California researchers aren’t shy when it comes to managing headshaking in horses. According to a case report published in the Nov. 15 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Jeannine Berger, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, and colleagues from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine wielded their trusty infrared diode laser 84 times in the left eye of a horse and 118 times in the right eye to solve his persistent headshaking problem.

Over the course of a few months the patient, a 15-year-old Standardbred gelding used for competitive pleasure driving, developed episodes of side-to-side and up-and-down head flips and a slight head tilt. The signs began approximately one year prior to the horse’s referral  to Berger.

“The headshaking occurred only when being driven or wearing the bridle, but not while in the stall, paddock, or when being led on a halter,” explained Berger. “The headshaking was so severe that the horse could no longer be driven safely.”

Headshaking can be caused by various physical abnormalities, such as light sensitivity, problems associated with the cranial nerves, tooth abnormalities, guttural pouch infections, ear mites, allergic rhinitis, and behavioral issues, among other triggers. As described in a previous story on headshaking on TheHorse.com, veterinarians and behaviorists have tried a plethora of ways to treat headshaking