Head shaking...the Answers

Having established in my mind that Heather was a head shaker, I now needed answers. One Google search brought me to this very useful information.

I read the symptoms listed and ticked every single box. The description of the horse acting as though it had a bee up its nose was so accurate. Like having a light at the end of a tunnel, I was satisfied and somewhat pleased to have found the answer.

I was also quite excited at the prospect of putting some of the information given on the Lincoln site, to the test. Strangely I was now looking forward to riding in the rain. We did...and what a difference! No head shaking. She was more responsive, forward and obviously much happier. Though without the distraction of her affliction, she was now quite spooky, suddenly having realised that there's a world beyond her nose! Waking up to her surroundings.

Next, I bought her a full nose/mouth net, which attatches to the nose band on her bridle. Took me a week or so of feeding her out of this net, before I could get her to wear it without too much protest. The down side of the net is that it makes her look like some sort of equine "Hannibal Lecter". Quite a few people commented on her "muzzle guard". So I didn't disappoint and confirmed that she has a taste for small children!

Aside from the aestetics of the net, the proof was in the riding. A little worryingly, she did snort and blow at walk and standstill. But this was different and I think due to her whiskers touching the net. Once trotting and cantering, especially in her worst places for shaking, along a wooded track, she was fine. No disturbance. A real milestone passed.

In my hopes, I could now see a way of breaking the viscious circle that she was caught in. If I could ride her like this regularly with no shaking, I had a chance of getting her fit. So if she's fit, she will be more able to work, and work happily! The head shaking only becomes apparent when she is working in trot or harder. One idea is that the increased blood pressure over sensitises nerves in the nose. Possibly aggravated by more air rushing past these "itchy" nerves at faster paces. She has learned a fantastic defence against all this. She naps, she plants her feet! No movement, no irritation in her nose. Rider gets fed up eventually and she gets to stand in the field again.

The only drawback of the net, is that after an hours hacking. The net is full of all the little odd things that a horse amasses in its head and snorts out. Usually unseen. Caught in a net, they make quite an ugly collection.