Wednesday, March 6, 2019

What You Need To Know About Navicular Horses

By Rebecca Howard


Today, many people have domesticated horses that are used for various purposes. They are used in army camps during wars, for entertainment and some people keep them as pets. However, despite the reason why you keep these animals, you need to watch their health very closely. Anytime you notice some strange behaviors with the horse contact a health officer immediately. The highlights below presents all you need to know about Navicular horses.

There are certain congenital defects that contribute to this syndrome. Some of these defects promote concussion in the horse feet. Some of these defects found in most the horses include the narrow and upright feet and small feet. The long toe and lows heel conformations make the navicular bone stressed especially when the animal is standing leading to this syndrome. Poor hoof shape can also contribute to this disease.

Poor selection and inappropriate attachment of the shoe can cause this disease. Shoeing is a known cause of horse lameness, which in a way is as well related to the navicular condition. However, this disease is mostly associated with domesticated animals, and very rare to wild horse. Hooves are designed to expand and contract naturally as these horses move. When inappropriate shoes are installed in these animals the normal blood flow is interfered with thus advocating for such conditions.

Making your horses work on steep hills, jumping and galloping can contribute to this type of syndrome. Placing a lot of stress on feet tendons can lead to an excessive extension of the coffin joints and pastern thus increasing the risk of lameness on the horse. Increased regular exercises on irregular hard grounds, increase the concussion on the horse hoof leading to the navicular condition.

A horse that has excessive weight is likely to get this condition. If the horse has more weight, the chances of exhibiting this syndrome are very high. This is because the relative body weight cannot be supported by the animal feet. This stresses the muscles on the feet thus interfering with normal contraction and expansions of the muscle in the navicular bone.

Trimming your horse hooves regularly can help in the management of this condition. Seeking proper neurological and biomechanical balance for your horse feet is very prudent. Keeping the hooves at their right sizes and shapes will promote healthy living for the horse. However, make sure the trimming has been done by a professional veterinary.

Do not overwork your horses if they have any problem on their feet. There is a lot of pressure exerted on the animal feet especially during the horse training. You should, therefore, let your animals rest anytime you find them struggling with movement issues. Actually, you need to make sure the animals walk on flat grounds to ensure their feet muscles are not overstretched.

You can choose to use medication to treat your horses. This syndrome is a disease like any other and you can, therefore, treat it using appropriate medication. Vasodilators help in increasing the blood flow along the vessels of a horse hoof. Anticoagulants also can be used for the same purpose. However, you must ensure the animal gets the right doses to avoid overdoing it.




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