Can horses with navicular still be ridden?

Can horses with navicular still be ridden?

Depending on the severity of the disease, it is possible to ride a horse with navicular, as long as your vet okays it. Pharmaceutical agents which can help alleviate pain and control inflammation such as Previcox and Tildren can be administered.

What is the best treatment for navicular disease?

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.

Should you breed a horse with navicular?

So in that sense, it is entirely possible that Navicular may be hereditary. I wouldn’t want to risk creating another horse that will have the issue too. If you don’t know what exactly was the root cause of the navicular in the mare (injury, long term improper hoof care, etc) then I wouldn’t want to breed her.

How long does nerving a horse last?

Nerving is considered a last-resort procedure performed on horses with caudal heel lameness syndrome or navicular syndrome that have not responded to therapeutic shoeing and/or medication. This is temporary procedure that, in most cases, can relieve the horse of pain for two to seven years.

How do you fix navicular in horses?

Nonsurgical treatment of navicular syndrome consists of rest, hoof balance and corrective trimming/shoeing, and medical therapy, including administration of systemic antiinflammatories, hemorheologic medications, and intraarticular medications.

How do you exercise a horse with navicular?

How you manage a navicular horse can make a difference in his soundness:

1. Keep weight under control.
2. Ride judiciously. Get off on steep downhill sections and avoid rocky/uneven ground.
3. Keep shoeing intervals short (every six weeks) to avoid excessive toe growth.
4. Keep your horse moving.

Can navicular be managed?

Navicular can’t be cured, but it can be managed. Trimming and shoeing techniques are paramount, so a farrier trained in recent advancements is crucial.

How long will a navicular horse last?

The biggest problem with the surgery is that they nerves will often regrow with 2-3 years, with a much worse lameness present when sensation returns. Navicular syndrome is a lifelong condition, however, many horse can return to athletic function and soundness for long periods of time.

Is navicular in horses hereditary?

This disease is believed to be genetic but can occur due to the conformation of the distal limbs. Structure associated with Navicular syndrome includes excessively long toes, under-run heels, and a “broken back” hoof-pastern axis.

How do you tell if a horse has been nerved?

Lameness in one or both front feet. Horse walks toe-to-heel instead of heel-to-toe. Shifting of weight from one front foot to the other. Horse no longer wants to move out.

How do you know if a horse has navicular?

Clinical signs of navicular disease include a short, choppy stride with lameness that worsens when the horse is worked in a circle, as when longeing. Frequent stumbling may occur at all gaits, even the walk, or when horses are asked to step over short obstacles such as ground poles.

What is the prognosis for a horse with navicular?

How Is Navicular Diagnosed? Horses with navicular syndrome often have mild forelimb lameness, which can be intermittent and may appear to be in different legs at different times. Basic treatment with rest and anti-inflammatories is often a short term success, but in the long term the lameness will recur.