Shaking Horse

I have a 5yr old app mare, she is a nice riding horse, but she seems to get itchy under saddle and shakes, sometimes so hard I feel like I'm going to fall off. She gives no warning, just her head getting ready to shake. Is there anything I can do to stop this? I brush her before I saddle her. Anything you can say will be helpful, and I will try anything.

Thanks, Carol

Hi Carol,

Thank you for your question. Has the horse always done this or is it new behavior? Does she continuously shake or does she do it intermittently or after being ridden for a while? Are there any bumps or skin irritation of any sort visible or able to be felt under the saddle area (or anywhere on her body)? Is she bathed on a regular basis and kept appropriately clean? Is her skin too dry? Do you give her coat conditioner (corn, soy, or wheat germ oil)? Sometimes that can help a lot. What is the condition of her coat? This is all important information to sort through. Just off the top some possibilities are; hyper-sensitive skin, allergy to the soap used in the cleaning of the saddle blanket, allergy to the soap she is bathed with or insect bites or some sort or infestation of an insect, perhaps lice (is she around chickens or similar fowl).

Generally, something like this is 'organic' in nature and not behavioral. Please let me know the answers to these questions and we can go from there. Have you consulted a veterinarian to look her over? I look forward to hearing from you.

Aloha, Franklin

I bought her 2 months ago. She wasn't fed grain and her coat was in poor condition. She now gets grain and corn oil in her feed and the coat is shedding because she is getting better care. I haven't bath her yet (too cold). I'm hoping once the dead hair is gone she won't be itchy.  She doesn't shake at first; it's usually on our way back. (after riding awhile) thanks for your reply. Now it's a wait and see.

Thanks again,
Carol

PS. It's nice to have a place to go and get horse help. Thanks

It sounds like she will get better quickly now that you have her with you. Since she does have poor skin condition, it will become aggravated once she sweats up a bit from the riding, which is making her shake. Try a gentle medicated shampoo also and rinse it thoroughly after her bath. Keep me posted. I am interested to know how she does after a bit of time.

You are most welcome. I am here to help.

Aloha,
Franklin Levinson