Navicular Syndrome Discussion - Do they really come sound?

[tallyho!]

I just wanted to say, diet is paramount. Shod or not. Feed the hoof and the road to recovery will be swift.

It's truly amazing how what a horse eats can change so much about its hooves. There is no magic combination though. Each horse is different in itself and you need to look at the horse in its entirety and not go with what everyone else is doing. However one thing that is clear is that keep the sugars low and the fibre high and rule out any source of infection or illness. It makes such a huge difference.

The thing is, if you have a sound barefoot horse, you have a healthy horse and shoeing a healthy horse is infinitely better than shoeing a poorly one.

 

[wyrdsister]

My horse of a lifetime has navicular. She also has EMS, mild KS & in her history scuppered her SI! The last two have come right & slowly, very slowly, we seem to be getting on top of the other two. The navi & EMS for us feed into each other. She's sugar sensitive, has very thin soles, & if she gets sore tweaks the ligaments in her foot by starting toe first landing again. She's on metformin for the EMS, barefoot so I can see it the second she's not quite right, & works in boots when not in the school. She's on a bf friendly diet too. Tbh, the EMS meds have helped A LOT as she grows better foot now she's on them, much better than without. She works, loves her hacking, & is back doing a bit of novice dressage now & then. She's never going to be my super little competition horse again, but I almost lost her twice & retired her twice for several years at a time so I'm thrilled to have her at all.

Fwiw, she's crippled in shoes. Luckily my vet is eminently sensible & listened when the farrier & I suggested naked feet instead!

 

[Holly7]

Thanks Wyrdsister for your response.

Mags is my horse of a lifetime - she is just amazing so I'm so sad to have this diagnosis, having bred her as well (she was pictures on here when she born with all the foals on the breeding forum - lots of lovely comments) its a real kick in the teeth, but, having read all the useful information and experiences on forums, blogs, published literature and various specific websites, I am learning more and know that is more than just the death sentence for our beloved friends.

Diet is paramount which I know from having an EMS & Cushings & stomach issues horse.

My aim will be to return her to work and even if it only hacking that we end up being able to do, and maybe her having to have time off to repair during her recovery or even when recovered then so be it. I am in no hurry.

Thanks everyone, you have given me lots of food for thought and I no that support is there for when we have dark periods.

Have a great Christmas everybody and to all of our four legged friends too :-0)

xxx

 

[tallyho!]

My horse of a lifetime has navicular. She also has EMS, mild KS & in her history scuppered her SI! The last two have come right & slowly, very slowly, we seem to be getting on top of the other two. The navi & EMS for us feed into each other. She's sugar sensitive, has very thin soles, & if she gets sore tweaks the ligaments in her foot by starting toe first landing again. She's on metformin for the EMS, barefoot so I can see it the second she's not quite right, & works in boots when not in the school. She's on a bf friendly diet too. Tbh, the EMS meds have helped A LOT as she grows better foot now she's on them, much better than without. She works, loves her hacking, & is back doing a bit of novice dressage now & then. She's never going to be my super little competition horse again, but I almost lost her twice & retired her twice for several years at a time so I'm thrilled to have her at all.

Fwiw, she's crippled in shoes. Luckily my vet is eminently sensible & listened when the farrier & I suggested naked feet instead!

Awww she sounds awesome.

I changed a couple of things with my mare recently who had dodgy white lines and toes that ran away very quickly... I also thought she was on a good bf diet but stopping alfalfa and taking her off the straw bed (she ate it) has improved hooves amazingly.

My old boy was also EMS and alfalfa intolerant... not saying yours is but never stop trying new things! You will find an answer that may work for a while.

 

[wyrdsister]

Thanks, DFR. She's on shavings already as she eats the bed otherwise too. I am thinking about taking her off alfalfa, as our next step.

Holly7, best of luck! Just remember that everyone else's story isn't yours & listen to your horse above anyone else. You'll find a way through.

 

[Busybusybusy]

My boy went lame with navicular syndrome 6 months after I bought him in Nov 2012 - I took his shoes off against the vets advice & he went to Rockley for rehab. This was complicated by us finding that he also had kissing spine. He came back from Rockley and had his back operated on the same week. I did a long period of walking him in hand (I think we walked miles) and eventually got on him again at the end of January 2014. Over this year we have done dressage, cross country, show jumping and have done a number of endurance rides. He is an ex racehorse so probably not working as hard as he was previously, but he's certainly doing a fair amount of work, and is ridden 5-6 times per week.

I have found that the diet makes a huge difference, plus movement.

 

[FfionWinnie]

If you are keeping her as a field ornament anyway, you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying it. If you keep them at home could you make a track like they have at Rockley? I've got 4 BF at the moment and one transitioning it's not as hard as you think it will be. All of mine are self trimming, sound, with good strong looking feet. I occasionally rasp off chips but that's it otherwise they keep their own feet how they need them and they are doing long distance hacks and endurance as well as SJ/XC etc.