Help for head shakers?

Readers responses to my recent e-newsletter question "A reader has asked for tips on helping a horse that head shakes - what suggestions do you have?":

Hi Sue,

My Welsh mare is a head shaker and this is really difficult to cure, at best you just have to manage it, it all depends what the 'trigger' is for your individual, for mine it is flies and midges and light rain or snow flakes touching her face.  I can manage the later pretty well by not ridding in snow/rain, but the flies are the main problem as the season for them is long, I manage this by riding her in a full face fly mask to cover her from nose to ears, I have tried ones designed to be ridden  in but I find the best to be Shires fine mesh full face mask, although designed for the field, visability is good and mesh is stiff enough not to touch eyes but soft enough not to rub.  This does not stop the head shaking as she still reacts to flies coming towards her face but it does reduce it enough to have a reasonably pleasant and safe ride. She also head shakes in autumn when the leaves are coming off the trees, this seems to be in anticipation of them touching her.  I have an 'MOT' every 6 months with Donna Blinman (vet and physio) who says she has bones in her head which should have small gap between but are touching on one side probably from a knock or kick when she was younger which may be causing the sensitivity, she has done a session on her head to relive some of this but it had little effect on the head shaking.  I also ensure her bridle is not causing any pressure and use a comfort bridle with padded and shaped head piece, padded loose noseband and loose brow band.  My vet has suggested nerve blocking and possible cutting of trigeminal nerve or inserting a metal coil but I am reluctant to go down this invasive root.  I tend to make the most of the winter and ride where possible in summer early in the morning before the flies are about too much.
My daughter has a friend who has a head shaker who starts by giving her a jab in the mouth and ends up smacking her across the nose with her whip when she doesn't stop!! not the answer for the poor mare.
Hope this may be some help
Regards
Andrea

Hi Sue,
I have a fell pony that head shakes annd now I ride bitless. I ude a Dr Cook bitless bridle and I find he's much more relaxed. It hasn't cured him but he's much improved .
Jean

Hi Sue
Re Head shakers;  I read recently I think on Helpful Hints or a link that cranio Sacral Therapy can help head shakers.
Regards
Mary Hale

Has anyone tried Horse Agility?

In a recent newsletter I asked the question "Has anyone tried Horse Agility, and how did you get on?"  I wanted to share one reader's very positive response with you...

Dear Sue,
Yes, I am  'Horse Agility' competitor and enthusiast. I have two horses, one 27yr old retired 'Allrounder', (15hh Welsh Cob) in his day an amazing competition horse and very dear loyal friend and a 16 yrs young imp, Hero (14.2hh Welsh/TB) who came to me aged 6 as a troubled soul. Not everyones 'cup of tea', but I and my daughter have had such fun with him and he is the horse that has taught me the most and continues all the time.
I have come from a very traditional background with horses and have been a Pony Club Instructor for many years and have competed in many spheres of the horseworld.
I met Kelly Marks on a CPD day and then progressed to a year with Stage 1 and have continued to read, research and look at all the other masters.
I fell upon H/A when I went to help a lady with a horse related problem and she was a Dog Trainer/Dog Agility Trainer and she had said had I heard of Horse Agility.
Hero at the time had been lame behind, having never had a days lameness and it all looked rather gloomy and I could not bring myself to put him down and my gut instinct was just to give him time. On his way to recovery he very much needed mental stimulation and gentle movement and this is how I started my journey with this new sport.
It has been great for both horses as a form of physio and for mental stimulation and is absolutely brilliant for 'Horsemanship skills'. It has been a wonderful stepping stone from 'Intelligent Horsemanship', from learning the basics and fine tunes all those skills. It encourages people from different spheres of  'Horsemanship'. I have picked up some great 'parelli' tips, but I have my own style and like to be able to be adaptable.
Great social website and lots of help and then you can see video's from all over the world, some in sunshine and some in snow!
It has been hard to get a video in recently with the weather as I don't have the luxury of a manage or indoor school, but have now got a round pen with surface which is great.
Love your emails and tips and of course your book, which is great.
Best Wishes
Amanda Braham

PS. The other thing that is great you can use the courses to long rein or ride around and it is also interesting to see the different reactions from inhand to long lines to ridden.

Barefoot soreness after trimming?

There were so many responses to last weeks e-newsletter question "A question for those with their horses barefoot - is your horse lame for a couple of days after he's been trimmed?" that I figured it would be easier to post them as a blog and link to here from the newsletter rather than try to squeeze them all in amongst everything else!

Hi Sue,

I wanted to respond to your question about barefoot horses and whether people have found that they’re often lame for a day or two after being trimmed. 

I’m a trainee equine podiatrist with (hopefully) just a few months left of my training before I qualify.  In my experience, a horse should only be sore after a trim if there is a major underlying problem with the feet prior to the trim e.g. laminitis, neglect.  It worries me that there are horses out there that are suffering, even if only for a couple of days, due to the type of trim applied by the farrier / trimmer.  In fact, one of the reasons why I decided to train as an equine podiatrist myself was because my pony would often be sore after the farrier trimmed him and I felt as though that wasn’t right.  One of the rules that practitioners registered with the Equine Podiatry Association work by is ‘do no harm’ and we will always walk and trot up a horse after a trim to make sure that it is moving well (and certainly no worse than it was prior to the trim).  Owners should challenge their farrier or trimmer if their horse is consistently sore after a trim.

Kind regards,

Nicky

Hi Sue

I changed Buster to barefoot at the end of last year.  I have not experienced lameness after they have been trimmed up to the present time.  On the other hand the quality of the hoof has improved dramatically.  After two trims he was noticeably less pigeon toed and he has been far better going overall.  Hope this helps.  I have details of an excellent young girl that trained in Denmark that does his feet if it is of use to anyone highly recommend her she is excellent with the nervous young or difficult.Su

My horses (two ex racehorses, one 13 the other 7)  are both barefoot.  I trim them myself weekly and they are never lame after a trim.  I'm convinced that trimming little and often is the answer as, if they were in the wild, they would be on diverse terrain which would
self trim their hooves.  Trimming little and often mimicks this.
Regards, 

Lesley

Hi Sue
I have 2 native ponies 1 Fell gelding and 1 Welsh Sec D mare both ridden barefoot, Fell has been barefoot for 2 years and Welsh for 1 year, both are trimmed every 8 weeks by my farrier who is very supportive of barefoot and they are never sore after a trim.  I have a riders rasp which I use between trims to remove any rough edges which may otherwise break off.  I did find with both ponies that it took about 6 months for their feet to adapt and get really strong, during this time I used front boots on the Welsh if doing lots of road work.  I found the worst thing was grit getting stuck in white line when feet were wet and softer during last wet winter but never had a problem after a trim, my farrier never takes too much off and just balances the foot and the Welsh who is ridden 5-6 days a week more or less self trims especially the back feet, the Fell who only goes out twice a week needs more trimming.  I also think diet plays a big part, I reduce sugar intake as much as possible by soaking hay in winter and strip grazing in summer (also keeps them slim) and feed linseed, brewers yeast, rose hips and magnesium which I belive all  have a positive effect on hoof quality and give their coats a fantastic shine.
Regards,
Andrea

Hi there,

In response to barefoot soreness after trimming... absolutely never... I use my original farrier to trim her hooves, not an equine podiatrist, and I've never had any lameness at all.

Emma

Stomach pain a potential cause of girthy horses?

For a long time now, I've been suggesting to every owner of a 'girthy' horse that they look into the possibility of stomach ulcers.  It feels like an uphill battle - it's not cheap to get your horse scoped (which is the best way of determining whether your horse has ulcers) and the treatment (gastroguard) is even more expensive, not all ulcers can be seen on scoping, and some vets seem reluctant to investigate for ulcers.  Today I've ordered some impartial information on ulcers that I'm hoping will give me more 'ammunition' in my quest to help more horses be more comfortable, and this email that I received today in response to my latest Brain or Pain newsletter has spurred me on yet again:

"Hi Sue,

Talking of horses being 'girthy', for many years Chloe was very sensitive and grooming her chest, tummy, doing up her girth would cause her to attack whatever was in front of her.  She would never snap at me - she is so generous.

I put her on brewer's yeast about ten months ago - and since about two months ago she has lost all her sensitivity. She is now happy to be groomed everywhere, girthing up doesn't cause any problems.  I reckon she had low-grade ulcers - despite having a high-fibre diet and lots of turn-out.  I think the brewer's yeast (being a pre-biotic) has helped, as has her new environment.  Both she and George are so much more relaxed now they have their own home and don't have to share with anyone else.

We do the best for our horses given our circumstances - but it seems that Chloe was quite stressed while at livery yards.  She is Alpha Mare, so I guess having to keep control of a herd took it's toll.

The girths we use do have a big effect, but also so does what we put in our horses' stomachs.  I wondered about a fairfax girth, but can't afford it, but then Chloe improved on her diet, so the girth can wait!

Best wishes

Angela

Asymmetric saddle causing rubbing of hair at withers

Does your saddle cause the hair to rub on one side of your horse's withers but not on the other side?  Please take a moment to read this message below from a Brain or Pain reader:

Hi Sue

Reading your latest newsletter and the article on saddle fitting advice has reminded me of something you may wish to share with your readers. I had a strange pattern on one side of Charlie’s back last year after using my Bates GP saddle. It looked kind of scrubbed to one side near the withers and the other side was normal. My saddler advised I may eventually need to use a wider gullet insert as his shoulders filled out (the muscle was very wasted there due to the previous ill fitted saddle that was too narrow) so I decided to try that before getting the saddler out. I bought the next gullet size up and went to put it in, carefully following the instructions and a video demo on the internet and I was horrified to find that the screw on one side of the current gullet was very loose and was allowing the gullet insert bar to wobble a lot – hence the scrubbing effect it was having on Charlie’s back. The saddle had been bought second hand and I had never thought to check how secure the gullet bar was in it because it is my first experience of such saddles. I would urge all users of saddles with these changeable gullet bars to check them often (and especially if buying one second hand) to ensure that all changed gullet bars are fitted just as in the instructions. I dread to think how this felt to poor Charlie.

Hope this helps others

Mandi

Dedicated to 'Just Donald'

I'm working on my next book, '100 Helpful Hints from Holistic Horse Help', and Simon asked if I wanted to dedicate the book to anyone.  Happy memories instantly came flooding back of Donald, a coloured horse I once had the pleasure of spending 6 weeks with (I upgraded his name in my mind to 'Just Donald' because I felt he deserved a posher name than 'Donald').  If there is one horse who I believe should have been 'my horse', it was Donald.  I was 18, and pretty tough really, I'd seen plenty of horses come and go, but Donald touched my heart and has stayed there ever since.
He arrived at the show jumping yard that I was working at because he'd thrown his previous rider off into the fence and broken the rider's leg - since that rider was employed by the dealer who owned Donald I don't think this made him a popular horse on the yard!  He was deemed to be a very difficult horse to ride, and I can't actually remember what my remit was for him (except that I knew he was ultimately for sale), but I fell in love with him the moment he arrived. He was very spooky, particularly afraid of anything behind him, which included a rider on his back - not a helpful attribute for a riding horse!  It meant that if and when you did manage to get on his back, you had to stay very, very still, or you wouldn't be on his back very long!  In walk this isn't too difficult, but it's quite tricky in trot, as rising trot necessarily involves moving in relation to the horse, and sitting trot petrified him even more! His trick was to shoot off in a high speed panic, and not stop until whatever was terrifying him had gone away. I adored him, and did my very best to raise the £2000 needed to buy him, but failed miserably.
I would spend extra time mucking out and grooming him, I would sit in the stable and eat my lunch with him, and I spent a long time doing groundwork with him, particularly working on being able to mount safely (swinging my leg over his back was enough to set off the panic reaction).  All of this was a long time before I'd heard of Monty Roberts or any form of 'natural horsemanship', so I was making it up as I went along. I think that Donald was really the first horse to get me thinking of how to work with a horse, rather than how to make him work for me. He just made me want to do things right by him. Although I didn't see it as thinking about things at the time (after all, I was only 18!), I just 'did' what felt right.  Maybe there was an instinct there that I was tapping into, I'd ridden since I was 3 years old, but I'm pretty sure that I hadn't specifically been 'taught' to do the things I was doing. I can clearly remember glowing with pride the day I showed my boss that I could do sitting trot on Donald, and his surprised reaction that this was possible. To begin with we could only ride indoors, where there was less opportunity for him to take off in panic, and I can also remember the excitement (and nervousness!) of the first time I rode him in the paddock.  I was so proud of that horse, and how hard he worked to overcome his fear, and I was sure it was because he was trying hard to do it 'for me'.
Imagine how thrilled I was when I was asked to take him to a show, where I'd have a chance to really show off how well he was coming along and how much he'd changed!  The dealer he belonged to was a show jumper, who obviously wanted to sell him on as a show jumping horse (it's not easy to fold over a fence on a horse who can't cope with the rider moving on his back), so they asked me to ride him at an affiliated show jumping competition. It was his first show, and we jumped clear in the Discovery, with just the second part of the double down in the jump off.  I was over the moon!  I'll never forget the feeling as I came out of the indoor arena at Blewbury into the cold drizzle, bursting with pride and grinning from ear to ear... as I jumped off Donald to give him a hug, his owner took the reins out of my hands, and led him off to their lorry.  I'd had no idea they were going to take him away from me, and I cried my eyes out.  I never saw Donald again, and I've never forgotten him.
It was only years later that I looked back and realised that Donald was probably the first horse to set me on the path towards Intelligent Horsemanship. He had as big an impact on the way I work with horses as any I have met. And that's why '100 Helpful Hints from Holistic Horse Help' will be dedicated to Donald.  I owe him a debt of gratitude, and only wish that he could be here with me now for me to repay it. 

Is your horse's girth causing him pain?

Is your horse's girth causing him pain?  Read on for one reader's experience:

Hi Sue,
 
I just wanted to give you some feedback.  A few months ago you mentioned the new Team GB girth from Fairfax.  After looking into it, I subsequently bought one for my GP saddle, which I probably use more than my dressage saddle (I couldn't afford both at once!).  The symptons I was hoping to alleviate were:
 
- girthiness when tacking up - eg grumpy face, chewing the door/wall, which had progressed over time to lifting a back leg on about 50% of occasions
- slightly shorter stride than you might expect from a horse of her size/conformation
 
I had of course had regular saddle checks, chiro and physio visits over the years from trusted professionals, drawing attention to these symptons and also discussing your articles, to try and rule out any other cause.  With retrospect, it sounds obvious that just about the only thing I hadn't looked into was the girth - though to be a bit fairer on myself, none of the professionals had suggested looking at the girth either I suppose.  (It turns out that my saddlers - Saddle Doctors/Mike Norton etc, I think you know them - had designed a girth the same shape years ago, although it doesn't have the Prolite edge)
 
The difference the girth has made is both dramatic and immediate: although there is still a bit of displacement chewing, overnight there are no more grumpy faces or lifting of the back leg - ever. The effects also seem to have transferred in part to my dressage saddle & girth, in that there are reduced symptons whilst girthing.  I will still get a new girth for that saddle as soon as I can though).  She also feels to be moving much better, in particular in her trot stride - although I have to say I am also doing some RWYM training which helps that plus due to the weather she is unfortunately being kept in more which makes her more forward in the school, so it's probably a combination of all those factors.
 
So purely on the positive effects it has had on her comfort, I would like to say a big "thank you" for your regular updates, and for continually prompting people to think about how we can do things better.   We have to keep reminding ourselves that there is always a reason for a particular behavior  (& my poor L had no other way of telling me her girth was painful - and being a little Monty Roberts horse it must also have been distressing her mentally to have to act in a "negative" way around us humans), and there is no excuse for just "putting up" with something.
 
Kind regards,

K