melissa
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Post by melissa on Mar 18, 2009 15:24:37 GMT 1
My horse may have navicular. He has just had x rays done and they do show change to the navicular bone, although from what the vet said it wasn't *very* bad, she said she had seen worse (made me feel a little better!). She also said he has flat feet and would benefit from having shoes on in order to lift the heel and take some of the pressure off. I have had him a year and a half (I think) and not had shoes on, he is not ridden as such just the odd potter. Following on from the other navicular thread I would like to know what everyone thinks re shoeing a horse with navicular
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Suz
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Post by Suz on Mar 18, 2009 15:35:08 GMT 1
My opinion would be not to shoe but to get the feet truely balanced by a qualified experienced trimmer. This will aloww the internal structures to function correctly and - again in my opinion(and I am no expert)- give the horse the best chance of being comfortable. This is the route I am persueing with my possibly navicular diease mare
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Post by mandal on Mar 18, 2009 15:38:13 GMT 1
She also said he has flat feet and would benefit from having shoes on in order to lift the heel and take some of the pressure off. hugs to you Melissa... I don't agree with this reasoning I'm afraid, it is adding to poor 'biomechanics' ie. balanced working of the foot. Also if toe first landing is a mjor cause of navicular then I believe it's best to do a balanced trim and make the hoof comfortable enough for her to land heel first which is how over time the foot builds up it's proper structure and strength. Letting the heel grow long is like wearing high heels...think how they make you walk? Melissa for all I write a lot because I want to share what I've learned I am no expert in practical terms. I do know that Sophie my flat footed TB has now got a much more normal looking foot with a decent toe angle and lowish heel, hers are still a bit underrun but getting there which has been achieved mainly with correct trimming to balance the foot and enable it to heal (she had horrendous cracks) and strengthen.
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pd
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Post by pd on Mar 18, 2009 15:39:03 GMT 1
You need good foot balance to cure navicular and yes you do need to grow heels and have a nice short toe. If your horse struggles to grow heels, then protect them from wear by using boots when on hard surfaces.
In my experience horses with feet like this will appear to benefit from being shod in the short term but the problems will recurr three fold after a few months. Do you know how to assess a good balanced foot? If not, get researching now and equip yourself with the knowledge to assess your current farrier/trimmer independently. Trims should be at least 6 weekly with the toe being kept in check maybe even more often.
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Post by sargeant18 on Mar 18, 2009 15:43:11 GMT 1
Hi Melissa,
Sorry to hear of your horse's diagnoses.
One of my t/b geldings was diagnosed with navicular syndrome (small spur of bone pressing on tendon) almost 7 yrs ago, I was mortified at the time.
Had I have known what I do now I would not have kept him in shoes, it helped him short term but am looking at the possibility of going barefoot with him now. He had really underrun heels and a flat foot so I know where you are coming from. I managed to keep him fairly sound and happy for another 4 years riding and then unsoundness and other problems made me make the decision to retire him.
He is rising 20 now and reasonably field sound for him and a happy horse. He was in regular shoes and then eggbars but now wanting to go barefoot with the help of some good barefoot trimmers (name check Ross and Mel Barker).
A friend of mine had her arab written off with navicular a few years ago so took his shoes off as a last resort, several years later he is still going strong under saddle.
Not much help but some ideas of what I have experienced.
Sure someone else will be along soon with more info.
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Post by mandal on Mar 18, 2009 15:43:25 GMT 1
You need good foot balance to cure navicular and yes you do need to grow heels and have a nice short toe. Oh heck now I'm confused! Sophie I know looked like she had no heels but in fact they were under run so needed to be allowed to move to their correct place to give proper support.
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gillmcg
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Post by gillmcg on Mar 18, 2009 15:47:46 GMT 1
Personally I wouldn't do it. Shoes might mask the problem but IMHO won't solve it. Who's trimming him at the moment? I'd show the x-rays to one of the more experienced Equine Podiatrists and take it from there. How old is he Melissa? Most horses would show some bony changes over time. What's his history? Is he in pain/lame? - I guess so or you wouldn't have had the x-rays..doh! Is the vet used to seeing unshod feet - only ask as she may think the heels are low which is why she's suggesting shoes to 'lift' the heel.
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Mar 18, 2009 15:49:28 GMT 1
Thank you all for your posts, its all very interesting.
Hmmmm this is going to be tricky I feel!
I have had 2 vets that have both said shoe him and a friend has just emailed me a link to a fascinating article about navicular and below is a bit about shoeing!
THE foundation for treating any horse showing signs of navicular disease is correct shoeing. I did not say corrective shoeing; it was not a typo. What I meant to say is correct shoeing. This means following the essential tenants of balancing the hooves front to back and side to side. The front of the hoof should be parallel to the line of the pastern and the back of the hoof should be parallel to the pastern.
The most common problem I see in horses suspected of navicular disease is long toes and underrun heels. It has been shown that you can take a normal horse and trim and shoe them in this way and create the signs of navicular disease. To correct the problem the long toe is trimmed away until the front of the hoof is once again parallel to the line of the pastern.
So having read that what do you think?
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Mar 18, 2009 15:52:18 GMT 1
Hi Gill - he is about 17yrs old and yes he is lame, more obvious when turning and not very obvious at all in walk. Doesn't like to bear his weight on one front foot. Sometimes shifts from one foot to the other. The vet said he has flat feet and low heels.
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Mar 18, 2009 15:53:34 GMT 1
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Post by mandal on Mar 18, 2009 15:58:11 GMT 1
I personally still don't think shoeing is the answer as I said in my earlier post horses need to be able to land heel first but the foot also has to be able to flex to build up the internal structures and strengthen. I don't believe it can do this with a shoe on, also there is a lot of evidence to show that shoeing also restricts the blood flow in hooves which is another possible/additional cause of navicular. I too would go with Gills suggestion of an experienced EP or other experienced trimmer. Modified...spelling!!! Oh and a link to Foxys story www.performancebarefoot.co.uk/page130.html
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eden
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Post by eden on Mar 18, 2009 16:13:10 GMT 1
Melissa that's a great article. Thanks
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gillmcg
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Post by gillmcg on Mar 18, 2009 16:15:13 GMT 1
www.healthyhooves.co.uk/navicular.pdfGives some case studies, with pics, for you to ponder. Not sure about the Farrier Vet (sorry!)from Northern California.......'he would say that wouldn't he' Modified to change his profession! and to quote from his site: So whose fault do we think that is then?
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Mar 18, 2009 16:28:38 GMT 1
Lol Gill!
Thanks mandal I will have a read!!
Glad you found the link Eden....I should have put it on your thread!
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Post by mandal on Mar 18, 2009 16:36:16 GMT 1
Oooo heck I think I'm in danger of becomming/being called a 'barefoot bully!' In the end melissa you're the one who has to make the decisions and all all of us can do is what we think/believe is right. I wish you the best of luck.
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