Navicular disease is a chronic cause of forelimb lameness in horses that significantly impacts welfare and working ability.
Navicular disease causes chronic pain that significantly reduces welfare in affected horses. Horses show reluctance to work, stumbling, and bilateral shifting of weight as they try to relieve pressure on painful feet. The chronic pain model means that even when horses appear to work adequately with medication, underlying nociceptive input continues. Corrective farriery using heartbar shoes or egg bar shoes redistributes weight and reduces navicular bone pressure, providing meaningful pain relief. Owners must balance the horse desire to move and be active against the risk of worsening structural damage. Humane retirement with appropriate pain management, including pasture turnout on soft ground and regular farriery, is often the most welfare-positive outcome for severely affected horses.