Navicular syndrome

[bgray1981]

Hi,

I would like people's opinions on their experiences with navicular syndrome and what treatments they've used please. i.e. shoe's on/off, medication etc.

Thank you, really appreciate your time.

 

[Zuzzie]

My experience of having had two horses with navicular was that it cost me a fortune, caused me to retire both horses from competition and then, a year or so later both horses came sound. I am convinced there was probably some soft tissue damage and also questionable foot balance. Then, navicular syndrome was just that - a syndrome, meaning that any change in the navicular bone was blamed for the lameness yet other horses who had similar changes were perfectly sound. This was a few years ago so I can't comment on latest treatments but, if I were in your shoes, I would definitely look to going barefoot and, if you can afford it, send your horse to Rockley Farm for the best barefoot transition money can buy. Go on google and look for Rockley Farm - at best there is a lot of help and information on there.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

In layman terms, I think that navicular syndrome is essentially when a horse stops using its heel properly because it hurts and starts landing toe first which has ripple effects through the foot and up the leg and causes all sorts of ligament/soft tissue damage. Horse continues to be lame whilst landing incorrectly. Various reasons for toe first landing but mainly due to undeveloped digital cushion, thrush infection in the central sulcus, underrun heels etc. Generally occurs more in shod horses as people pay less attention to the foot and the landing in shoes etc.

Once you remove the reasons for caudal heel pain and the horse starts to land heel first, you have dealt with the navicular syndrome. Sounds easy!! Much as people fight it, removing the shoes is the way forwards along with diet & correct conditioning for the foot once the shoes are removed.

 

[scats]

The hooligan has it, advanced in both front feet and found when investigating a tendon injury.

We tried him barefoot and he can't cope without shoes, and believe me, we tried. We tried heel suppport and he was getting the shoes off every 2-3 days and taking half his foot with them. Current set-up goes totally against what you want with navicular in terms of shoeing but works well and horse is sound and in work. He is shod on lightweight and thin shoes, just enough to get his soles off the ground, completely under-run heel so he can't get them off. The vets look at his shoes and shudder, but admit that he is the soundest he's been and what we are doing is obviously working. A few years ago we nearly put this horse down as we couldn't get the navicular under control, now you would struggle to spot what was wrong with him.