What to do with a horse that has navicular?
What treatments are available? Navicular disease can be treated but rarely cured. Corrective trimming and shoeing is important to ensure level foot fall and foot balance. Often a rolled toe egg bar shoe is used to encourage early break over at the toe and good heel support.
What causes lameness in the front legs of horses?
Although you might not have heard of it, navicular disease is a common cause of horse lameness in the front legs. Poor conformation, stopping too quickly, twisting the foot when running, or sudden changes in direction can all put stress on the navicular bone. This disease can cause severe pain and can lead to long term damage.
Why does my horse feel lame at the trot?
(Horse is more obviously lame (or feels more “off”) at a TROT) If your horse’s lameness is more evident at the trot than the walk, it is most likely that the cause of the lameness is in one of your horse’s legs. The problem can be coming from a joint, tendon or ligament, muscle, or the foot.
What to do if your horse is lame in the back?
With lameness in the hind end, very often the hocks are blamed first and questions asked later. Hock injections and/or joint fluid supplements are often tried. If these haven’t helped your horse the most common problem is up in the pelvis. To discover if your horse has a problem in the pelvis, do the Sacrum Checkup.
What does it mean when a horse is lame in one direction?
However, subtle signs of lameness such as short striding, intermittent lameness, or perhaps lame only in one direction can be very frustrating to deal with. Here’s the mental shortcuts I use every day: Lameness coming from a problem in the legs. Lameness coming from a problem NOT in the legs — the back, head, neck, or pelvis (i.e. hip area).
What do you need to know about horse lameness?
Horse lameness is an abnormal change in the gait of a horse that results in a decreased ability or desire to perform at its normal capacity. Lameness is not a disease, but it is a symptom of other diseases, illnesses, or injuries. The cause of the lameness needs to be diagnosed and treated.
(Horse is more obviously lame (or feels more “off”) at a TROT) If your horse’s lameness is more evident at the trot than the walk, it is most likely that the cause of the lameness is in one of your horse’s legs. The problem can be coming from a joint, tendon or ligament, muscle, or the foot.
However, subtle signs of lameness such as short striding, intermittent lameness, or perhaps lame only in one direction can be very frustrating to deal with. Here’s the mental shortcuts I use every day: Lameness coming from a problem in the legs. Lameness coming from a problem NOT in the legs — the back, head, neck, or pelvis (i.e. hip area).
Why does my horse move funny in the front end?
With horse lameness in the front end, people often wonder if there is a problem in the shoulder. That’s because the shoulder always compensates for problems in the leg. And that makes the shoulder move “funny.” The shoulder itself is rarely the culprit of front end lameness (less than 5% of the time).