when she first started head shaking and excessive spooking. I shall put it to my vet when she comes to vaccinate next week. Thank you!


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## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

Thank you so much chadders!! I'll be looking into it


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

SAsamone said:


> My gelding recently has started to consistantly throw his head up and down...it's gotten to where he won't even eat from the roll we have out which he used to ALWAYS do...now he just sits under a tree and "pouts" with his head down.
> 
> I thought maybe it was the miracle collar, so I took it off, and all that does is make him windsuck, so I put that back on. I thought maybe it was the love bugs, so I put a fly mask on him, and that didn't help at all.
> 
> He'll eat out of his bucket, but he get so annoyed sometimes he'll start kicking, and it's really got me concerned. Is this the same thing? He never did this before!


Chadders pretty much helped you out! Thou I kept a diary and I still have not been able to fine a specific cause. I am thinking it may be combined causes such as wind and sunlight but I am not sure. Also earlier in this theard I posted other symptoms that also occur with the tossing and head shaking. Take a look at those and see if your horse is showing any of those. Also what breed is your horse?


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## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

He's an OTTB...I rescued him in February. He never acted like this before, but I've also never had a rescue either.


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## BackInTheSaddleAgain (Apr 20, 2009)

Hey! My horse, too. First year it started, I was convinced it was a bee sting in the nose. But, she's done it this time of year since an just started again. Didn't know there was a "name" for it.

And, no. NOTHING to do with a bit. I have me a pasture horse.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

SAsamone said:


> He's an OTTB...I rescued him in February. He never acted like this before, but I've also never had a rescue either.


My horse who has it also is an OTTB. Research shows it is more common in thoroughbreds but can happen in other breeds. Symptoms usually start to occur when the horse is 8-10 years old.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Count me in on this. Here's my thread: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/sudden-onset-hyperreactivity-84511/

Mack does not shake his head in the pasture while he is wearing his grazing muzzle. As soon as you take the muzzle off, he starts snorting violently, and will begin to shake his head. A pantyhose over the nose while riding is far cheaper than those nose nets, and though we've only used it once so far, we saw a 100% improvement in head-tossing symptoms while he was wearing it.


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## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

WOW your video reminded me SO much of my boy, although, he seems to be better today? No promises about tomorrow lol. Is it just something that happens on and off?


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Are you talking to me, or someone else?

Mack does not shake his head or snort while in the pasture wearing his grazing muzzle. As soon as you take the muzzle off, he starts. Putting a pantyhose on his nose (we've tried it twice now) while riding GREATLY reduces his head-shaking. Again, take it off and he's flipping his head like in the video. He snorts like crazy in his stall, too.


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## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

Yes I should have clarified Bubba, I was talking to you lol. I think my boy was doing it becuase of the Miracle Collar to be honest. I losened it, and it has SEEMINGLY stopped. We shall see!!


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Bubba I was reading you theard and I saw how people thought it was a behavioral problem. I at first thought it was with my horse and I was getting so frustrated! But then the vet came out and what not and said it was Head shaking. But I was watching you video and my horse does head shaking that bad on very servre days. Which is not too often. For instance today my horse just head shake randomly through out the day and that was it. And I can handle that!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

HeroMyOttb said:


> Symptoms usually start to occur when the horse is 8-10 years old.


I'm late for the party, but I had this happening with my qh last year and this year seemed to be getting worse (she turned 7 BTW). While I was told it may be training issue I don't think so. Just look like a huge discomfort to me rather than shaking in annoyance. 

So I basically got this one: Browsing Store - Cashel Quiet Ride Nose Net (same as one in Dover Dover Saddlery | Net Relief Muzzle Net . that was recommended to me but MUCH cheaper) and coupled it with my usual riding mask Dover Saddlery | Cashel Quiet Ride Fly Mask.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

kitten_Val said:


> So I basically got this one: Browsing Store - Cashel Quiet Ride Nose Net (same as one in Dover Dover Saddlery | Net Relief Muzzle Net . that was recommended to me but MUCH cheaper) and coupled it with my usual riding mask Dover Saddlery | Cashel Quiet Ride Fly Mask.


Has the nose net worked for you?


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

HeroMyOttb said:


> Has the nose net worked for you?


Yes. To my big surprise. I've been using it every ride since I got it (its attached to the noseband). Horse doesn't mind it either.


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

Update! So as of right now I'm convince Hero's headshaking was due to the bit and/or a combinations of things including the bit. All last spring/summer he started to head shake then I switch to bitless and it slowly started to disappear through out winter. THEN I decided to try to ride in a bit again and the head shaking came back. I went back to bitless and head shaking started to slowly disappear. THEN finally my friend rode him with a bit and head shaking reoccured that night! And now back to bitless and it has basically disappeared! I have read articles about bits causing head shaking and what not and I didn't believe it but now I'm convinced it is the bit! But I am not getting my hopes up :/ I thought his condition was seasonal due to other causes but this time last year he was full blown head shaking.


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