12 y.o. QH diagnosed with Navic.- now barefoot

[wtomeylaw]

I bought my 12 year old QH gelding from my instructor last August (never did a pre-purchase exam--foolish me). Right from the start he was often tripping and almost falling when I rode him (at least once each time I rode him). He apparently fell coming into the barn one time (I wasn't there) and was lame for a few weeks. After that he was lame on and off. He wore shoes.

The vet checked him and gave him what I think they called an IV of "Legend" (?) and waited for a month. He was still lame (not to walk, but did not want to trot when I rode him). The vet x-rayed him and said the problem was his feet and for lack of a better diagnosis said "navicular." He prescribed eggbar or heartbar shoes with rollover toes, isoxuprine and bute.

I did all that, and I also moved him from that stable and put him on a farm some 1/2 hour away. I waited for a month and he did not get better.

Then I asked a barefoot farrier to come and look at him. She did, pulled his shoes, and we have started on the barefoot route. (His heels were under run and his toes long.) He did not become more lame after the trim (which we thought might happen), but I have not tried to ride him in the last three weeks. So I don't know if he is better now or not.

I have listed him for sale and prospective buyers want to know his condition. I am telling him he is for light riding or companion, but that he is also now barefoot and may get better.

What is the prognosis, do you think? Have I done the right thing in pulling those shoes and trying the barefoot option??

wendy

[calshoer]

I am a little concerned that the horse was diagniosed with navicular "for lack of a better diagnosis"....that ususlalt means the horse indeed has heel or coffin joint pain but the vet is not recognizing the imbalances or hoof distortions that are causing it.
Most navicular problems stem from *internal* hoof imbalance either man made, caused by poor trimming or shoeing practices, or inherent internal hoof weakness that needs extra man-made help to correct.

If the pain is a result of imbalances causing soft tissue stresses ,but the bone is still healthy, the problem can be probably be healed.
Even with severe bone changes most horses can be made comfortable and useable with the RIGHT kind of shoeing.
It may take more than barefoot.
And simply prescribing a TYPE of shoe is not the answer either.
Too many times a certain type of shoe is recommended that prescribes say a rolled toe or a bar , but the veterinarian fails to address the internal alignment of the structures inside the foot,which are the ROOT of the problem. If for example the foot is internally weak it may need something extra on the bottom to hold up the coffin joint. Some device like a frog support pad or a bar shoe with impression material underneath or a full or bar wedge pad.
There are lots of options but the main thing is the internal alignment is checked after the shoeing with Xrays to SEE if it correct. And the horse should be walking out landing slightly hel forst.if he is still landing toe first he will never really get better.
You can put all the bar shoes in the world on but if th coffin joint is broken back or the beakover point is too far forward it will not help.
As well if the foot is not prepared correctly, (such as if the farrier fails to trim off all underrun heel) bar shoes will only exaerbate heel pain as they crush the heels further.
AND the breakover point of the shoe (the "rollover shoe the vet prescribed) should be set according to where the coffin bone is inside the foot, not just arbritrarily rolled a little.
The veterinarian should be mapping this all out on the Xrays for the farrier.
SOMETIMES barefoot will get the foot properly aligned internally, sometimes not.
Here is a picture of a foot that was on a "navicular" horse, where the shoe as hurting more than helping because everything was still grossly misaligned. The toe of the shoe was set so far forward that is was leveraging the internal structures with every step. and the coffin joint was broken back ,(red lines) creating stress in the coffin joint and in the all the connective tisues around the bones. The green line is where the new shoe went, with a rolled toe and the breakover point directly under the tip of the coffin bone. And a wedge frog suport pad. The horse got lots better immediaely.

[wtomeylaw]

Thanks for that help!

I called the vet today and spoke with him again about Charlie and that vet's diagnosis of navicular syndrome. Now the vet tells me that the x-ray showed some channeling, but that mere channeling alone didn't mean it was necessarily a navicular problem. However, he also saw in the x-rays what he interpreted as a cyst--right wherethe dd flexor tendon is, and because of THAT he diagnosed Charlie as having navicular syndrome. Apparently there is no other deformity.

I asked for copies of the rads but the vet wouldn't let me have them. I asked if they could go to a new vet and was told they could. So I have asked that they go to my new vet. I would post them here for y'all to look at, but I can't.

I understand why you would want the farrier to have the x-rays. Now it makes perfect sense. But why would my (former!) vet not share them???

What has your experience been with cysts? How should Charlie be shoed for cysts, or is barefoot gonna do it for him? Will it help? Hurt? My barefoot farrier is coming next week to trim him again (and start my new 3 y.o.G welsh/arab that has great feet, except one mild clubby front. Is there anything special I should do for that clubby foot? Can he go barefoot ? (my pre-purchase exam vet--a different one--said that the horse moves fine on that club foot and that it doesn't seem to affect his movement).

Many many thanks!

:p wendy t.

[Jeanie Connors]

Wendy, talk to your farrier about this :) . There are a lot of views out there, and in here, but you and your farrier need to be on the same page. Personally, I think going barefoot could help your older QH tremendously given a competant trimmer; there is a lot of success out there with formerly "navicular" horses going happily sound with a good trim. For your younger horse, there could be a reason higher up the leg for the club foot, and your trimmer should be able to talk to you about it, if it's there. If not, going barefoot will help those feet continue to grow strong and healthy :) .