Help! My horse has started head shaking. Any ideas to help?

Question

It's not his teeth or eyes as they've been recently checked & are fine.
It's not his bit as he does it in a headcollar.
Its a bit of a funny time of year for pollen sensivity so I dont know if a nose net would help
Has anyone had any success with herbal remedies that are on the market?
Any feedback would be really appreciated as it's getting a bit disconcerting to ride him and its irritating him as much as it is me.

Thank you Pamela O - at last - a sensible answer from somepone who knows what they're talking about!

Answer 1

When horses do this its through boredom and it can be dangerous to ride your horse when hes like this,can you not put him in a field with or near other horses.Horses are social animals and make good friends with donkeys,when i had my horse i also had a donkey for company.

Answer 2

Headshaking in a horse is much the same as head shaking in a human. Your horse is simply expressing himself in a negative manner. Perhaps he is unimpressed by you or your behaviour. Perhaps he is just at odds with the world and can't understand why there are still wars and aggresion.

You can help by putting your horses head in a slpint or neck brace to prevent the shaking, but by far the best option is to ask him what ails him and then thrash it out... He may just want to put the world to rights!

I say all this, but of course the shaking could be symptomatic of something more serious. Check with a vet to see if he has Stallion's Nose.

Answer 3

I agree with Pamela O. But my horse started headshaking last year while we were at shows. Turns out he didn't like the sound of the PA system. I got him some ear plugs and he stopped. So I would give the vet a call, see if he/she can give you some insight just over the phone.

Answer 4

Is he nodding or shaking it back and forth? Is he doing it when he is alone, or when you try to handle him? I would like to know more about the situations in which he shakes his head.

My horse is very large and he used to shake his head around as an attempt to escape the bit and bridle. Sometimes horses do this while you are riding to be naughty and disobey whatever you are asking them to do.

Does he freak out when you handle his ears?? I would bet that as it is getting cooler out, he may have a tick in his ear. My horse had one one time and shook his head quite a bit, and wouldn't let me near his ears. The vet ended up having to sedate him to get the tick out of his ear. It was large. I would check his ears promptly to eliminate the tick as a cause.

Maybe bugs are bothering him while you are riding- perhaps a fly mask would help.

Answer 5

I liked Pamelas answer also but you also need to check the horses ears. I know several people have made a referance to them with differant ideas but some horses can have ear mites which can first make it sore then make it itch. So check to be sure they are clean.

Answer 6

research now shows tht headshaking can be caused due to light and flies - for example when horses are out by day and the flies irritate them - the shake their head to rid them of them - the horse then just gets it into their brain that shaking their head - even when there are no flies around - will rid them of the annoyance.
Scientists researched the consistency of headshakers in both light and dark areas and it turned out they all shook their heads in the light - yet no horse shook their head in a darkened area.
Your horse could have developmed this mentality.
A nose net can actually work wonders - I bought one for a mare I had who was crazy with headshaking and whilst it didnt stop her - it definately reduced it. Good luck. xx

Answer 7

may be a wasp has got into his ear, or a bug. My poor dog had a ear-wig in her ear and thats sound just like the way your horse is shaking. Your poor horse. if that's not it call the vet explain it just as you have on here, it will only cost you the phone call and then you can be sure

Answer 8

hi i own 4 horses and my sports hourse does this i have recently tried putting a martingale on her (running) and she has stopped also there is a new bridle out called ergonomic bridle from kieffer which does not put pressure on the poll also if its in a headcoller it could be attention seeking try togroom it more also my mum says to try a myler bit because it stopped her horse good luck xxx

Answer 9

Check his ears! My mare sometimes does it in the summer due to flies etc but I had a miniature shetland who did the same thing & he had the equivalent of mites, as soon as he had been treated it was all back to normal :o) hope this helps

Answer 10

Besides checking for fleas ticks, fly eggs. You should have the vet check for ear mites. I found that out from a horse breeder that it isn't uncommon to get .