Life’s journeys when dealing with horses is a long and interesting winding road. Let me bring you up to date with Part 3 in the personal saga of me trying to resolve my beloved Jeremy’s enigmatic headshaking affliction.

Just over 12 months ago I purchased Bloomfield Vision — or actually, he found me when I walked past his yard and he demanded I pay him some attention. I certainly have paid him a lot attention, I can assure you, since I purchased him. Jeremy, as he is known, is without doubt the most beautiful horse and greatest character that I’ve ever had. It’s a shame he come along at my tender age of 70!

Unfortunately, a short while after purchasing him he developed chronic headshaking. It was in the middle of winter, and he became unrideable. It was a distressing situation for us both. But I decided to take the challenge on and go down that rabbit warren no-one wants to go down with headshaking.

Jeremy has me scratching my head (Part 1) – Equestrian Life, August 2023

Heads up for my headshaker (Part 2) – Equestrian Life, January/February 2024

“I decided to take the
challenge on and go down
that rabbit warren.”

To recap the early attempts at diagnosis, he was scoped several times:
• Head x-ray
• Sinus x-ray
• Neck x-ray
• Ears and eyes checked
• Teeth and jaw checked
• Bloods done to ascertain inflammatory markers
• Physiotherapy assessment
• Every combination of bit and bridle and nosebands (or none) were tried
• Net and eye mask tried

The treatments attempted:
• Nebulisers with several combinations of drugs anti-inflammatories and corticosteroids
• Cortisone injections
• Anti-allergy drugs
• Antihistamines
• Nasal sprays
• Several remedies including pastes from overseas

None of the above diagnostic attempts or treatments made any difference to his affliction. As a physiotherapist and having to deal with him and ride him — or attempt to — it was very obvious that it was a super sensitivity around his nostrils and face.

The wonderful equestrian and horseman Tristan Tucker, after reading my first article, became interested and suggested I use a cranio-sacral therapist and I managed to find one a few hours away. She treated Jeremy every few weeks and definitely helped him considerably… of course, to be logical and to stand back and try and piece this together, it’s hard to put your finger on the good results and why. It was a change of season to spring, and we all thought that it would get worse, but absolutely not.

WHY? Was it seasonal? Was it diet-related? Was it the treatments? Was it no lucerne? Was it…? Was it…? Was it…?

When it came to riding him, I used different bridles to see if the pressure areas affected the shaking. He hated the Micklem bridle and nosebands seemed to irritate. No noseband seemed to help, but Jeremy would open his mouth wide and cross his jaw, and as a consequence this and the associated lack of stability in his carriage made it difficult. He objected to the dropped noseband, the drop section on the Hanoverian, and the figure eight – all of which were never done up firmly, to allow movement. I started with the cavesson and had it loose, and Jocelyn West, a great bit fitter, came and watched me working him. He always sucked back behind the contact and never wanted to go into the bit and hold any contact. She realised that he needed a bit that gave tongue relief – and being regal as he is, Jeremy preferred the titanium one that was so smooth and tasteless. And so that’s what we, used and he was happiest in this.

I always lunged him first prior to riding. His instinct was always neck up and backward. I started with triangle reins to encourage him to try and stretch the neck down and forward. This was where the cranio-sacral therapist wanted him, as his neck was weak and his back hollow. The more he got into the work, the better he became, and I didn’t want him to think that it was me on top that was causing his discomfort.

I could watch carefully his actions and reactions and when he stretched it was associated with strong snorting, like clearing his nose. If this snorting didn’t alleviate his worry, he would stop and rub his nose and the side of his mouth on his leg, which I allowed him to do. When he felt comfortable, off he would go, and the more into the work and the time, the fewer the stops.

When I saw him start to relax over the back and swing, and saw a relaxation mentally, I would get on and start riding. I always focused on him following my body language and plenty of bending and moving off my leg, as if he became too much against the hand he would hate it and I believe this irritated his face, and to get away from it he would cross his jaw. I let this go and encouraged him to be comfortable, whatever it took. He needed to work out a way to move and de-stress the triggers.

“Each day is a new one and
a challenge, but it’s a journey
that truly inspires me.”

SLOW BUT REWARDING

I had no time constraints and we both needed to try and learn to live with the problem and not let it bother either of us. For me it was frustrating at times but so wonderful to get results… slow but so rewarding.

I love this horse. He is the kindest and most beautiful of all. That is in the eye of the beholder! Perhaps I’m stable-blind, but at nearly 71 with spinal fusions, new knees and wrecked wrists, to me Jeremy is an inspiration for my every day. Each day is a new one and a challenge, but it’s a journey that truly inspires me.

I was happy to not ride any more as my body was screaming. I have had amazing horses and was happy to end it on a good note. My last horse, Amerigo, was super special and I took from a three-year-old to Grand Prix and it was a great culmination of my experiences.

When Jeremy stopped me that day as I walked past him, he filled my heart again and he was in my eyes too beautiful and his character gentle yet proud and I wanted him no matter what. He had found me. Of course, a four-year-old horse and a 70-year-old rider is the ideal situation – NOT!

Then to become a headshaker was devastating, but a challenge I have taken on with all my positivity. There is no end of people who have been kind in their support, and I can’t thank them enough.

Jeremy wasn’t badly behaved or resistant. I love the horse, his mind, and I have to say I can really listen to him. Now that I can ride and train him, I still listen to him so well. When he starts to get annoyed that he feels a headshake coming on and wants to stop and rub his nose, I ask him to go for a few more seconds. I say, “I hear you, just try and hang on a bit and see if a snort or some other move may alleviate it” as there could be other ways to stop the feeling than rubbing his nose. Sometimes he forgets about it and that’s great, but if he is not getting over the anxiety I then stop and make him stand and then invite him to rub his itchy nose. He does so, takes a deep breath, says thanks and is back to work.

He would never be seen to run around his paddock, he would walk with his head very high in the air stretched up and forward, sort of parallel to the ground. Sometimes he would pull his head in and out as he walked with sharper flicks. Whenever he did trot around or was lunged, being winter the cold air through his nostrils tended (in my opinion) to flare the situation. He would flick his head from his chest forward quite violently and occasionally stamp his foot at his nose.

The days when I would ride him and he became really irritated, he would take me over to the fence and frantically rub his nose and face on the posts. He was scared and I had no control at all. He was truly upset, and he could not focus on training as the irritation was so overpowering. It was not possible to discipline him for what appeared to others to be bad behaviour as it was simply him reacting to the irritation that was unbearable.

I felt so disheartened for him. All I could do was comfort him and get him to realise it was not going to kill him. The more tension, the worse the headshaking became. It was upsetting for both of us and there came a time when there was no point trying to ride him. It was as if he was preparing for a small electrical shock to the side of his head. I felt so sad for him, and I only wished I could work it out.

It was during this time that, with help from those at Caroline Hooper Dressage where he was agisted, we started to look at all the things that may set off an allergic reaction and lead to what I believed was a facial nerve type neuralgia. We looked at his environment from paddock-with-no-stable to stable-with-no-paddock to yard-with-no-grass; we looked at different hay and trying to see if there was some feed source that created this allergic reaction that increased in my mind the inflammatory changes around his nerves in his face.

For sure and certain after all the feed was stripped out of him, we started slowly to build things up with a diet that was recommended that had no lucerne or any green feeds in it. It was basically oaten chaff, oaten hay, micronised barley and a toxin binder (to reduce the toxins in the grass and feed). He had peppermint leaves and Rosehip Vital, and a multi-vitamin supplement, and for sure this was certainly at a time when his headshaking got less and less. There’s no question in my mind that his diet helped settle the situation.

Hate to say it, but I don’t believe there’s a cure for headshaking — it seems to be there all the time and comes and goes. I’m not sure what creates the bad days and what creates good days… don’t I wish I knew! In Jeremy’s case, it’s certainly nothing to do with sunlight. We’ve been through that scenario with masks and working him on cloudy days etc. Keeping him calm, a good routine and plenty of work seems to suit him. If excited and fresh, it’s worse.

Being now totally involved in this interesting problem I have to be honest here about everything I have done. When I know that Jeremy is going through a tough period, in conjunction with a vet I realised that when he became worried about his headshaking, it became worse and worse as I worked him and his concentration was on his affliction and of course when this tension rose the whole cycle snow balled and he was irritated and unhappy – so I would not pursue, and to diffuse it was not easy.

So, what could be done to decrease this anxiety that was easy to control and manag? We decided to use Acetylpromezine as a way to keep him calm and also decrease the sharpness of the nerve conduction. I cannot tell you how amazing it worked. It is a real go-to, but only when needed. I know him so well that if he is going to be worried about his problem and I know this simply from when I catch him and also from the feeling from the previous rides. I don’t want to see him stressed; that’s the bottom line. This minor dose of ‘Ace’ has a major effect, but by the same token I do NOT use it every day, but only when I believe it’s building. The feeding regime and health looks after the rest. The dose is so small (0.15ml to 0.2ml) that many a vet will say it’s of no use, but believe me it is simply a great go-to for the both of us. Ask Jeremy, he will tell you the relief. Of course it is a swabable drug and has a devious name associated with it, as can be used with performance enhancing benefits. It’s not a cure; it is simply relieving the anxiety and he is accepting. It’s a drug that has been used for decades and in the right hands has a therapeutic effect. It is a safe drug with low risk and has great benefits if used in conjunction with vets and logic for the benefit of the horse. Just like people who are claustrophobic about an MRI or dentist phobia, a small dose of sedative simply takes away the anxiety and you don’t escalate with tension, creating more tension. Then you learn to realise that the situation is not so bad. I am amazed, but it’s not a cure. Fortunately I have no hurry to produce a competition horse so the journey is easier! 

THE IMPORTANCE OF GUT HEALTH

It was through a friend who was speaking of Jeremy and his headshaking that Linda from Poseidon Animal Health contacted me in regards to the problems and trials I was having. She was very positive, as were the vets that work with Poseidon, that they would be able to make a good basis for feeding that would hold him in good stead to combat his problem. The horse’s health and wellbeing were utmost in their minds, and they wanted wholeheartedly to be a piece in the jigsaw — and that they have been, albeit a big corner piece!

It was very simply put to me and totally understandable that if a horse doesn’t have a healthy gut, then how can he possibly control and do a good job with inflammatory changes? Poseidon’s products have made an enormous difference, there is absolutely no question. He has never looked so healthy; skin, attitude and putting on weight. He didn’t easily put on weight because he was always a little worried by his tension from his headshaking. Since he has been on their products, I can categorically state that with this great gut health he is now able to keep inflammatory changes better at bay.

You never know what is helping but this was an eye-opener. Linda started him on a daily dose of a product called MetaboLize and after three weeks I have to say that the headshaking had subsided to almost nothing.

However, a few weeks later it all started to come back, and I was shattered. I went through everything and thought, hell! Taking a good hard look through his feeding regime with the wonderful groom at Caroline’s, I was told that the MetaboLize had run out about a week beforehand! They thought it was only for the one bag to use and it was over. I spoke with Linda and Ethan, their vet, and we started him straight back on it, as well as their Stress Paste. I had also been using the Stress Paste on days when I felt the work was going to be difficult or when I was worming him at a new place or if I felt he was stressed for whatever reason, be it from being upset by his surroundings or the headshaking. It was also a clear help. I used it also when a new batch of hay was introduced (oaten only).

To my total relief and Jeremy’s, his headshaking and anxiety subsided to next to nothing within 10 days. Now, if ever there was a positive, it is with that!

While on the additives for his gut health, he is also on Digestive VM, which is a pellet and is a vitamin and mineral supplement that provides essential nutrients, including trace elements, B vitamins, and natural vitamin E. It also supports gut health with prebiotics and postbiotics. He is also on Digestive RP (Recovery and Performance), a powerful gut supplement for performance horses or those recovering from digestive issues. It offers extra support for digestion and muscle recovery, making it great for horses under intense training or stress.

I truly thank Poseidon and their products but also for their keen interest in Jeremy’s welfare. They have been so passionate yet businesslike; facts and figures and no mumbo jumbo. I take PH readings of his manure so they have readings to see what is happening with his gut health and nutrition. It’s all scientific and their research is unending. We are all on the same page of trying to resolve headshaking, and of course a healthy gut and horse is an essential element.

Alongside gut health support from Poseidon, it is logical that any other products that may be introduced for any reason will have a much greater effect due to better absorption.

TRIAL & ERROR, TRIAL & RESULTS  

The research and interest in headshaking is incredible and I hope that I can become wiser and help my horse with his wellbeing. It’s all trial and error — or should I say trial and results. Be observant and try to listen to what your horse’s reactions are telling you. I have also used AXLR8 RESTORE; AXLR8 Equine Therapeutics spoke to me in great detail regarding headshaking, nerve regeneration and the use of this product. As a physio this made sense, but nerve regeneration is long and slow. My feeling with Jeremy is that it’s not disruption to the nervous supply but rather irritation and inflammation. Jeremy’s symptoms lessened when he was started on RESTORE and the biggest problem is knowing what is doing what, and what is coincidence. Of course, as it is with everything else, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what is helping; it’s a combined approach, but the results have been positive.

Jeremy’s schooling is well and truly developing and he is now doing all the elementary work with ease and that’s so amazing. I don’t have any desire to get out and compete as I adore the feeling he gives me every time I ride him (sometimes not the quick, spooky reactions to outside distractions at times, but that’s all horses, especially healthy and happy ones). I love him… he is no slouch and with three crosses of Jazz he is sharp sensible and beautiful… there’s that stable-blindness again!

My worn-out body is inspired back into action and what a delight it is with no pressure of competition or trying too hard to produce a performance horse. Just absolute pleasure in being privileged to have Jeremy now at my back door at Diamond B Farm with Helen Chugg, a great friend and mentor. There is so much positivity and care from an absolute horsewoman who has a wealth of experience. I have truly fallen on my feet again. I’m on a mission and feel great about riding like never before!

Thank you, Bloomfield Vision. 

This article is an account of personal experience and based on anecdotal evidence; it is not intended as health advice. As with any equine health concern, always consult your veterinarian regarding available treatment options for your horse. EQ