Head Shaking in Horses

In our experience, there appears to be a wide variety of triggers for headshaking episodes in horses. Some will do it when approaching a cloud of midges on a track. Some will do it in response to rain drops or snowflakes landing on their faces, some will be triggered by bright sunlight, whereas others may be triggered by pollen allergy. We have even seen some cases triggered by painful saddling and by neck arthritis. Diet can play a part in some cases. One case recently seen responded adversely to the brow band and nose band of the bridle.

ACUPUNCTURE - HOMEOPATHY - HERBS - DIET - CHIROPRACTIC - AROMATHERAPY - MASSAGE

Head shaking horses (head shakers, headshakers or head-shakers) can be treated with combined and properly-integrated homeopathy, acupuncture, massage and aromatherapy, with a reasonable chance of success or very good control. 75 - 80% of affected horses can return to being rideable. Of course, because such therapies are holistic in nature, chiropractic manipulation, diet and lifestyle must also be addressed, for each patient.

The accompanying images show a horse in deep relaxation, during acupuncture treatment.

The reason that this success rate is not higher is, in my belief, because there is such a variety of ways in which different patients manifest their problems. Different horses appear to react to different triggers, e.g. different pollens, rape fields, flies, snow flakes, rain drops, direct sunlight, dust and ammonia (shavings are not good bedding material, for this reason). Some horses may be responding to neck pain. Some may be triggered by saddling faults, by bitting, by nose band, by brow band or by other bridle design features. Almost all appear to be triggered or worsened with exercise or work. Some are found to be 'high' suffers and some 'low', depending upon findings at examination. This tends to refer to whether the frontal sinuses or maxillary sinuses are the main site of the problem. This immense variation in every aspect of the condition makes it difficult to tie down.

Some horses seem to respond favourably to being ridden with a muzzle, but that is not acceptable for dressage competition and certainly cannot pass for a lasting solution.

Each patient that is seen by the AVMC is given facial realignment (equine chiropractic), massage, acupuncture if there are indications for this (i.e. 'active' points), aromatherapy if there are indications, homeopathic medication, aromatherapy and sinus drainage. In the case of the latter, some patients drain huge quantities of watery mucus, in response. Teeth, saddling, neck and back assessment are also vital components of examination and treatment. This necessitates a truly holistic and exhaustive approach to assessment and treatment.

If you have a head shaker, it is neither wise nor humane to 'ride him through it'. That approach will tend to reinforce the reaction and deepen the memorised psychological component, which inevitably accompanies such a distressing problem. Furthermore, the horse is suffering when showing these signs and should not be further stressed.

Acupuncture

Homeopathy

Herbs

Chiropractic

We recommend a species-suitable natural diet for all our patients. Helpful advice may be found at Natural Feeding website - information only

We have found it to be very important to remove all manufactured feeds and supplements from the diet, as the horse owner has no control over such products. Unsuitable ingredients are included in most proprietary horse feeds and supplements, resulting in the horse having reduced healing and re-balancing capability.

Headshaking horses are suffering, they are not just misbehaving.

Headshaking may have a great variety of causes and triggers, including neck pain and allergy.

A good proportion of cases can be controlled using an integrated alternative medicine and holistic medicine approach, including homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, chiropractic and natural feeding. A combined acupuncture vet/homeopathic vet/herbal vet should be able to outline your options.

The author is independent of commercial interest or sponsorship and cannot endorse any products or advertising material attached to this lens.

For more information, visit AVMC's information website (over 600 pages).

Chris Day - holistic vet - runs the Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre in Oxfordshire (AVMC) in Oxfordshire, UK.

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