|
You Are Here: Home > Hoofcare > Articles > Q & A
Q & A
Do Low Heels Cause Navicular Disease?
|
Question
|
"Your newsletter prompted me to write. I need a response I can give the farrier.
We got on the subject of heel length the other day. His problem with trimming down the heel
is that he feels it affects the navicular bone and/or causes navicular syndrome. I have a
foundered horse and he agrees that the heel should be trimmed for
a horse that has foundered, but he has heard about horses that had their heels lowered and
caused more problems. Therefore he is torn between the two schools of thought. I don't know
enough either way to be able to give him a good argument."
Answer
|
The common definition of navicular syndrome is quite general: heel pain. With this description, nearly any type of problem in the rear half of the hoof can be classified as navicular syndrome. Low heels don't cause navicular syndrome. If they did, nearly every wild/feral horse would have heel pain, as they tend to have heels that are so low that the heel bulbs are on the ground. However, most often the opposite is true, that the wild/feral horses have very comfortable heels which carry them up to 20 or more miles per day over varried terrain. However, when the foot is not balanced and ALL parts and functions of the hoof are not taken into account when a trim is applied, it is very possible for heel pain or navicular syndrome to be the result.
There are several very common hoof problems that predispose a horse to having heel pain or navicular syndrome. These are: high heels, long toe, contracted heels, impacted and/or overlaid bar, underrun heels, sheared heels.... these hoof problems may cause heel pain, which might be diagnosed as navicular syndrome by a veterinarian.
When the whole hoof isn't taken into account when a trim is applied, for example, it may seem that low heels would cause navicular syndrome if the horse also had impacted bars that were not addressed during the same trim. Impacted bars can be quite painful. Other problems such as heel contraction, overlaid bars and long toes can also cause the same effect of heel pain if the heels are lowered without addressing these issues at the same time.
The main purpose in a foundered horse is to get the coffin bone ground parallel, and to make the heels as comfortable as possible for the horse to bear a majority of his weight on until the coffin bone reconnects with the laminae. To do this, you must have a 30 degree hairline angle from the side (to the ground), which would indicate a ground-parallel coffin bone. In a foundered horse, this often means trimming the heels down. However, this cannot
be done unless the trimmer also pays close attention to any other problems that are present.
Many traditional farriers are afraid of trimming the heels down, because they often do not fully understand the functioning of the inner hoof. When this is understood, the farrier will know exactly what needs to be done to the heels and back of the hoof (very rarely should the bare hoof ever be trimmed flat!) to help elleviate any pain that is present, and to allow for normal circulation so the horse can begin to heal itself. This style of trimming should also enhance the horse's natural shock absorption, traction and metabolic excretion.
|
|
Navigate Our
Hoof Care
Section:
Information—
Articles
Pictures
Test Your Hoof
Knowledge!
Services—
Consult/Trim
Documenting
Demos
Workshops
Hoof Boots
Training
Rate Sheet
2007 Schedule
Resources—
Find A Local
Trimmer
Printouts
Products
IL Study Group
(Yahoo Group)
|
|
|
The navicular bone has a very, very important function. It acts as a valve for the blood flow in the hoof. It rests just below the short pastern bone, and on top of the palmar process of the coffin bone. There is an artery and vein that run over each side of the palmar process, under the navicular bone and into the back of the coffin bone, which supplies the main blood flow to the coffin bone and sole. As the foot contacts the ground, the heels spread and the sole drops slightly, creating a vacuum effect which draws blood into the hoof. On full weightbearing, when the pastern is flexed downwards, the navicular bone presses down on the artery and vein to prevent blood from coming in or out of the capsule. This allows the blood to pool in the foot for a split second, without any being drawn in or out. As the foot is lifted off the ground, the pastern raises (which releases the navicular bone/valve), the heels contract and the sole draws upwards, which allows the blood to return up the leg and back to the heart.
When a horse with navicular syndrome has been traditionally shod for some time, it may be possible that the horse initially feels more pain after the shoes are removed. The reason for this is that horse shoes tend to reduce circulation in the hoof by restricting heel movement (as when you fall asleep on your arm and it becomes numb). When the shoe is removed and the hoof is trimmed properly, it is likely that the navicular bone will return to it's natural position which will allow more blood to flow through the hoof capsule. This increase in circulation may cause a "pins and needles" effect, similar to when you return circulation to your arm after sleeping on it. The increase in circulation will also likely cause the horse to be able to feel his feet again, at which point he can now feel any existing damage that had taken place while his feet were in poor form (or in shoes), or when they were not functioning normally.
Unfortunately, the traditional treatment for navicular syndrome is to raise the heels via wedge pads and to apply shoes, as this causes less bloodflow through the navicular region (although it does promote a sense of numbness, which appears to uneducated bystanders that it's making the horse "better"). Of course, when you elleviate pain, the horse is likely to continue injuring the area without knowing. This is why shoes and pads very rarely work to permanently HEAL, navicular syndrome, and most navicular horses become progressively worse over months or years of this type of treatment. Eventually, the horse is either nerved, retired or euthanized.
If you can invite your farrier to sign up for my email newsletter, he will receive updates on when/where I will be having upcoming workshops. At these workshops, we learn hoofcare anatomy, physiology and function, as well as learn from a cadaver hoof dissection. The cadaver hoof dissection would be great for him to experience, as we discuss functions of the navicular bone and hoof form that may cause heel pain.
Happy Horsin'
Cheryl McNamee Sutor
Wholistic Bare Hoof Specialist
Certified Mentor Hoof Groom
The information on this site is not meant to diagnose or prescribe for you. This information is not intended to be used as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. Cheryl McNamee-Sutor is a certified mentor hoof groom, wholistic bare hoof specialist, horse trainer, reiki practitioner, and an educator and distributor of therapeutic-grade essential oils; NOT a licensed doctor or veterinarian. If you are sick, injured or otherwise unhealthy, please consult with a licensed doctor.
Licensed Holistic Doctors Licensed Holistic Veterinarians Disclaimer and Terms of Use
|
|
|
