David,

I owned Tex for about half a year with no headshaking issues at all. Then right before the New Year’s he started almost overnight signs of head shaking. I went down the usual path, teeth float, fly mask with ears covered, more fly spray and swat, etc.

I would witness progress but then, it would come back. We even had arthritis in his neck diagnosed which is there, but after a chiropractic session, he saw results with better range of motion, but then, the head twitching started again. A friend was helping me research what the chiropractor mentioned could be “headshaking”, which I had never heard of! Once I learned more and started tracking the weather and sunlight, it became clear that while he does have arthritis, did need a float, the photic sensitivity he has developed suddenly seemed spot on with everything I read about headshaking syndrome. He also started becoming hypersensitive to movements, sounds and scared easy. He would sometimes not want me to catch him. This was a complete change from the relaxed, calm and sweet horse I had owned the past 6 months. Also, I got him in June in Texas. He did not have symptoms then or I would have seen them. This developed 6 months later. Another reason this syndrome is so mysterious and frustrating to diagnose. I quit riding him because I could tell he was so agitated and even in pain. He would get upset to the point he was starting to rear, pace and shake his head so hard I could not control him. It could be dangerous.

Several of the research articles I read online, mentioned the “Guardian Mask” after spending money (that I don’t consider a waste because he needed a float and I do know he has arthritis that could be an issue as he gets older), I figured this would be worth it to try after reading many testimonies on your site.

I researched the site for the product and found the phone number was the same area code I lived in. I called and David answered and talked to me for 30 minutes! I felt I had found a support group leader for this odd syndrome that is such a mystery. David was pretty confident that the symptoms Tex had are classic head shaking and he knows a lot about it after working with so many confused and stressed out owners looking for a solution for the beloved horses. I ordered it right away and crossed my fingers.


Tex has now been wearing his mask for 3 weeks and we are seeing 85% improvement on cloudy days and 50% improvement on sunny days which is major. He does not stand in the corner of his stall twitching. He also comes right up to me, again instead of not wanting to be caught. I have also started to ride him again. I’ve ridden 3 times in one week! I went ahead and ordered the bridle guardian mask which fits better for riding. It works just as well as the standard for his symptoms. While I am still going to need to pursue some additional medical treatment and there are several options to help him during the summer, I do believe the mask has been a successful in helping him decrease his symptoms and more importantly his pain. I will be sending another update in a few months as I continue to find the best treatment to compliment his mask.
If anyone else has a similar story, I strongly encourage the guardian mask.