Saturday, July 11, 2009

Equine Navicular Disease Explained - Horse Navicular Disease

The navicular bone is a smooth small pyramid shaped bone that is located deep in the center of the foot. Its purpose is to act as sort of a pulley for a tendon. When a horse has navicular disease the little navicular bone becomes rough and the tendon fails to slide over it smoothly, this causes the horse extreme pain. Though nobody is sure of the exact cause of equine navicular.

The worst aspect of navicular is that it gets worse over time and there is no exact cure. In the early stages of navicular, the horses discomfort can be eased with pain relievers, bute etc... This condition can also be helped by special shoeing. I have personally seen this done with some success. Eventually though the horse can become un-ride able on nly used as a pasture ornament.

Equine navicular disease seems to be more common in heavy bodied horses with small feet. Such as some quarter horses, paint horses, and appaloosa horses that are bred with small feet. That is why it is important to purchase a horse with big feet. In these breeds it is very common among horses that have been kept fat that get no type of work or exercise. Can also pop up in some horses that are used hard in eventing such as hunter jumping & some horse can get navicular disease for no apparent reason. So make sure you always pay close attention to your horses feet. As I have said so many times, a horses feet are the most important part of the body if you have no feet then you have no horse that you can have the pleasure of riding.


Buy Laminits and Founder Exposed Now!

No comments:

Post a Comment