Navicular advice please

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Mega

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Hi I've never been on this forum before I mainly use the breeding forum but I am hoping that you guys will be able to help me.
I know a horse that has just been diagnosed with navicular in both front feet. He is only six years old but apparently the vet has said there is no hope for him.
I have read that navicular can be treated in many different ways and recently I read that by that you left trimming and turning out 24/7 you can avoid a navicular syndrome.
What are your opinions on this? I would hate to think this was the end of the road for such a young horse.
Thanks x
 
If it's the end of the road for this horse due to navicular then I'll eat my hat.

I would recommend you look at this Blog http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.com/
Put Navicular in the search and read till you fall asleep.

This is a horse from my yard who is now competing again. He was 6 at the time.
http://www.progressivehorse.co.uk/html/shoko.html

There are many horses who were 'written off' by the vets who have gone back into full time work by being rehab'd barefoot.

The horse needs the input from a good trimmer with experience of rehab ing navicular horses and the owner needs to be prepared to make dietry and management changes where necessary in order to help the process.

Rehab ing barefoot is not about removing the shoes and turning out in the field. If done properly the horse could be back in work in a couple of months.
 
Here we go again! Navicular is often diagnosed when the vet doesn't know what else is causing the problem - hence so much 'syndrome' about. Often these horses can go on to have full working lives - it just needs proper management.
Have lost count of the number that have come here with the same diagnosis. All ahve gone bck to working lives.
 
That's great news, I bred him so am keen to help the owner get him back on the right track. I'll get reading!
 
Yes do get reading up and researching, the links Oberon has given are a great place to start and they will lead you onto other sites / places of info..
I had a 6yo come to me after he had been diagnosed with navicular (by MRI), the first thing I noticed was that his front legs were less than straight, once we'd altered his diet and given his feet some time to grow in their own way (rather than have 'balance' inflicted on them) his legs started to look less wonky, his feet grew into a shape that was a million miles from the text book BUT he was sound.
I do think that horses that become lame like this at such a young age are just examples of horses for whom someone else's version of balance and symmetry are catastrophic! They need to be listened to and allowed to grow feet which work for their own body.
Good luck on your journey, its a whole new world and isn't always plain sailing but your horse will thank you for it. :)
 
Mega said:
Hi I've never been on this forum before I mainly use the breeding forum but I am hoping that you guys will be able to help me.
I know a horse that has just been diagnosed with navicular in both front feet. He is only six years old but apparently the vet has said there is no hope for him.
I have read that navicular can be treated in many different ways and recently I read that by that you left trimming and turning out 24/7 you can avoid a navicular syndrome.
What are your opinions on this? I would hate to think this was the end of the road for such a young horse.
Thanks x
Click to expand...

Yes that's what the vets at one of the country's top hospitals told my friends three months ago. After a month in barefoot rehab the horse was sound and continues sound. Apparently his navicular bones are so damaged that there is little hope of him ever working properly again. Luckily, nobody appears to have told him that :)

I also did a very severe long term lame navicular rehab last year and he has now been sound over 16 months in VERY full work, which has included winning classes at National shows and jumping.

I will be next in the queue behind Oberon to eat my hat if your friend's horse can never work again, with one proviso. If it has bone spurs interfering with the action of a joint anywhere it may not come right. This is the only barefoot rehab failure I have been close to, but the horse came sound in the foot without the spur. In fact it came sound in the paddock on both fronts, but could not cope with work on the spurred one :(
 
well the horse is only 6, take the shoes off and let down for the winter. time and mother nature is a very good heeler. 6 months on your horse's feet will look different. trim regularly.pick up in the spring and get your farrier to see the changes. time is your saviour.not a barefoot convert some do good some dont, but a good farrier is a godsend.
 
I can't think of an instance where I'd continue using the same farrier when a serious condition relating to hoof balance had developed under his or her care. I would seek a remedial farrier (if I was into using farriers, which really I'm not) and a good barefoot trimmer, and get opinions for both. There is a ton of information on the web about recovery from "navicular" using barefoot trimming, and actually a lot on here if you use the search function.
 
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