Owner survey of headshaking in horses.

The research article presents a survey of horse owners to discern patterns and potential treatments for ‘headshaking’ in horses, a syndrome characterized by various visible discomfort behaviors.

Survey Methodology

• This research was executed as an owner survey where owners of horses who suffered from ‘headshaking’ were asked to fill up a questionnaire.
• The survey considered 109 horses in total, of which 78 were geldings, 29 were mares, and 2 were stallions.
• Each of these horses had exhibited some kind of headshaking behavior, the details of which were noted by their respective owners.

Findings

• According to the data collected, the average age at which horses started to exhibit headshaking was 9 years.
• A considerable number, 64 of 109 surveyed horses, showed a seasonal pattern to their headshaking, primarily beginning in the spring and easing off during late summer or fall.
• Common clinical signs among these horses included shaking their head in a vertical plane, acting as if an insect was flying up their nostrils, excessive snorting, and rubbing their muzzles on objects. The syndrome seemed to intensify with exposure to sunlight and improve during the night.

Treatment Responses

• The utility of several treatment methods was explored in the survey, including antihistamines, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, antimicrobials, fly control, and even traditional practices such as chiropractic and acupuncture.
• However, these treatments generally had limited success in mitigating headshaking behaviors.
• A drug named Cyproheptadine showed more promising results, with 43 out of 61 horses showing moderate to substantial improvement after treatment.

Conclusions

• Ultimately, the study concludes that headshaking in horses might have multiple underlying causes. However, there seems to be a subset of horses showing similar sets of clinical signs.
• Signs like vertical head shaking, behavior mimicking an insect in the nostril, and muzzle rubbing on objects are some common indicators.
• The seasonal appearance and worsening symptoms with sunlight exposure typically characterize the syndrome.
• Geldings and Thoroughbreds seem to encounter this problem more.
• Cyproheptadine has emerged as a beneficial treatment method, helping over two-thirds of the treated subjects.