Just when things were looking good

[krisinmi]

For the first time in years, I have been able to get back to riding three and four times a week.  Started slowly in January, and by early March I had made my goal of four rides a week.  I've been riding the 17yo QH that was originally bought for my daughters to ride, but since they are both in college now, and I had put my old mare down in December, I decided I was going to start working the QH and get him back into shape.

Which was really going well, he was starting to get back into condition when a 'mystery' lameness cropped up.  After more than a month of: checking for abcesses, time off followed by light riding, checking saddle fit, having his feet trimmed and hoof testers applied, he was still unsound at trot.  Fine at walk and canter (other than unwilling to take right lead, which was a new thing since January), most days I rode he was off at the trot to some degree.  Sometimes it was just a little feeling and couldn't be easily seen by someone on the ground, other times it was an honest to goodness head bobbing lameness.

Finally got the vet out and had a lameness exam and x-rays done.  I was thinking, due to his age (and the fact that I'd ruled out abcess or injury over a month's time) that it was either arthritis or navicular.  After much testing and twisting (flexion testing) and x-rays of ankles/fetlocks and feet, the vet diagnosed it as navicular.  Not bad, for a QH of that age, but still enough to make him lame.  The vet was of the thought that just putting shoes on should do the trick, that pads probably weren't needed at this stage.

Since the horse had literally just had his feet trimmed, we had to wait a bit for him to grow out enough to get shoes on.

Now he's had shoes for a week, and is still unsound.  At first, it looked like they were going to be the magic cure, but two days after shoeing, he was unsound at the trot again even without a rider.  

I'm pretty frustrated right now.  It was my plan to keep him for about two more years, while I saved up money to purchase a new dressage prospect for myself, and then sell him.  Meanwhile, I was going to dressage him as much as he was capable of.  Except now it looks like he's not capable of any dressage.  I'm not a trail rider, and I'm also not in a position to keep a horse I can't use.  So now my dilemma is do I medicate him to make him sound enough for my purposes (and so I have longer to put away some money toward buying a suitable dressage horse), or do I just put him up for sale now???  Buting him into soundness seems selfish to me, because even though he can't feel it, the navicular will still be there.  On the other hand, how do you go about selling a horse with a chronic lameness?

[aoconnor]

Honestly, you may look at putting him down. I know that sounds harsh, but not many people out there will willingly take a Navicular horse. And there are so many different "versions" of navicular, it is hard to tell what is truly going on in there, but if he not sound, you are not going to find an actual buyer for him. At least, that is my opinion.

I do a lot of intake/rescue horses. A couple have come in with some form of navicular issue, and I wind up having to put them down. It is heartbreaking, but when they are so lame they can't keep up with the herd, are in constant pain, look stressed in their face, have difficulty turning, or tripping frequently, it is time to let them go.

If your boy is truly navicular, talk to your vet about al of the options. A good vet will have a good idea of what degree your boy is in pain, what treatments may or may not be available for him, and what would work for him. I am really sorry you ave to go through this. especially when you were just getting going again:-(. I hope you find a good solution for all.

[here to stay]

Was the vet able to block his feet and he was sound? That kind of gives you a clue as to your chances of getting him sound. If nerve blocks couldn't achieve soundness, then it's probably not going to be achievable with just shoeing.

[horseyrider]

You know, if this one was mine and I really liked him, I'd probably take him to the horsepital for a full-on lameness exam. I've seen horses develop what seems to be navicular as a secondary lameness to arthritis in the diagonal hock. This happens when a primary lameness in the hock causes the horse to compensate by pounding the crap out of the diagonal fore. Then the foreleg ends up sore. Many horses have 'carrots and lollipops' on the xrays, but are serviceably sound; others have no radiographical pathology but are lame to testers and are standing sound and "swinging" lame. So xrays alone are not necessarily diagnostic in and of themselves; nor is tracking. So if the horse is lame in say, the RF, take a really hard look at the LH; particularly the lower joints of the hock. Sometimes an injection of acid and depo in the hock buys a lot of comfort for the diagonal front leg.

Did your vet use progressive injections of lidocaine to help pinpoint the lameness?

Also, you don't say what kind of shoe was used. A regular keg shoe can make it worse by making breakover harder. A rocker or rolled toe can help, as can a squared toe applied by someone who knows enough to center it over the horse's breakover, not just the toe. Sometimes a lighter shoe like an aluminum or titanium shoe can help, as can wide web shoes. And in all fairness, for a horse that's sore anyhow, positive change usually doesn't happen right away; it may take a couple of resets before they're comfortable.

I had a horse brought in for training years ago that I was pretty sure was toast. He was a youngster and had navicular pretty bad; he landed toe first in his stride, gimped, and resisted even the lightest work in hand. It took several resets with some fairly extreme breakover shoes, but he came through it. that was twelve years ago, and he's still going. So go figure.

Also, as a last resort, it's not cruel to consider denerving, or nerving as it's most frequently called. This is a surgery where about half an inch of the nerve serving the last third of the foot, where the deep flexor rides over the edge of the navicular, is removed. They are then free of pain from that area of the foot. Now, I say this guardedly, because it takes a very observant and committed rider to manage a nerved horse. Since they cannot feel that part of their foot, most people feel it's not fair to use them for jumpers, although an astonishing number of upper level jumpers are nerved. Owners or grooms have to be scrupulous about foot care, since the horse cannot feel any injuries such as punctures or interference injuries to that part of the foot. (Abscesses can often still be felt, since the hoof capsule is rigid, and inflammatory pressure anywhere in the interior creates pressure everywhere.) I would never nerve a horse without a reasonable prognosis, or nerve one and put it up for sale without disclosure. Those tend to be keepers.

There are some horses who are poor candidates for nerving. They're the ones who have very rough distal edges to the navicular bone, who through their work end up chewing through the deep flexor until it's severed. Then they're found one morning standing on their fetlocks, and they're done for. Most vets won't even entertain nerving those.

Anywho, it seems awfully early to me to be giving up on this guy. We all have a different place where we say we've had enough. The above is just information for your consideration, and hopefully is helpful to you.

[aoconnor]

horseyrider, that was about the most in-depth, but easily understood, post on navicular I have read. Very informative, and I believe you gave the OP some very good thoughts of what she can do with her boy. I also have a navicular mare that is in trouble, I'm going to take some of your info to my vets and ask about some of the issues and options.

[horseyrider]

Jun 2, 2016 0:49:03 GMT aoconnor said:

horseyrider , that was about the most in-depth, but easily understood, post on navicular I have read. Very informative, and I believe you gave the OP some very good thoughts of what she can do with her boy. I also have a navicular mare that is in trouble, I'm going to take some of your info to my vets and ask about some of the issues and options.

Oh garsh, thank you!  I'm flattered and humbled.

*twists toe in dirt*

[gracielagata]

I have no experience with navicular... but what about boots helping? I assume the shoe is meant to be a pad for pressure as the horse moves?
A boot of any type would possibly be a better more flexible pad, correct? I know there are even types that glue on for weeks on end, so she wouldn't have to put them on each ride, and then he also would have them on 24/7 out in the pasture, as I assume he is also lame 24/7?

Sorry to hear about your horse, OP krisinmi,

[aoconnor]

krisinmi ,any update on your horse? Hope it is getting better for you!

I took my mare in and we did a thorough Navicular exam with x-rays and all. She is definitely Navicular, so we did some injections to relieve the pain immediately, then my farrier came and did some intense corrective shoeing with wedge pads and bars. She gets a gram of bute daily, is doing very well. I have another horse with some navicular issues, he gets an ounce of ButeLess daily and is great on that.

Hoping to hear some good news!

[horseyrider]

Jun 2, 2016 17:32:14 GMT gracielagata said:

I have no experience with navicular... but what about boots helping? I assume the shoe is meant to be a pad for pressure as the horse moves?
A boot of any type would possibly be a better more flexible pad, correct? I know there are even types that glue on for weeks on end, so she wouldn't have to put them on each ride, and then he also would have them on 24/7 out in the pasture, as I assume he is also lame 24/7?

Sorry to hear about your horse, OP krisinmi ,

gracielagata, I apologize for not seeing your post sooner.  Dang, it's a month old.  I must be asleep at the switch! 

The answer to the question about using boots for navicular horses is a qualified *maybe.*  Yes, it's true that a boot will pad the sole.  That's the big virtue of boots when a horse has a change in terrain from, say, pasture life to rocky trail.  

But if it lengthens the bearing surface and increases breakover, then it can make things worse.  I wouldn't do it myself, because a horse is only working some of the time, and in general, boots should not be left on all of the time.  Boots soften hooves and soles by retaining moisture, and that's something you don't want for navicular horses.  I would opt for pads under shoes that raise the angle a bit, which shortens the bearing surface, quickens breakover, adds stability to the hoof capsule, and takes some of the pressure of the leverage on the deep flexor tendon.  It might be an eggbar shoe with a square toe, or even just a plain bar shoe; and the angle is raised a couple of degrees.  It's amazing how much comfort this can bring.

aoconnor, it sounds like the program you have for your mare is spot-on!  May you have many more comfortable years together! 

[gracielagata]

horseyrider, No worries on lateness of a reply. I frequent a horse page (www.horseforum.com, if you are interested), and health issues are frequently discussed. But it is nice to see it so well done, as this whole thread was done.

Good luck in finding something to make the horse comfortable.

[krisinmi]

aoconnor, thanks for asking.

My farrier put natural balance shoes on him, as well as made the heel on the left front shoe a little wider than the hoof (that heel had contracted somewhat, not sure how long that's been happening). At first, it didn't seem to make a difference and I put him on a low dose of bute to keep him comfortable, and so that I could at least work him at the walk. I don't usually get a chance to ride on weekends, so we would take him off the bute on Friday, and Monday I'd see how sound he was or wasn't under saddle. If he was still lame, we'd start the bute back up on Monday night. The longer he wore his shoes, the more sound he seemed to get. After about three weeks we took him off the bute, I went on vacation for a week so he got no bute and wasn't ridden, and when I came back, he was much sounder than he had been. Sound enough that we did not give him any bute, and I was able to do a little trot work during my rides (mostly w/t transitions, no more than 4 strides of trot at a time and only did 3 transitions on a side). Reset his shoes at seven weeks (originally supposed to be six weeks, but it was miserably hot & humid that day and the blacksmith wanted to reschedule) and he was sore again for about three days after the reset. Probably, I'm thinking, because there was another adjustment to widen that left heel a bit more. So, a short round of bute again, going back to the pattern of stopping it on Friday and evaluating his soundness on a Monday ride. He is currently sound at all three gaits, with shoes on, and I am incorporating longer spells of trot into our rides.

[aoconnor]

krisinmi, that is fantastic news! A good farrier is worth his weight in gold, for sure! So glad your guy is doing so much better, that is wonderful:-)

[shellymay]

krisinmi, I was following the story and can I say what a great outcome, hope he continues to improve and you both have many more years together