Navicular and pointing

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Solar

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For all you who have horses with navicular, when sound do they still point?

What are the feelings on pointing becoming a habit and so not a good indicator of discomfort?
 
My old tb always pointed a foot, he also had one very boxy foot, can't remember if it was that one he pointed or not. I had him 20 years and he never had a days lameness. Think it was just habit for him.. He also had to spread his legs like a foal to eat the grass as his legs were so long!!
 
Solar said:
For all you who have horses with navicular, when sound do they still point?

What are the feelings on pointing becoming a habit and so not a good indicator of discomfort?
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I've seen many come sound from this diagnosis, and no, once they're sound they are completely normal in their stance, they don't create habits, just respond to discomfort.
 
Andalucian, through what means have you seen horses come sound and not point?
Mine has just had tildren and is now on navilox & aspirin.
 
Solar said:
Andalucian, through what means have you seen horses come sound and not point?
Mine has just had tildren and is now on navilox & aspirin.
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Andalucian, I and many, many other people have seen our own and other "navicular" horses come sound with a barefoot rehab. There must be hundreds of us by now riding horses who were write-offs. Check rockleyfarm.blogspot.com for day to day reports of these horses becoming sound. There is one there now who I used to own and he is sound a month after being given an extremely poor prognosis by a leading veterinary hospital on the strength of MRI/scintigrahaph and xrays showing a lot of damage to his navicular bone.

A rehab I took on last year was still unsound after tildren, adequan and HLA and bar shoes but was sound in under 3 months with a barefoot rehab and continues sound a year later in unrestricted full work.

Mine too stopped pointing once they were sound. I suspect your horse may still have achey feet.
 
Thanks cptrayes.

My feeling also was that he is pointing as his feet still hurt, however it has been suggested to me in the past that it may be a habit. I never did really agree with that viewpoint but, being a relative novice, I thought I'd ask.

He only had Tildren less than a week ago and at the same time the trot-up (both straight and on a v. tight circle) showed he was beautifully sound. I have really high hopes that we can keep him sound as he returns to work but the pointing nags at me.
Having said that, the Tildren has not had time to work yet so hopefully the pointing may lessen over the next few weeks as the Tildren takes effect.

I mentioned the Rockley Farm suggestion to my vet and asked whether barefoot rehab was worth considering for him. She isn't overly familiar with the farm or their work so has said she will do some research for me and let me know :)
 
Thanks cptrayes. I'm very glad to hear about G :)

Solar as cptrayes says, barefoot is the method I know to work for horses with Navicular, not failed yet (nearly 7 years now). As far as general advice goes, I'd advise you to trust your feelings/instincts, they are rarely wrong. I firmly believe horses never lie about pain, its there or its not, like flicking a switch. They remember cruelty, sure, but pain, no, once its resolved, they go normally immediately.

To demonstrate this, when vets are diagnosing lameness, they nerve block don't they? When they block out the site of pain, the horse reverts to perfect soundness, which proves my point.

Good luck with him.
 
Solar said:
I mentioned the Rockley Farm suggestion to my vet and asked whether barefoot rehab was worth considering for him. She isn't overly familiar with the farm or their work so has said she will do some research for me and let me know :)
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I doesn't have to be Rockley Farm, any reputable barefoot trimmer can help you through a rehabilitation without sending him away, it depends on your time/facilities. I know many, if you're interested PM me.
 
I just wanted to thank both Andalucian and cptrayes for pointing me in the direction of Rockley Farm and the possibility of barefoot helping with navicular.

This is a new area of information for me and, in fact, my vet! It has been eye opening to say the very least and the more I learn the more I thank goodness I posted on here for advice!

My boy had his shoes off 4 weeks ago and contrary to what I expected he wasn't crippled! He walked back across our stony car park carefully but more in a "my goodness, they're my feet" way, not sore at all! He has gone from strength to strength and now strides across there so confidently that some people didn't even realise he had had his shoes off LOL :p

He has had the lot this year - steroid injections, adequan, tildren, navilox, aspirin, magnetic boots, box rest, remedial shoeing etc. but was still not comfortable.

We travelled him to Rockley on Sunday and into Nics capable hands :) Fingers crossed this will be the turning point for him.

At the very least, taking his shoes off has not adversely affected him in any way whatsoever :)
 
I might be way wrong here, but my navicular (well coffin joint DJD) boy was camped under when he was in pain - placing weight on the toes to relieve the heels. I thought pointing was an indication of toe pain ie laminitis?
 
What great news Solar!! I'lll check the blog for his progress.

Sbloom, pointing is a symptom of heel pain but many horses do it by habit and it means nothing. You need to know the horse. If it stops pointing and then starts again, I'd say that it had a problem which has come back. If it always does it and is sound, ignore it.
 
Good luck Solar (not that you'll need it).

Look forward to hearing about him on the blog.

Very often I feel like giving up posting on here as I get a bit
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but perhaps (after reading your news) I'll carry on
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