Navicular

Bri

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After nerve-blocks and x-rays the vet has discovered significant damage to my 4 year olds navicular bones in both front feet. She commented that it was the sort of wear and tear she expected to see in a teenage/20 something horse. He's off to have an MRI to check for colateral ligament damage, and in the meantime I am trying not to cry, because it looks like his ridden career may well be over (before it's really even begun) :(

Just wondering if anyone else has experience of navicular in such a young horse? Or even in older ones? How do you manage it? And how much has it limited what your horse can do?
 

Munchkin

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I had a 5yo warmblood with very severe navicular in both feet. He had Tildren injections (but it was while they were on trial only, so he was in horsepital for ten days having a very steady dose, which I'd prefer). Prognosis was that he may come sound enough to be a light hack.

Within the year he was back hunting and BSJAing. He's 12 now and is in a hunting home, doing dressage over the summer.

He had a "top up" after 18 months but with NB shoeing and good management he's been fine ever since, not a day's lameness.

Don't give up on yours yet. There are very mixed reviews about Tildren but I had nothing to lose.
 

Farma

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Hi there - i have had this experience - in short i bought my mare at 6 months - she was diagnosed after intermitent lameness at about 7 years old - i was advised to pts or have as a field ornament - i decided to keep as a field ornament and turned her out for a few years - with the help or wedge pads she is now sound (or pretty damn close to) I bought her back a few years ago now and never looked back - she is in full ridden work and i have even done long distance rides on her.
The only limitations i notice is that stoney ground is a no-no as are steep downhill slopes and i only jump on a surface or soft ground and only now and again.
All horses cope differently but dont dispair - my mare is 15 now and doing amazing and honestly i forget sometimes she even has it.
 

Bri

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Thank you both. That's really helped to hear some success stories!

Munchkin - I've just googled Tildren, that's really interesting and obviously worked amazingly for your horse. Mine was bought to hopefully SJ, so hearing that yours manages to after a navicular diagnosis is a relief!

Have you had to do anything differently with regards to managing them?
 

Munchkin

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He was on box rest for 8 weeks after treatment, then shod with egg bars for a while. Gradually switched to natural balance and stuck with them.

I don't have him anymore, but did for 6 years after treatment. Other than being a bit obsessive about jumping him on firm ground (which is no bad thing!) I did nothing else differently. He was effectively "cured." The vets said there is still a lot they don't understand about navicular but they suspected that when it happened in a young horse like that, it was probably a genetic predisposition and was triggered by something (e.g. him being sat back on his heels too much as his feet grew in shoes with front clips, meaning the heel/pastern axis wasn't aligned correctly).
 

Bri

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Yes, my vet was only concerned by it because he was too young really to be showing that sort of damage. She mentioned it possibly being degenerative, but couldn't be more conclusive until he has the MRI. She also found what she thinks is likely to be OCD in the fetlock joint so it's not looking too positive poor boy :(
 

soloequestrian

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If you search navicular on here, particularly in the vet section, you'll find a lot of information on barefoot. Have a look at Jaime Jackson's stuff - in one of his books he says that navicular is purely a condition of shod horses. Robert Bowker and Pete Ramey are also very interesting, and cptrayes on here.
 
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