Navicular syndrome (caudal heel pain) is a common and often chronic cause of forelimb lameness in horses. Effective management significantly improves long-term welfare outcomes.
Navicular syndrome causes chronic pain that significantly impairs equine quality of life and performance. Horses with untreated or poorly managed caudal heel pain show altered movement patterns, reduced activity, and behavioural changes associated with chronic pain. Early diagnosis using advanced imaging and targeted management - combining corrective farriery, appropriate exercise modification, and pain management - significantly improves welfare outcomes compared to continued working of unsupported painful horses. Neurectomy removes the welfare benefit of pain as a signal, requiring careful post-operative monitoring to prevent undetected injury.