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Discussion on Sudden head flinching
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Member:
Lsweeney
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 1, 2005 - 7:24 pm:
Took my Friesian mare out today. Every so often she would throw her head sideways, like she had been poked in the ear. I ride in a hackamore, and she does not toss her head from riding equipment. She does have a lot of hair, so I checked to make sure that the bridle wasn't pulling or pinching her anywhere.
Throughout the ride, she would do this jump to the side, and fling her head to the side, like I had just pricked her with a pin, inside her left ear. The behavior was as if she thought I was going to hit her with a crop upside the head, and only on one side.
I checked the inside of her ear, which she wasn't thrilled about, but couldn't feel any foreign object or tick. She has very thick fur and I don't shave her ears, so they are somewhat protected. We do have ticks, though.
I still thought it might be the wind, excitement, the blustery day, and maybe the bridle. Got back home, took all of her tack off, and fed her. She did it again while she was eating.
So, any ideas? It looks like an inner ear thing. Her eye looks fine on that side. No sign of injury. She just had her teeth floated about a month ago. I had her sedated, so he should have been able to do a good job.
She is fine otherwise. Could barely handle her on the trail, prancing, and feeling very good.
It looks like a very sharp, nervy kind of pain that she is dealing with.
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Member:
Redmare
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 1, 2005 - 10:13 pm:
Hi Laurie-
If this continues you should call your vet. Ticks can get very deep into the ears and cause problems. It can also be another type of foreign body or infection -- my friend's horse exhibited this behavior and he turned out to have a severe infection deep in the ear, not visible from the outside.
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Member:
Lsweeney
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 2, 2005 - 1:13 pm:
Thank Redmare. This was my feeling as well.
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Member:
lsweeney
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Posted on Monday, Sep 3, 2007 - 2:04 pm:
Update - So do you want to know what I think this was? I think this was her cramming her head between the fence into where the hay was kept, and wrenching her neck. We have put plywood so that she can't get her head through the fence, and I haven't seen it again.
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Member:
ilona
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Posted on Wednesday, Sep 5, 2007 - 8:58 pm:
What a great update, a reminder to all of us to always be aware of our horses environment. My local vet (Dr. O is my "not-local" vet  ) very aptly said 'if there is trouble a horse will be sure to find it'.
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Member:
dove2
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 6, 2007 - 6:29 am:
However, I recently had my gelding throw his head sky-high when I went to bridle him. I thought he was just being resistant, although he'd always stood beautifully for bridling. It also happened when I unbridled him. I called the vet, she sedated him - because there was no way he'd let anyone touch his left ear, and the vet pulled off a tick. It wasn't very far inside the ear, but was at a point where the ear could bend, so apparently very painful for the horse.
The funny thing about this was, that he kept protecting that ear for several more days until he realized it didn't hurt any more. He was fine for about 5 days, then started the head-rearing again. I thought he had gotten another tick lodged in there, but after the vet inspected it, stated it was the residual reaction and protection from the memory of the pain. It took another 4 or 5 days before he stopped his head rearing. Who knew one tick could cost me in excess of $200?!!
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