Boots and lameness

[lbanimals]

As I've posted elsewhere...I have a mare who is diagnosed as Navicular....heel pain. Trots lame, turns lame. This has been an ongoing issue with us. She was sound in HARD work and barefoot for approximately 1 year. Then lame in medium work, shod per vet advice and still mostly lame (half round wide web shoes). Shoes pulled and 1 year off work...stalled half day, turned out in pasture half day. Pulled her out to restart this week and she was not too bad (but not fully sound) the first day and very lame two days after when I tried to work again. The arena is a hard sand/gravel...not a soft sand arena, but not gravel. Maybe dirt with a thin layer of very course sand? Has a little give but not a lot.

According to the boarding people...she gallops and plays and is a crazy maniac in the pasture..no lameness noted. I have witnessed her galloping in the pasture and she looked great. She was chasing one of their horses the other day and was running and playing in the field next to the babies this morning.

Cathy thinks it is a trimming issue....she has chronic long toes, no heels....4 farriers so far and they all leave her toes long. I am looking for a new farrier to trim differently....and looking to put her in boots for work. She is very difficult to shoe and I don't really want to go that route. I feel like she should be sound barefoot as she has been that way her whole life.

ANYWAYS...I need boot recommendations! Easy boots, old macs, cava-something or other...any suggestions? It will be LIGHT work. I want to get her restarted and just do some arena or pasture riding a couple times a week. Even once a week if nothing else. She will remain barefoot the rest of the time.

Any ideas?

[leahlady]

I would address the trimming/hoof balance issue first. I'm no expert, but it seems that having long toes/no heel would really exacerbate navicular tendencies. Generally navicular horses are shod with short toes and wedge pads, to raise the heel and improve breakover. It seems to me that a natural balance trim or shoes might help if the navicular isn't too serious. You might talk to mymercedes on this board, she has a severe navicular rescue gelding, and she keeps him comfortable with special shoeing.

As far as boots, my cousin swears by old mac's. I have only used easy boots, and didn't like how they have metal points to hold them to the hoof. (My farrier HATES them)

[lbanimals]

I swear I have heard the same at one point...old macs! But thought I would get a general consensus as well.

Yes, trimming is definitely the first order of business. For one, judging by rough measurements....I cannot even put her in boots as her length is much greater than her width. She needs her toes brought back big time.....the farrier trimming her now used to do a much better job...the last two trims have been SHITTY. Not sure what the problem is...

I am somewhat limited on shoes as she is....difficult to shoe. She just can't handle the hammering and loses her brains after one nail is halfway in....then she is freaking out with the shoe flapping along and its just...Not Pretty. I had a broken finger to show for the experience and everything. Let me note that I can hammer on her all day and night with no response but that is another story....

I am trying to get a new farrier out next week and just thinking in advance on the boot issue.

Thanks for the info!

[leahlady]

Good luck finding a good shoer. I would recommend my farrier - but I'm pretty sure he is too booked to take any more clients.

If you must get shoes on her, I would recommend drugging her. I know, I know....... but honestly it is safer for all parties sometimes. I have done it many times with Lady, she can be a nightmare for her shoes. I have discovered that she prefers to be shod alongside an arterial, with school buses, moving vans, and garbage trucks driving by. Go figure.... anyways, I am still never without Ace, just in case.

[mymercedes]

Hi there-
I do have a horse with severe navicular. He was a rescue that I aquired about a year and a half ago. He is 9, and my vet, after numerous X-Rays told me he was one of the most severe cases she has seen and was surprised he was even standing let alone walking. His feet were a mess when I got him. Long toes, super long heals and retained soles. I was already using a great barefoot trimmer, and had gotten a lot of barefoot info on navicular so thought we'd give it a whirl. We worked with him barefoot with boots and pads for almost 8 months with no improvement. We could walk, jog slightly, but always was off. I finally contacted Mission Farrier School and the owner/instructor, Mark Plumlee, recommended a graduate from his program named Sandy Craig. She has been working on him ever since and we've been using a method called a double nail pad system. The thing I like about Mission graduates, is that they share the same basic principles as a barefoot trimmer, but realize that some horses need the support of shoes, so they try to keep things as natural as possible while getting the maximum benefit of a shoe.

This double nail pad system has made a huge improvement, and after tweaking it a bit to suit his needs, he is nearly 100% sound. I had him in the round pen today and he was sound, no head bobbing lameness anywhere!! This shoe is a hand made plastic shoe, using a plastic pad with impression material between the pad and hoof for cushion, and then a second pad, cut slightly smaller than the first, is placed on the bottom of the first pad. It is filed in such a way that it allows for maximum breakover at just the right point on the hoof and offers a very slight wedge that allows heel relief. I SWEAR by this shoe. Even my barefoot trimmer was amazed at how well this horse is doing and totally approved of the principles of the shoe.

I don't know what area you're in, but I would recommend calling Mission Farrier school to have a shoer from that program recommended to you, at least for a consultation. You may want to PM Winterlakes Farm also. She has also used this shoe on a navicular rescue of hers.

Good Luck! I know it can be very, very exasperating to have a navicular horse. I know I've shed many a tear for my guy, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

[lbanimals]

Unfortunately I am on the other side of the country.....Tennessee! I am struggling to find a decent barefoot trimmer out here....the guy who has worked on my mare is apparently great at shoeing gaited horses. Makes no difference to me! Originally he did a much better job than any previous farrier I have had on her (which is not saying much honestly) but the last few trims were crappy.

I am trying to avoid shoeing although will go that route down the road if all else fails. In the meantime I am just hoping to get her trimmed better and a boot for some light work.

Thanks for the info! I remember reading about Parelli (winterlakesfarms horse) and his shoes/pads and sometimes wish I lived in Washington just so I could take ol Foxy to that school. Oh well....

[lbanimals]

thought I would update on this. I did find a barefoot trimmer (female! Foxy approves) that has come out to trim Ms Foxy a few times now. Although I did see some improvement in the look of her feet, she has still trotted lame during extended work (at least last time I tried, about a month and a half ago). The farrier thought that it would take at least 3 months, up to a year, to see any real improvement. So I'm just letting Ms Foxy continue hanging out and will get some more good trims under her belt before asking for anything more (if ever). If she can't come back to 100%, she well be a pasture potato for....forever. Le sigh.

I think she fakes lameness to avoid work. Smart horse! If only that worked for me.....

[winterlakesfarm]

I use the same farrier as MyMercedes and she had my severely navicular gelding sound. I actually trail rode him on rough terrain and also took him to drill team practice.

The Mission Farrier School is a school for Natural Balance methods and they have farriers all over the country. Try www.hopeforsoundness.com they have a comprehensive listing for farriers all over the country. Also just for reference look at www.missionfarrierschool.com as they have great case studies and information re:Navicular