Navicular syndrome is a leading cause of chronic front limb lameness in horses, involving pain from the navicular bone and associated structures that significantly impairs welfare and working capacity.
Navicular syndrome causes chronic, often bilateral foot pain that affects every stride a horse takes. Before diagnosis, affected horses may be worked through pain by owners who attribute subtle lameness to behavioral issues or fitness problems. The progressive nature of the condition means that horses managed only with NSAIDs and continued heavy work face accelerating tissue damage. Corrective shoeing requires farriery expertise that is not uniformly available. Horses that develop severe navicular disease face difficult decisions about retirement, modified work, or euthanasia when quality of life becomes compromised. The pressure in competitive disciplines to maintain performance can lead to horses being pushed beyond their pain threshold.