Posted by Suzanne on May 05, 2003 at 16:28:50:
In Reply to: Re: Navicular Syndrome xrays Danvers or Dr. Meyers? posted by Suzanne on May 03, 2003 at 19:45:05:
To Everyone !
I was just reading many of the posts about navicular and just wanted to put in my 2 cents about shoeing and how important it is. I have had my horse for 5 years and he has never been sound until the last 6 months. I finally found a farrier and vet that seem to work well together and have corrected my horse's feet to a point where he is totally sound in the front. It would have been nice if I had found this farrier 5 years ago since there would have been less erosion to the navicular bone but I am happy with this horse now. His entire attitude is much better since he is not in pain. It has been a long road trying to determine whether he was in pain or just had a bad attitude. I have come to the conclusion that humans give horses bad attitudes. There are of course a few exceptions. But I did stick with him because I love him and felt that he was a good boy and it turned out to be true as he is very sweet now and affectionate. This was a horse that I was told to put down 4 years ago !! I tried every supplement and natural horsemanship training method known to man to turn this horse around. All he really needed was a farrier and vet who could understand his needs. Also, good shoeing does not happen overnight and relief may not be seen for 6 months or more. It took us 8 months of shoeing to see him completely sound. There were certain things we tried that did not work, it is a process and a journey, not a destination. Patience is a major factor. We all want instant gratification and all the horse wants is pain relief and to eat his/her hay !!
Suzanne