Posted by Patty Stiller on May 15, 2003 at 20:33:45:
In Reply to: navicular and the slippered shoe posted by brenda hendrick on May 15, 2003 at 19:14:06:
: has anyone heard of the slippered shoe? we were thinking of trying it on my twh mare that has navicular. i also was interested in the banana shoe and the instructions for putting them on. anyone know anybody in michigan who has used either one of these shoes? this is a wonderfull site! thank you.
The only thing slippered shoes do is to try to force contracted heels apart at the very bottom. They are considered an obsolete and inneffective treatment by most farriers and vets.
Accordign the more recent hoof science, forcing expansion in hoof at the bottom of the heels is incorrect hoof mechanics and can actually cause more heel pain as tissues inside the hoof wall are torn apart or bruised.
Contracted heels are not the cause of heel pain or navicular disease. Rather they are only a symptom and a result of foot imbalance and heel pain caused from improper hoof balance, heels not being trimmed correctly, toes too far forward,lack of frog support, etc etc.
Some of the causes of contracted heels are discussed with very good graphics in the new Natural Balance Hoof trimming video (available through EDSS inc at the marketplace here) . Even though that particular tape is for barefoot horses, the same mechanical principles apply to the shod horse.
Read all you can here about navicular syndrome and the importance of hoof balance and breakover, then discuss that with your farrier.
If he then still wants to use slippered shoes, I suggest you find a vet and farrier who understand how to treat the cause of the problem rather than try to force a change of appearance in one of the symptoms.
The banana shoe or EDSS both are very useful in the right hands, as does natural balance shoeing and sometimes just balanced trimming in the right environment.
All the successful methods strive to balance the mechanics of internal structures, get the rear of the foot functioning optimally (not just forcing the heels apart) and relieve stress on the cofin joint and connective tissues around the navicular bone, and increase circulation.
Patty