HORSES NAVICULAR PROFESSIONAL
HORSES NAVICULAR SERIES

As such, shoeing can be the cause of navicular. When the horse is wearing metal shoes, the frog and heel is lifted off the ground and prevents these from being stimulated to become strong and healthy. This can be caused by long term toe-first landing due to weak and under stimulated frogs and heels, but also by the horse being overworked and other strain and exertion injuries. When it became custom to perform MRI scans of navicular horses and not only x-rays it was evident that most horses in fact did suffer from tendon or ligament damages.

HORSES NAVICULAR SERIES

Read more about the importance of heel-first landing in our series of articles here. If the horse isn’t conditioned to land on his heels and thereby stimulate the frog and heel, the entire hoof structure will weaken and cause stress to the soft tissue, deep flexor tendon and ligaments further up the leg. Both Dr Rooney and Dr Bowker have found that changes to the navicular bone, that lead to navicular disease, is the result of long term toe-first landing.Īs such, the toe-first landing is not only a symptom of heel pain but can be the cause of the heel pain itself. Bowker, who is also head of the Equine Foot Laboratory at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is doing comprehensive research in the structures of natural hooves. The renowned veterinarian and PhD Robert M. Why going Barefoot is Effective for Navicular Horses But it has taken years before Dr Rooney’s groundbreaking studies were recognised and his findings were followed up with additional research. Rooney of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists proved that it was not the mysterious remodelling of the navicular bone that caused the symptoms. This has only proven effective in some horses and only for a limited time before the symptoms reappeared.Īlthough already in 1974 with the publication of The Lame Horse, Dr James R. In navicular disease, it was believed that the remodelling of the navicular bone was causing the symptoms, and it was – and still is – common to advise shoeing with ring shaped shoes, to lift the sore heel and frog off the ground to relieve the pressure. This basically meant that the horse was sore in the caudal foot/heel and veterinarians were not sure what caused it. Though many horses tend to have the same symptoms but not show any changes to the navicular bone when x-rayed, whereas these horses would be diagnosed with navicular syndrome.

Resting the affected foot on the toe as if the horse was pointing.

Frequent shifting of body weight when resting.

Relief from pain when a nerve block is applied to the palmer digital nerve.

Sensitivity to pressure on the central third of the frog.

Short or shuffling gaits often with toe-first landing.

Traditionally, navicular disease has been diagnosed when x-rays have shown remodelling of the navicular bone in one or both of the horse’s front feet. What are Navicular Disease and Navicular Syndrome in horses? In the following, we will explore some of the research supporting a transition to barefoot as an aid in recovering from navicular and discover how navicular horses are being rehabilitated in real life.

This has become possible due to treating the cause of the heel pain rather than attempting to treat the symptoms, which has traditionally been common practice. Getting rid of the metal shoes and allowing the horse to move correctly and regain his balance has proven effective on horses with navicular syndrome as well as navicular disease.

HORSES NAVICULAR PROFESSIONAL

Across the world, veterinarians and professional hoof rehabilitators are slowly starting to acknowledge the potentials of recovering horses from navicular by going barefoot. Both diagnoses are likely to be devastating news to any horse owner, as thousands of horses have been either put down or spelled out for the rest of their days, due to severe lameness thought to be incurable. If x-rays would show damage to the navicular bone, this would be diagnosed as navicular disease. Until recently, most unidentified heel pain/caudal foot pain was diagnosed as navicular syndrome. Learn how going barefoot is used to rehabilitate navicular horses successfully all over the world. There is no need for nerve blocking or special metal shoes that may help for a little while. Fortunately, having your horse diagnosed with navicular is no longer a death sentence.

Horses navicular