Navicular Syndrome/Disease

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The classic navicular syndrome shape is a long foot, wider at the toe than the quarter with narrow contracted heels and frog. The hoof wall angle at the quarters is upright and in this case the toe is long and the heels are short and so is the shoe. This is not how to shoe for a good result. This horse was very lame.

The classic navicular syndrome shape is a long foot, wider at the toe than the quarter with narrow contracted heels and frog. The hoof wall angle at the quarters is upright and in this case the toe is long and the heels are short and so is the shoe. This is not how to shoe for a good result. This horse was very lame.

This horse has no heels at all! Ideally allowing for some decrease in tension on the deep digital flexor tendon will offer some relief from the pain of navicular syndrome. The low heels will make the problem worse.

This horse has no heels at all! Ideally allowing for some decrease in tension on the deep digital flexor tendon will offer some relief from the pain of navicular syndrome. The low heels will make the problem worse.

After rebuilding some heel with Equithane and dressing the toe from the front of the foot to move the point of breakover back under the leg, shoes were fitted with a graduated heel, a thinned and bevelled toe and greater length under the heels. This horse improved.

After rebuilding some heel with Equithane and dressing the toe from the front of the foot to move the point of breakover back under the leg, shoes were fitted with a graduated heel, a thinned and bevelled toe and greater length under the heels. This horse improved.

It is important to mention that farriery trends vary throughout the world vary, and that what is considered normal practice in one country or location may be considered very abnormal in another. For example, contacted feet with long, upright heels may be common in Europe where horses are stabled during winter. In Australia, most horses live in paddocks until 2 years of age, and flat feet and underrun heels are common in many areas. These predisposing factors are due to a combination of genetically inherited foot conformation, breed, overall management, diet, exercise, stabling, frequency of farriery care and the skill of the farrier. Genetic and environmental variety is reflected in the varying causes of navicular syndrome. Farriery, breed and management are significant factors influencing whether a horse does develop navicular syndrome, and just like laminitis, the risk of a horse developing navicular syndrome is reduced by improved farriery and horse management practices.

A chronic degeneration of the navicular bone in which there is damage to its flexor surface and the overlying flexor tendon in the front feet of the horse. There may be an accompanying navicular bursitis and osteophyte (bony outgrowth) formation. The syndrome is characterised by intermittent lameness (Blood and Studdert, 1999).

Club Foot

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Club Foot Before Surgery

Club Foot Before Surgery

After surgery and toe extension with Equitane®, and fitting a graduated toe shoe. An exercise program started three weeks after surgery. A normal hoof/pastern angle is achieved over time.

After surgery and toe extension with Equitane®, and fitting a graduated toe shoe. An exercise program started three weeks after surgery. A normal hoof/pastern angle is achieved over time.

This filly was presented to an equine surgeon for assessment at 18 months of age with a severely clubbed right front foot, (broken forward hoof-pastern angle). The foot was short, contracted at the toe, wide at the heels, and unable to be extended into a normal position. Therefore, shoeing alone was unlikely to offer any significant improvement over time, and her foot was likely to cause her lameness problems and severely limit her future potential as a show or riding horse.

The filly was given surgery to cut the check ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon, (inferior check ligament desmotomy). Before discharge from hospital, 3 days post surgery, it was decided to extend the toe of the clubbed foot with a hoof reconstruction material (Equithane), and to fit a graduated-toe shoe to prevent further toe wear and offer protection. At this time, it was noted that an abscess had formed at the toe and the wall was separated. These are common findings in young horses with severely clubbed feet, and further contribute to the abnormal pattern of wear and chronic separation of the white line and dorsal wall (toe).

The filly was initially given hand-walking as exercise, and this was increased to include gentle lunging at the trot by 3 weeks post surgery. This was continued throughout the recovery period of 4 months. During this time the filly had the shoe removed and refitted at 4 weekly intervals. Improvement in the hoof-pastern angle was noted at each shoeing.

It was advised to continue protecting the toe of this foot with either a shoe or tip until at least 6 months post surgery. After this, the foot should be allowed to go unshod if possible, as this will maximise heel function and expansion of the foot while the filly is still growing. Regular trimming at monthly intervals is still required. If the toe should begin to shorten, and the foot becomes more upright, then fitting a shoe or tip will again be required.

When I last saw this filly her owners were considering a riding career for her and her future looked much brighter. However, there is a genetic component to this condition and therefore, I would be unable to predict that this filly would, or would not, produce foals that were at risk of developing the same problem.

Bar Shoe

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Case history:

This is a machine made bar shoe that has been shaped to fit this horse’s hind foot. The sole is exposed and needs protection, and the shoe has been modified to take a hospital plate which is an aluminium plate bolted into the shoe. An old road sign was used to make the plate and the bolts and tapping tool are available from good hardware stores.

The shoe is heated and allowed to cool slowly so that it does not become too hard and is then drilled, tapped and the bolts are cut to length and fitted. The plate forms a very strong barrier between the sole and ground surface and offers maximum protection to the sole and pedal bone. The continuous surface of the shoe prevents the sole filling with dirt and bedding, and the wound can be covered with medication and dressings and changed frequently if needed.

The bolts are undone and the plate lifted during treatment. Silicone sealer around the heels and Elastoplast tape around the sole and wall can be used to form an even better seal and keep the injury clean.

This type of shoe is used for treatment of penetrating injuries of the sole, after surgery such as resection of infectious osteitis, and other traumatic injuries to the sole.

For most injuries and pain in the back half of the hoof, long, under-run heels, corns or injury to the heel or quarter, bar shoes offer protection and a greater weight-bearing platform for the horse to stand on, shifting support further back under the leg, giving an instant improvement in many cases. The shoes offer protection while an area is resected or relieved from pressure due to an injury. A partial version of a bar such as a G, mushroom or V shoe is used to greatest effect for this purpose. After bar shoes are fitted to chronically sore horses they often look relieved to finally have something under the foot for support.

The difference between an egg and straight bar is that the straight bar can move more weight-bearing support onto the frog if desired, and does not extend as far under the heels. A straight bar shoe with a small frog clip is often called an English bar shoe. All bar shoes have similar benefits and can be fitted with rolled or set under toes, fullered, plain stamped, concave, deep seated, clipped, side clipped, or graduated in thickness from toe to heel, or heel to toe, as required for the individual. Many machine made varieties are available in aluminium or steel and are easily modified.

Always address the basic principles of farriery before resorting to bar shoes. Although usually beneficial, bar shoes can also cause excessive frog or heel pressure. This is worse if the heels and frog have not been trimmed correctly and the heels are long and folded under. This will cause lameness in its own right, which can easily be confused with the need to fit bar shoes in the first place.

Many horses with bar shoes improve once they are removed and shod properly, which indicates that all the horse needed in the first place was a balanced, well fitted set of shoes. Bar shoes may force the hoof to land earlier, affecting the stride, and are often used to improve gait problems. However, bar shoes can also cause gait problems and should be used therapeutically and are not usually recommended for the front feet of horses working at speed.

Always remove bar shoes and return to standard shoes when they are no longer required. I avoid bar shoes unless they are strongly indicated for the horses problem and are showing a benefit once fitted.

Egg bar shoes

Egg bar shoes increase the weight-bearing surface and create a larger area of posterior support for the foot and leg, thus moving the center of gravity further backwards supporting under-run heels. Corns, contracted heels, navicular disease, laminitis, heel injuries, and race horses that go “down on the bumpers” may all benefit from these shoes if applied properly. Available in machine made varieties from steel through to aluminium alloys, many farriers hand make bar shoes for the individual horse.

Greesy Heal

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Greasy heel attacks the lower leg, usually in the fold of skin at the back of the pastern, just above the heels. There are horizontal fissures and a dry crust over red, ulcerated and exudative skin. These lesions are very painful to the touch. A weeping, inflamed sore quickly spreads, and is highly contagious to other horses.

A form of non specific bacterial and or fungal infection which is similar to thrush is in its list of predisposing factors – including poor diet, filthy stables, a damp environment, or humid conditions of any sort. For example, well fed and cared for race horses will get it because they are worked and wet every morning, and if the legs are not towelled off correctly, they take a long time to dry in winter. The draught horse is also predisposed as the feathers hold heat and moisture close to the skin. The initial infection can lead to chronic, painful dermatitis of the back of the pastern.

The best prevention is to clean and dry the legs thoroughly every time you wet the horse. Use disposable paper towels.

Equipment that will be re-used, should be washed daily, and dried in the sun to prevent spreading the bacteria to other horses.

Treatment involves improved hygiene and management. Wash the affected area thoroughly with iodine scrub and remove all the scabs until the area is pink and clean. Dry thoroughly and clip off excess hair. Treat with specific, commercially available treatments or try a 5% copper sulfate solution, or a zinc sulphate solution (refer to thrush). A fungal cream combined with an antibacterial cream makes a good ointment. Use disposable paper towels and for drying, and wash your hands thoroughly.

The infected horse should be last on the list for grooming, and touch the infected leg, (if only one), last of all.

Please note that occasionally, what looks like bacterial dermatitis or greasy heel, may be due to vasculitis, photosensitisation, (caused by plant toxins and/or liver disease), or a fungal infection etc. Therefore, if your horse does not respond to topical treatments, hygiene, and diet changes, the condition warrants veterinary investigation.