Post by Elaine on Jan 28, 2008 14:47:00 GMT
sore teeth
sore mouth (cuts, bruises, etc)
bit not fitting correctly, causing discomfort / pain
rider pulling reins a lot and horse pulling against rider a lot
feet issues can affect teeth, so maybe feet could also be issue
horse impatient to get going (ie rider gets up and usually moves off quickly so horse pre-empting it)
allergy/sensitivity to pollen, midges, rain, wind, sunlight etc (may be seasonal)
misalingment - prt around the poll / atlas, sinus problems, back pain
neurological problem
Saddle not fitting correctly
Also check the front (browband) is not too short, if it is it pulls the headpiece of the bridle up across the poll and onto the back of the ears causing irritation.
more reasons here too: www.lincoln.ac.uk/dbs/research/headshaking/causes.htm
SOLUTIONS:
1. identify the actual cause, then treat as appropiate.
sore teeth (get dentist)
sore mouth (find out why, rest mouth area, take away cause, be careful when you start using a bit again)
bit not fitting correctly, causing discomfort / pain (change bit)
rider pulling reins a lot and horse pulling against rider a lot (retrain rider & horse)
feet issues can affect teeth, so maybe feet could also be issue
horse impatient to get going (ie rider gets up and usually moves off quickly so horse pre-empting it) (retrain rider!)
allergy/sensitivity to pollen, midges, rain, wind, sunlight etc (may be seasonal) look into ways to manage this
misalingment - prt around the poll / atlas, sinus problems (back / chiro etc type person as appropiate, vet should be able to advise)
neurological problem (vet advice)
Saddle not fitting correctly (refit / change saddle)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you've found the correct solution, behaviour should phase out over time, ie probably won't disappear over night, and may reoccur the odd time, but will gradually leave. The hardest part is to figure out the real cause.
sore mouth (cuts, bruises, etc)
bit not fitting correctly, causing discomfort / pain
rider pulling reins a lot and horse pulling against rider a lot
feet issues can affect teeth, so maybe feet could also be issue
horse impatient to get going (ie rider gets up and usually moves off quickly so horse pre-empting it)
allergy/sensitivity to pollen, midges, rain, wind, sunlight etc (may be seasonal)
misalingment - prt around the poll / atlas, sinus problems, back pain
neurological problem
Saddle not fitting correctly
Also check the front (browband) is not too short, if it is it pulls the headpiece of the bridle up across the poll and onto the back of the ears causing irritation.
more reasons here too: www.lincoln.ac.uk/dbs/research/headshaking/causes.htm
SOLUTIONS:
1. identify the actual cause, then treat as appropiate.
sore teeth (get dentist)
sore mouth (find out why, rest mouth area, take away cause, be careful when you start using a bit again)
bit not fitting correctly, causing discomfort / pain (change bit)
rider pulling reins a lot and horse pulling against rider a lot (retrain rider & horse)
feet issues can affect teeth, so maybe feet could also be issue
horse impatient to get going (ie rider gets up and usually moves off quickly so horse pre-empting it) (retrain rider!)
allergy/sensitivity to pollen, midges, rain, wind, sunlight etc (may be seasonal) look into ways to manage this
misalingment - prt around the poll / atlas, sinus problems (back / chiro etc type person as appropiate, vet should be able to advise)
neurological problem (vet advice)
Saddle not fitting correctly (refit / change saddle)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you've found the correct solution, behaviour should phase out over time, ie probably won't disappear over night, and may reoccur the odd time, but will gradually leave. The hardest part is to figure out the real cause.