Does a toe first landing always mean navicular/pain somewhere?

[maya2008]

Looking at an older pony - front hooves definitely land toe first (shod), sometimes also jumps short and struggles with spreads /logs (small pony so they are super tiny). Not great at turning corners but that’s not unusual in a kids’ pony.

 

[sbloom]

Almost always heel pain afaik. It causes compensation all across the body so you'll need a team approach - saddle, bodyworker, trainer etc, to start unpicking it, it's not as simple as simply improving the feet in most cases. And not easy with small ponies as part of the solution will be getting him off the forehand.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Agree with above its normally heal pain and can be soft tissue damage rather than bone in some cases.

One of my horses had mild changes in the navicular bone but I think the main issue was inflammation of the bursa, I took his shoes off so his barefoot now and has been sound since he was treated in 2016.

 

[Cragrat]

Thrush is a very common cause, and sadly many farriers seem oblivious. The central sulcus should really be no more than a few mm deep. Any more and there is a good chance there are bugs in there, and also tenderness.