In my last life I had a trail riding stable and we ran about 40 horses. Probably about 40% of those were old retired quarter horses with big bodies and tiny feet. Unfortunately navicular was very common. I tried every kind of shoes out there including ones with 30 degree wedge pads to heighten the toe and relieve the strain on the navicular bones from the tendon, but to no avail. I tried barefoot trimming and experimenting with the angles according to what research I had unearthed that month. For 10 years I tried supplements, injections-you name it- I tried every thing to give relief for those poor horses, The only thing I found that worked was to have them permanently nerved surgically. The cryo nerve blocks only worked for 10 days to 3 months. I was warned that nerving them would make them stumble more since they couldn`t feel where their feet were going. On the contrary, I found that since the pain was relieved, they were not mincing and trying to walk on tip-toe. Those horses are still moving happily and pain free now and doing it barefoot. I would not hesitate to recommend this course of action to anyone. With proper weight management, and regular balanced trimming I believe that this is the most humane treatment for this debilitating condition.
Sue Aldis Simpson
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