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navicular horses !!!

5K views 26 replies 16 participants last post by  MissB 
#1 ·
has anyone owned or had to deal with a horse they were working with being navicular? if so how did you deal with it and we're you able to show it
Thanks :)
 
#2 ·
As far as I can tell Navicular is the diagnosis given when vet's have ruled out everything else :? I had a friend with a "navicular horse." The horse had intermittent lameness with no cause and she had to watch carefully what footing he was on. I would say no showing because it seemed to react to stress. The horse is perfectly happy out on the pasture with a buddy, but seemed really unhappy stalled.
 
#3 ·
I have a friend that has a horse with navicular, the mare was diagnosed as a 3 year old, it's 18 now. She has to keep it in eggbar?shoes I think is what they are, anyway, the mare has to have a special diet and turn out but she's pretty much sound and the girl shows her w/out any problems. I don't think she has ever jumped her though.
 
#4 ·
I know someone with an 8 yo paint with navicular. I rode him on two long trail rides and he was fine. He was a bit sore after the first ride (it was around 2 hours) but his owner gave him bute and turned him out. The next day (it was a charity ride) he was raring to go.

He is shod and he is also blocked in his front feet. Don't think his current owner showed him but I think he was previously shown.
 
#5 ·
My son's old mare has it and she ran barrels and poles with it as well as long hard trail rides BAREFOOT... I am not a barefoot frantic my point in saying that is that it all boils down to a good farrier KNOWING a horse's hoof and leg and how they work ... Babs also HAS 3* rotation on her RF... yes it is possible but it also depends on how bad it is ...
 
#6 ·
well thanks eveyone for your opinion im looking @ doing some light showing on my fathers paint horse this spring in like western pleasure, trail classes and possibly some barrels depending on him but i have had my second thoughts about it so your opinions- experinces are very helpful THANKS--
 
#8 ·
Years ago we had a gelding that had navicular and became lame- we did the egg bar shoes and nothing seemed to help. If I would ever come across one I would not go the shoe route and use my very knowledgeable trimmer. She has rehabbed a bunch of navicular horses. They can be sound again so don't give up!
 
#9 ·
If I would ever come across one I would not go the shoe route and use my very knowledgeable trimmer. She has rehabbed a bunch of navicular horses. They can be sound again so don't give up!
I would agree with g8ted, although I've never had a horse with navicular myself, there is a tb gelding at my paddock that has navicular (he's only 10:-() but thanks to his barefoot trimmer and a pair of good boots he's sound and rides fine. His trimmer, who also trims my horses attributes his soundness to the boots which get him to walk heel-first instead of toe-first, the latter being the cause of his navicular... i forget why :oops:!
 
#11 ·
it really depends on if it is ND or NS as well... are there changes in the Navivular bone or just heel pain... have xrays been taken ??

it also depends upon so many outside influences...
 
#12 ·
I dont know which one it is . i know hes had navalicur bone broke and the vet said hes navicular and we shoe him regular shoes and hes not horribly lame .. just when hes rode long and on hard trails .. other then that hes pretty good to ride ohh and we give him bute !!!
 
#14 ·
When I was in high school (80's) I bought a horse without a vet check (stupid, I know....) and he came up lame after about a month. We did x-rays and he had navicular. We were able to shoe him sound with wide aluminum shoes that our farrier would weld heel bars onto. Now they just make them. He needed occasional bute treatments but I actually used him as my eventing horse and was able to sell him when I went to college and he went on to have a good, sound life. Now they have better medications for horses with navicular. Given that my experience was mostly positive, it was more expensive. I'd get the horse x-rayed and find out what's really going on with him. One thing to remember is that there are many great horses out there going for wonderful prices in the current market, so if you want to spare yourself possible frustration in the future, pass him up......
 
#15 ·
hes not bad without bute i have had my dought in the vets findings for that reasoning he just has a very hard time on rough footing and really long rides which i havent ever really done with him personally i would pass him up but hes already part of the family.. not my choice he just needs attention and iom planning on taking him to some shows in the spring..possibly he needs out of the pasture and off the trails in my opinion
 
#16 ·
A friend of mine has a horse with Navicular and it was a long drawn out process for her, but everything is wonderful now. Her horse went off a while back (this is years ago) and it was an off an on thing for a couple of years. He was diagnosed with Navicular pretty quickly, but it took a while to get things under control. With special trimings and shoes (no eggbars) he is dead sound and has been for years now. She does low level dressage, trail rides, jumps and even goes cross country schooling with him every now and then.
 
#17 ·
Thank you

Thanks 2 bay geldings !! that gives me high hopes that showing him this next sping is going to be possible hes to pretty not to when hes cleaned up anyways now hes just a snowball
 
#20 ·
Navicular problems? There is hope!

Many vets diagnose horses with any kind of heel pain as being "navicular". Typically it is navicular syndrome, not actually navicular disease which is when there is actually changes in the navicular bone. Most navicuar pain comes from incapsulated thrush! Yes... THRUSH! It is not just the black stinky stuff on either side of the frog, the entire frog is infected which is eating into the digital cushion and causing pain on the deep digital flexor tendon and navicular bone. It can also be caused by improperly trimmed bars that are jamming up into the navicular bone. By trimming the bars properly, eliminating all sugar from the horse's diet (sugar feeds fungus which is what thrush is), soaking the feet in colloidal silver and getting a proper heel first landing with plenty of frog pressure (the frog should be about 1/8" below the level of the heel), the infection can be killed, and the digital cushion and frog can be rehabilitated which will relieve the heel pain and "navicular syndrome". Find a knowledgeable barefoot specialist who can treat these issues and the horse will be fine in no time. I had a client whose horse was diagnosed with navicular, the vet wanted to put all the typical bars, pads blah blah blah on the horse, these only treat symptoms, not the problem. We used methods from the Swedish Hoof School whom I was trained through and after 3 trims the horse is fine! Navicular is not the end of the world and most of the time is a very treatable problem.
 
#23 ·
Many vets diagnose horses with any kind of heel pain as being "navicular". Typically it is navicular syndrome, not actually navicular disease which is when there is actually changes in the navicular bone. quote]

i do know the vet said it had something to due with his navicular bone not so much his foot i do appreciate everyones advice hopefully i caN keep him sound enough this spring to show crossing my fingers:)
 
#21 · (Edited)
Yes, I have an Impressive gelding that was diagnosed with navicular as a 5yo due to improper shoeing. We had to be meticulous about his shoeing but he made a really good horse and was seldom lame. Reining, roping, and some WP. Plus lots of trail riding. When he was younger, my dad would keep him shod with a slightly shorter toe to help with the breakover point and as he got older, we started using a very mild wedge pad. He was finally retired last year at 24 years old. He does have some arthritis along with navicular because he was one of those "horse show babies" that was started at about 1.5 years old. :"( He still runs and plays in the pasture and has always stayed pretty sound. Lots of trail riding on steep hills or uneven terrain did seem to aggravate it but clasymover is right. Navicular is not the end of the road. Good luck with your baby. :)

ps: I agree with kickshaw. I would avoid the barrels just to keep from making it worse with unneccessary stress on the joints but WP and trail would be fine. Probably would even be good for him. How old is he anyway?
 
#27 ·
I have a 27yo Percheron rescue with navicular.
Navicular is a specific diagnosis, not a catch-all for unspecified hoof pain. The navicular bone is in the back of the hoof below the heel bulbs. The rear suspensory ligaments run down into it. When that bone and the ligaments attached to it deteriorate it causes heel pain and the horse will go toe first.

As it progresses the pain will become more frequent and more severe. The horse will shift his weight from one leg to the other to relieve the pain in the hoof.

Diagnosis of navicular is not reversible. It will get better and worse intermittently as the degeneration progresses. Navicular horses should not be ridden hard and have their feet stressed.
Shoes can help for a time but the diagnosis is not a good one.
 
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