NAVICULAR OR NOT?
Your normally free-moving horse has been a little choppy in his striding lately. You’ve noticed shortened steps, and even an occasional head nod when you work him on a small circle. Most recently, you saw him pointing one foot, then the other, when standing tied in the barn aisle.
Heel pain? Diagnostics really count. Both of these problems will cause lameness in the foot, but will likely need vastly different treatments—the top’s targeted toward navicular-bone changes; the bottom’s aimed at soft-tissue injury.
If you’ve been around horses for any length of time, this scenario will strike fear in your heart. Navicular isn’t a word you want to hear, and with these symptoms, you’re sure it’s coming.
Not so fast. While it’s true the small navicular bone within your horse’s foot and its associated structures can cause a host of problems, there are also many other possible explanations
