what do you recommend for a horse with a minor club foot on the right who also is slightly navicular? I have her in shoes right now because she is tender footed and last winter I could barely ride her because she was lame so much when the ground froze. This year with the shoes staying on and rim snowball pads, things are going well. My farrier trims her every 5-6 weeks. Not all horses can be barefoot can they?

What is Navicular?

A little background on Navicular disease: Navicular horses ALL have long, underslung heels and bars which contact the ground (or shoe) even when non-weight bearing. Navicular disease is characterized by gradually increasing intermittent lameness often of both front feet. Navicular problems are man-made through improper trimming, short-term or long-term shoeing, and/or inadequate environment throughout a horse’s life. Horses at high risk of navicular problems are usually confined or stall-kept, while at the same time having strong physical demands placed on them. The belief that steep hooves are proper causes many cases of navicular.

Navicular cannot be properly addressed when the horse is shod because it prevents the hoof from acting like a natural blood pump that would enable it to strengthen and heal itself. Studies have shown that horses will stay healthier when in a natural environment, including 24/7 turnout with free-choice of hay/grass and herd mates to encourage regular movement. The main treatment and prevention of navicular problems is to provide the best possible hoof care for your horse on a frequent schedule, every 1-4 weeks. Navicular problems can be treated with a proper natural lifestyle and a physiologically correct barefoot trim will prevent navicular problems in horses, and is known to reverse the effects of navicular in horses that have had exhibited these symptoms in as little as a few weeks to 9 months.

Can All Horses Go Barefoot?

Yes, All horses can go barefoot. Consider this, horses hooves are designed to carry the animal over virtually any terrain. Wild horses around the world regularly travel well over 20 miles a day on rocky and sandy ground. Humans have created a reliance on shoes for horses, but all horses can be transitioned over to barefoot. When transitioning from shod to barefoot, the transition can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a year, depending on breed, footing, diet and exercise, so you may notice lameness when first taking the shoes off, but given time and proper care such as good trimming, footing and an environment for movement and exercise, they will be much happier and healthier as a barefoot horse. Horses that have the proper environment and are barefoot exhibit fewer problems with lameness compared to horses that are shod. This is due to the hooves having grown tougher and the blood pump working properly. Because the horse hoof is a blood pump, pumping 1 liter of blood for every 4 strides, the more exercise a horse can get, the healthier and stronger their hooves will be. Shoes prevent this blood pump from working at all and add additional stress on the joints, wearing them out much quicker due to the jarring of the hard metal. The barefoot hoof is designed to act as a shock-absorber which takes that impact and distributes it evenly through the leg.

The Transition Period from Shod to Barefoot

During the transition period, it is important to have the proper trim on the hooves. Initially, you can use boots when working the horses on rocky terrain. For a semi-club foot, I would maintain a frequent trimming schedule of 10-14 days, this allows you to gradually trim the hoof back into it’s proper shape and allow for the muscles and tendons to adjust to the correct angle. Our club-footed horse is a club due to the way that he grazes constantly, it has caused his hooves to grow uneven and muscle development to become uneven as well. Most club hooves that I’ve seen are usually easier to correct because they are more likely due to improper trimming or environment. Having gravel and regular exercise will help your horse’s hooves wear evenly into the correct shape and you’ll find that you won’t have to trim them as often. If you learn to do maintenance trims, you will be able to easily correct the trimming for your horse’s hooves and bring the angle back to normal. After the transition period for going from shod to barefoot and the correct trim, I think you’ll find that your horse will exhibit far better balance and soundness than she ever has before.

Further Reading

For specifics in how you should trim your horse’s hooves, I recommend reading:

• Peter Remey’s Book on Natural Hoof Care
• NaturalHorseTrim.com
• And follow Erin Wood – Natural Barefoot Trimming on Facebook.