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Signs of Navicular
Disease in Horses There are several signs that a horse
suffering from navicular will exhibit. See what they are and what other
signs the horse will give you.
Navicular disease is somewhat of a mysterious condition among horse
owners. They may walk to their barn one day to find a horse that is
sitting on his haunches and appears to be in enormous amounts of pain.
Or, they may notice that their colt in race training tends to slow
halfway through the workout. Owners of pleasure horses may not even
realize it until one day the horse is unwilling to move forward and
stumbles through gaits that it once performed with ease. These horses
are often feeling a burning pain due to the increased blood flow in
their hooves and the shifting of the coffin bone.
If the hooves are not properly trimmed on a regular basis, the horse is
more susceptible to suffering from navicular due to abnormal growth of
the hoof. The hoof grows and wears in accordance with the footing that
the horse is kept on. The bone may become immobile and cause poor
circulation in the hoof. In extreme conditions, the coffin bone will
slowly sink to the floor of the hoof and may pierce the bottom of hoof.
The condition usually occurs only in the front feet and generally
affects both feet. Horses that are at a high risk are those that are
stall-kept and have strong physical demands such as being overweight or
those horses that are not conformationally correct.
Quarter horses tend to be prone to the condition as well as
Thoroughbreds, who tend to have small feet in proportion to their
bodies. Navicular has been diagnosed in horses as early as one year, so
even a young yearly is susceptible if their hooves are not properly
cared for if they are allowed to consume to much grain in a short period
of time. This may happen on farms that try to rapidly grow their young
horses for sales, show, races, etc. The condition is gradual and causes
progressive lameness in the front legs. Navicular is hard to detect
early because the condition worsens over time. Often horses are found
with severe lameness from navicular one day because they have not been
showing symptoms until it has progressed to the extent that the horse is
put in extreme pain.
Signs of Navicular Syndrome· Horses place their weight on their toes to
avoid placing pressure on the heel while walking. The heel becomes
inflamed in the bone and the bursa. The bursa is the outer lining layer
of the bone.
Heels are contracted and smaller due to poor confirmation.
Shortening of stride· Shifting of body weight when resting
Stumbling gait
Uneveness in turns
Reluctance to go forward or lengthen stride
Resting with weight resting on the toe
When pressure is applied to the hoof; the horse will indicate heel pain
Sitting back on hind legs to avoid pressure on front feet (also common
in horses that are foundering)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ron Petracek :: Director of Articles & Equine
Classifieds
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