My Boy and #@##!! Head Shaking Syndrome

For the first time since last July 2011, I'm starting to have hope again that I may, in fact, still have my horse Cowboy as a trail riding partner.

The very knowledgeable and astute Kate, from A Year With Horses, first threw out the term Head Shaking Syndrome after reading a list of symptoms I'd posted.  I'd never heard of it.  At first I didn't even take it seriously.  All I could think was that an ill-behaved horse also throws its head around.  Was I dealing with misbehavior....or a real thing?

In fact, it was a real condition--and nothing to take lightly.  After seeing Cowboy thrashing at his own face one day, I was struck to the core about how serious an issue it really was and, I was soon to find, impossible to cure.

(A very disturbing video of Cowboy at his worst.)



This blog became a real depressing place to hang out as I alternated between false hope and despair.  I almost lost all interest in horses--something I see now as part of the process of letting go of Cowboy--depressing my emotions for him, but also depressing them for the others.  I had to let go, but not say good-bye and, in many ways, it was worse than him dying.

I'm glad I did (let go of him) because even now things are uncertain and it was time to move forward with my other horses--no matter the outcome.  And, I'm doing that--Cia is off to training tomorrow and I have a new plan of action with Beautiful's saddle-training which I'll talk about in an upcoming post.  Hint: It has to do with a Julie Goodnight technique.)

Two months ago I started a wonderful new treatment with Cowboy--TTouch--which I've talked about ad nauseum since then.  He had reached a point of frustration.  His broken-but-healed-front coffin bone-displaced-into-the-coffin-joint was showing minor signs of arthritis (last spring's x-ray) and he was often standing with that foot placed out in front of him.  Also, when his symptoms were at their worst and he was still being tied up, saddled and ridden (due to my ignorance falsely assuming it was largely behavioral), he worked himself up, for good reason, and became a more high-strung, reactive horse.

TTouch helped me bring him back down and work from his calm, non-reactive mind and it did wonders for his body.  Since we started I haven't seen him stand with his foot out once--not one time.  (Fingers crossed).  Today we had a horrible wind/rain/snow storm and all the horses were batty, but I haltered Cowboy with his TTouch nylon halter (light touch) and he walked out of the stall as docile as a kitten and let me do all  my crazy TTouch work--shoulder, face, mouth, ears, tail, legs--without a bleep.  He was Mr. Cool.

Yet, on the two sunny days we've had this spring, I saw him tossing his head again out in pasture.  It was that vertical jerking that we all now know as Head Shaking Syndrome.  For that reason, he is now stalled most of the day and on sunny days will wear his Guardian Mask with the big goggly eyes which block out 90 percent of the sun's rays.  Makes me think Cowboys and Aliens!  (picture coming soon.)  TTouch did not cure his HSS, but I do think it treated many of the symptoms--elevated fear, tight muscles, and overall pain.

By now you're probably wondering why I started this post so optimistically.  Well, the answer is because my veterinarian did some research and found that carbemazepine (anti-seizure meds) in conjunction with cyproheptidine (anti-histimine) have reduced symptoms in 88 percent of head shakers by 80-100 percent.  It's not a cure, but sure has shown some promise for helping them live better lives.  My husband says that the carbemazepine is also used in humans and can cause drowsiness, which may be why my veterinarian says it should be administered 6 hours before a ride.

This is going to be extremely time-consuming.  The meds have to be administered 3x per day during the spring, summer and fall, which is quite a time commitment and there is no guarantee how long it will work, if it works at all, since horses and humans can develop a tolerance.  Still, it's given me something to hope for.   Now it's just a matter of waiting for the meds to arrive and getting him on the program and wearing his space alien mask.

And though I have high hopes, I'm moving way ahead with my other horse's training.  It really is a new chapter...no matter what happens.

***My blog posts were few and far between after Cowboy showed his severe symptoms.  I was just reading over them and realized I hadn't even responded to many of your extremely kind comments back then.  Thank you so much for stopping by to cheer me up even if I was completely checked out mentally and emotionally.  Here and here.

Keeping Him Going

I didn't get my TTouch session today; the practitioner wasn't feeling well.  A couple of friends did come over, though, so it was a fun day anyway, and the practitioner is going to try to make it over tomorrow morning, if she's feeling better.

Yesterday, in the pasture, I did notice that Cowboy was doing a little of the involuntary head bobbing and his ears were down in a look I identify with discomfort.  Now that the days are getting longer and there's more sunshine, I have to be proactive in my plan from last fall.  I'm going to call my vet tomorrow and discuss medication, and I'm going to order his darkening mask.  I've already separated him out into a stall during the day.  I'm going to go out in a few minutes and release him for the night.  I want him out as much as possible, so I'll start there and see how he does.

I love this horse so much, I've decided as long as he's happy I'll do whatever it takes to keep him going.  He's an important part of my life, and he has such a great personality--a real entertainer and sweetheart.  I have to do anything and everything I can to keep him from getting much worse; basically, I need to keep him from becoming a danger to himself and others.   

Oddly, I'm starting to dread the end of winter and beginning of spring.  

Our Herd Takes a Run With Their Neighbors (Video)

The sun is out, the temperatures are headed up, and the herd is feeling feisty!  Here's a little video of them running together, and with the neighboring herd, and a little of Beautiful being the sweet-brat she is.    Even Red, our 31 year old, is getting in on the running action!

My TTouch practitioner called me this morning to check-in.  With the weather getting warmer this week, it's the perfect time to do another session with emphasis on the leg work.  She's coming over Thursday for three hours--two for me and one for any of my horse friends who want to do a hands-on clinic.  I'm excited!

You can see in the video that sometimes Cowboy favors his bad side (rather than foot).  However, since I started TTouch, he hasn't stood with it out in front of him at all.  I think the getting out and running and rolling is going to help him strengthen those muscles and align his frame.

Cia, my filly, is going to my trainer April 1st, so I'm going to have the practitioner assess her and give me a program to work on until she leaves.  She said it's GREAT preparation for them before they go into training.

Hope it's sunny your way!

Christmas Card With Bloopers

You'd never guess how much work and play goes into getting one good shot!  Here are the rest of the photos from this morning--a little grooming, a little loving, a little mischief, a little fear of candy canes!

Merry Christmas!

What is the "Least" Amount

Yesterday was the start of Beautiful's summer training. It was a windy day, lots of clanging and banging, which made it a perfect time to kind of see where she's at right now after having been released with the herd for the last few months. Quite honestly, I didn't know how she'd take being separated from them or even if she'd let me catch her. I went out to the pasture with a completely blank slate.

Of course, she was on the farthest end of the 20 acres with our herd and the neighbor's herd when I decided to get her. Cowboy saw me coming and started walking away; I passed him. (He looked shocked and later that evening came running to me when I went out for evening barn lock-down. I've got to shun him more often.)

Beautiful looked shocked, too. She didn't know what I was there for, but she didn't want to leave the herd, so she walked away from me as well. In my mind I'm thinking, Least amount. Least amount. If it came to chasing her around 20 acres, I'd lose. So, I got as quiet (inwardly) as I can get, spoke to her and raised my hand to her, and she stopped and let me approach and pet her all over with the rope. I took my time, but I didn't hide the lead and halter. I let her see it so she'd know my intention, no tricks or bribes, and I used it to rub all over and under her.

This almost always works for me. I think it's better than going right to their face with the halter which seems to shock them a bit and can make them move those feet. If the feet start to move before they're haltered, you pretty much lose your horse.

She relaxed and let me halter her and then she followed me nicely through the pasture gates, into the barn, and out to the arena with the others whinnying behind her.

Her mind was with the herd, which she couldn't see from the arena. Her ears were tuned into them and, as you know, where they're tuned in, their head and bodies will follow. I asked her for some yielding, then some moving out, and she did pretty good, but at some point decided the game was over and came to a stop. As I tried to get her to move out again, she started backing up--not out of any confusion, but as a way of communicating to me that she was done.

One thing I have to say for her is that she is a good-tempered horse. Nothing she does is mean-spirited. She had a nice eye and was real gentle and pretty calm considering it was loud and windy and she couldn't see her family. She really was trying to communicate with me, and you could see she was plainly invested in our relationship, even though the herd relationship was more vital to her.

I shortened the rope and had her move out in tighter circles and we continued on as normal until we were done. I also roped around her as she stood, "cinched" her up, threw about %25 of my weight on her from both sides and led her around some barrels. When I was done, I took her back and released her into the pasture.

Assessment:

Beautiful is more confident than she used to be. She's also more mature. Being with the herd has done her good. She didn't rear up once, kick out or buck. There was a difference in her eye, too. Used to, she would get a glassy eye where you had a hard time telling where she was mentally. When we adopted her and she was scared to death, it was the first thing I noticed. Whenever she was scared, I'd see it again, but not yesterday. Her eyes were always open and thinking--you could see "her" there. I can't tell you how much more confidence that gives me in moving forward from here. She's at a good point.

Week One Goal:

My goal for this week is simple. She's herd-bound, as she should be considering she's been running with them for months and doing little else. I want to see her move comfortably in and out of the herd, though, and do her work. I want her attention fully on me.

There are several ways to accomplish this goal, but I'm looking for the least amount to get the desired result. I could separate her from them from here on out and take her in and out for training. Lots of people do that, I've done that, and it works--although it does cause her to be pretty stressed for about three days, and I really don't want to stress her if I don't have to.

So, I'm going to try something new. I'm going to separate her from them for work each day and gradually increase the time she's away from them and see if I don't get the same result with less stress--maybe even in the same amount of time. I guess you could say it's an experiment to find out what is the least amount.

The things I want to do while she's separated are the same things I did last night plus getting her comfortable with the curcingle, blanket and saddle, my weight, ropes around her feet and all over her body, trailering, more work with the clippers and giving her a good bath. That will be a good start to our week.

Today I'm heading out on the trails. It's windy again, but I have several friends and my daughter who are ready to explore, so we'll be doing that in the morning, working BG in the afternoon. Hey, I get to try out my new Cashel riding mask! Pictures later.

Another note on Buck Brannaman, as he makes his rounds to promote the movie, he appeared on The David Letterman Show last night. Here's a link. You have to fast forward to about 26 minutes in to see his interview, but it's wonderful. A nice guy who understands horses and humans and the whole concept of doing the least amount and not getting emotional. And, of course, since it's David Letterman, there are a few laughs, too.



This is a horse hair bracelet which was made for me. It's from the hair of my colt (Cowboy's nephew who I'd raised and trained) who died from colic four years ago. I saved his hair for just this thing and finally got it done. It was only $30.00. If you want her information, let me know. I had her keep the hair unseparated like it was in real life. When I saw it, I couldn't believe how much it looks like his tail. A sad memory, but at least I get to carry him next to me in some physical way now.