Horse Navicular Disease Prevention Through Hoof Care

Preventive hoof care and appropriate management significantly reduce the risk of navicular syndrome development in susceptible horses.

Key Facts

Navicular syndrome has a multifactorial etiology including genetics, conformation, and management factors
Hoof imbalance - particularly broken-back hoof pastern axis and flared quarters - increases navicular stress
Horses on hard surfaces without adequate foot protection are at higher risk of navicular changes
Regular appropriate farriery maintaining balanced hoof angles is the most important prevention
Exercise on varied surfaces and appropriate conditioning reduces impact loading on the navicular area
Corrective shoeing including egg bar or wide web shoes can prevent or slow navicular disease progression

Welfare Considerations

Prevention of navicular disease through appropriate hoof care and management represents a significant welfare opportunity in horse keeping. The disease is chronic, painful, and progressive, with management focused on slowing progression rather than achieving cure. Preventive investment in appropriate farriery, appropriate footing, and management of conformation-related risk factors in younger horses can delay or prevent the onset of clinical disease. Horses with appropriate foot balance, regular quality farriery, and appropriate working surfaces throughout their working life are significantly less likely to develop clinically significant navicular syndrome. The welfare return on preventive investment - avoiding years of chronic pain management - substantially exceeds its cost.

What You Can Do

Schedule farriery every 6-8 weeks throughout your horse's life, not just when shoes need replacing
Work with your farrier and veterinarian to assess hoof balance and correct any imbalance proactively
Avoid working horses on excessively hard, uneven, or concussive surfaces beyond appropriate conditioning
Provide appropriate hoof protection (shoes or boots) for horses working on hard or rocky surfaces
Monitor hoof quality through appropriate nutrition including biotin and adequate forage
Discuss navicular conformation risk with a veterinarian when purchasing young horses