We have two queries sent in by Stabletalk readers.

"Head Shaker" and "Bad in Traffic"

Head Shaker
Alison emailed us with her problem:
When Itry to put on my horses head collar he throws his head in the air and wont let me fasten it. Once its fastened he shakes a few times then he's ok. This is done also in the stable, and also when I try to put on his bridle. He started this about three months ago. I have had him three years now and never had this problem before. He is a thirteen year old TB.

Fiona Lace, BHS II replies:
This type of head shaking can have many causes. One possibility is sharp teeth, which are catching the inside of the horse's cheek causing pain when the cheek is touched by either headcollar or bridle. An abscess on a tooth could have the same effect. On both cases a vet or horse dentist should be consulted.

Another possible reason could be a head injury, which has caused bruising or internal damage and infection without breaking the surface of the skin. In this case there is probably nothing to see but you may be able to feel heat or swelling or find the sight of injury be testing for pain. A consultation with the vet would be indicated. Carefully check the fitting and the cleanliness of the bridle and headcollar because either of these could have started to rub the horse's head and caused pain.

Horses can sometimes become sensitive around their ears due to infection in their ear or ear mites or even because there is something stuck in their ear (i.e. Hay seed or piece of shaving). Again a visit from the vet would be indicated. With some careful investigation you should be able to solve the problem.

Bad in Traffic
Tracy emailed us with her problem:
Until about 18 months ago my horse was brilliant in traffic, in fact other people used to ride out with me specifically because my horse would be a calming influence on theirs. However, a couple of oncoming cars went past us going too fast and he suddenly started panicking whenever oncoming cars approached us.

He now whips round into the hedge side just as the car is passing and either backs into the road or shoots back the other way. I wondered if maybe he was picking up on my anxiety but I asked a couple of friends to ride him out and he did exactly the same with them. I have tried riding him forward but it makes no difference, the only way I can ride him on the roads safely is to turn him in the opposite direction so that the car passes him from behind.

Please, please help as he is a really lovely horse in every other respect and does well at our riding club events. He is a 16.1hh 10yr old thoroughbred gelding and I am a 29yr old who has been riding since I was 3.

Fiona Lace, BHS II replies:
This is very unfortunate but it does happen a lot to horses because the roads are becoming busier and everyone is trying to get where they are going more quickly and driving faster.You should be able to get your horse over this problem but you have to remember that a horse's confidence is easily lost, but takes a long time to regain, so be patient!

I would suggest that you only hack out with another horse that is good in traffic for the time being. Get the rider of the quiet horse to try to slow down all traffic particularly oncoming traffic but ask him to stand still, well into the edge of the road. Get the quiet horse to stand next to and slightly in front of your horse. In this way you can teach your horse that it is safe to face up to oncoming traffic. It would be a good idea to invest in plenty of reflective clothing as this does help to slow down the traffic. By this I mean, reflective rug and boots for the horse and reflective tabard and hat for the rider.
Good luck and be patient!

fiona@stabletalk.co.uk

Return to contents