Could it be… (Gulp)…Navicular?

So, exactly what does it mean for a horse to be navicular? It seems the term has crept into every horseperson’s vocabulary. It is generally associated with pain in the caudal or heel area of the foot, but its use is broadening to include many cases of lameness that simply cannot be diagnosed. The term navicular has replaced the more specific terms of navicular syndrome and navicular disease. The difference between the two being actual evidence showing damage to the navicular bone and related structures via radiographs primarily, although the use of MRI is now being implemented on a very limited scale.

So why does the navicular bone have such a bad rap? It is located in a precarious position in the foot of the horse. The navicular bone is one of the 2 and a half bones in the equine foot. The other two being the coffin bone and approximately one half of the short pastern bone. The navicular bone lies behind the junction of the short pastern bone and the coffin bone. It is held in position by the collateral and impar ligaments. The navicular bursa is a fluid filled sac that lies between the navicular bone and the deep digital tendon. Its position allows the deep digital tendon, which attaches on the underside of the coffin bone, to glide over the navicular bone as the foot articulates.

So how has this small bone created such a phobia amongst horse owners? Searching for answers will generally leave you with your head spinning. There are countless pages published on the subject. I am not in a position to say who’s right and who’s wrong, only to share what has worked for me and numerous natural hoofcare practitioners such as myself.

 One commonality amongst much of the research is the use of terms such as “possibly”, “apparently”, and “perhaps” resounding throughout the text. Even in this day and age of advancing technology, there are instances of lameness that cannot be definitively diagnosed, so labels such as navicular syndrome become the escape goat.  While I am not suggesting navicular pathologies do not exist, I do believe other key components of the problem are overlooked, in particular the ligaments mentioned earlier. There is now evidence that many of the so called navicular horses are actually suffering from inflammation of the impar ligament, which suffers further insult as heels are left to grossly overgrow and wedge pad on top of wedge pad are used to relieve tension on the navicular bone. Again, this is only one of many theories circulating, but the results of taking this approach have yielded a great deal of success, and when it’s all said and done it’s the results that speak for themselves.

With that said, I believe natural hoofcare has proven itself to be highly effective at rehabilitating horses diagnosed with navicular syndrome. We have all heard the stories of hopelessly navicular horses that in desperation have had their shoes pulled and been turned out while the next course of action, such as nerving,  is being thought out, only to discover that he starts showing improvement out in the field. Why? In one word-BALANCE. Even an improperly trimmed foot, will seek balance given enough room to move and no mechanical device is impeding the natural function of the foot. Locking the foot in an eggbar shoe and two or three wedge pads on top an already long, probably underrun heel does not constitute balance.

The key to maintaining any foot lies in balancing the foot in the manner it was designed to function. Balancing a navicular horse’s feet is more critical than balancing a normal horse’s feet, but in reality there are few differences.  The primary difference being the amount of time it takes to achieve equilibrium which allows for the subsequent healing to take place. You will be hard pressed to find a farrier or trimmer that disagrees with the importance of balance. Unfortunately, there are various perspectives on what a balanced foot should look like. There is also the argument that if a navicular horse can be made comfortable by sacrificing overall balance, then the ends justify the means. I admit there are a number of methods that provide short term, intermittent relief, but fail to correct the problem or offer a long term solution. I do not believe the philosophies of “just trying to get through the season”, or “getting another year out of a particular horse” are in the best interest of the horse.

As I have stated in previous articles, I do not believe simply duplicating a feral horse’s foot will guarantee a balanced foot. However, I have an increasing amount of respect for the research of wild horse trim practitioners such as Jamie Jackson and Pete Ramey. Coupling the wild horse model with the research of other natural hoofcare authorities, such as KC LaPierre, and the university level studies of Dr. Bowker and Dr. Clayton provides us with a very comprehensive base to place each of our horse’s feet in equilibrium. I believe this marriage of data is the bridge that connects the wild horse’s model foot and that of the domestic horse, whether a backyard buddy or performance athlete. So, can natural hoofcare eradicate navicular syndrome? There are those in the natural hoofcare industry that boldly proclaim such absolutes, yet I feel it is irresponsible to make such claims. Factors such as age, disciple, and perhaps most importantly, the length of time the horse has been afflicted cannot be ignored. Nonetheless, natural hoofcare is proving itself to be an effective, alternative method of rehabilitation, even when traditional methods have failed. Until next month, God Bless you and your equine partners.