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Discussion on Natural Balance Shoe
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Member:
Cmitch
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 12:03 pm:
Just wanted to let folks know, I took my horse out of eggbars and pads (Navicular SYnDrOme), and tried the Natural Balance Shoe, and did not have good results. He was a bit soar on them to start, which I expected some soreness, as it is quite a change for him, but now he is off in the front as well. I am going to put the eggbars back on. I have heard that allowing a horse with Navicular to go barefoot is a good thing in terms of blood supply, but both my vet and farrier say if I want to ride him, I should leave the shoes on..... I want what is good for him in the long term, so I can have him for a long time. Would love to hear any opinions on this????
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 12:34 pm:
Hello Cindy,
I had a similar experience with the Natural Balance shoe. We tried them for awhile and I just wasn't seeing the healing results with this application. I don't know if the farrier was not quite up to snuff in his knowledge or the shoes themselves were not what my horse needed. Tried the barefoot thing and that wasn't good either.
My horse has underrun heels and long toes. He needs the support of shoes in the heel portion of his foot to be able to walk comfortably.
What is the hoof conformation of your horse like?
Susan B.
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Member:
Chance1
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 1:23 pm:
Hi Cindy,
My friend had a similar experience with his 24 horse and navicular. He's now in sneakers and a gram of bute about 1.5 hours before riding and doing just great. My horse went lame with natural balance because the farrier placed the shoe so it put pressure on the sole of the foot. Once the sole was pared away and the shoes replaced in exactly the same place, he went sound again...immediately. Of course none of this happened until after the natural balance farrier checked the shoes and found nothing wrong with his shoeing and exam, x-rays, etc.
Hope you find the right thing for your horse.
Happy trails, Ruth and Chance
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Member:
Cmitch
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 2:00 pm:
Thanks for the feedback. My horse has no heels, is his major problem. He needs about 1 inch more heel to make it where it should be. He was going superb in the bars and pads, better than ever. I could kick myself for trying something different, but the bars and pads just don't look right, and thought it would be worth a try to see if he could go without. Apparently, (my husband is home), he is still ouchy on his feet after the farrier just put the bars and pads back on. He only had the Natural Balance on for 2 weeks. My hope amoung hopes is he didn't tweak something, because he wasn't used to the angle on these shoes, and now I have a real problem!!! How long would you expect him to return to normal, if, in fact, it is the Natural Balance shoe that is making him short in front? I will say as soon as the shoes went on, his gait detoriorated under saddle. Is it common for it to take 2 weeks to get worse???Meaning, he wouldn't be downright lame on them until 2 weeks after wearing them? UGGH!!!
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Member:
Cmitch
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 2:02 pm:
Also, has anyone had any luck with a navicular horse going barefoot????
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 3:52 pm:
If my memory serves me correctly, what you want to try and promote is a heel first landing.
Some horses cannot do this because of chronic heel pain. What exactly causes the heel pain could be anybody's guess. That is why this is called Navicular SynDrOme. Whatever the cause the treatment is still the same; a balanced foot and support applied where needed.
Some people have had luck with a heel sore horse going barefoot, others have not. It depends on what is causing the pain.
Could you elaborate on what your vet diagnosed as Navicular SynDrOme? Weak soft tissue (ligaments and tendons) or joint issues (bony alignment of the phalanges) broken back or forward.
If your horse is getting progressively lamer in his new shoes, I would venture to say it is not a good thing and you would have to seriously question your vet and farrier as to why.
Keep talking,
Susan B.
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Member:
Cmitch
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 4:04 pm:
SUsan, Humm, I must have wrote this confusing. He was going GREAT in his eggbars and pads, then 2 weeks ago, I changed to the natural Balance Shoe. He started out the first week a little soar, and then this past week got shorter in his stride and even a but off in one of the front legs. So, my farrier came out and put his eggbars and pads back on. This happened today. So, I guess what I am asking is, if these shoes caused irritation somewhere, how long, once I put the *old* shoes---bars back on would it take for him to feel better? He was diagnosed with Navicular SynDrOme due to a bone scan. XRays did not show any problems, only the bone scan showed irritation in the front feet. I believe then that it is fairly mild case.... Let me know your thoughts on "rehabbing" my horse and timeframe from the Natural Balance shoe.
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Thursday, Sep 22, 2005 - 10:58 pm:
Hello Cindy,
It is me that can write confusing sometimes  .
To get this straight: Your horse was fine in eggbars and pads.
You switched him to Natural Balance shoes and 2 weeks later he is considerably off.
Your horse is now back in eggbars and pads and is still sore.
Sounds like some angles were changed to accommodate the Natural Balance shoes and 2 weeks might not be enough healing time to adjust again to the eggbars. I hope I am making sense  .
Was it the same farrier who applied both sets of shoes?
I can't honestly tell you about rehabbing your horse, only your veterinarian can tell you as he/ she can see your horse in person. A lot would depend on what kind of riding you do and how you want your horse to perform.
Sorry for any confusion
Susan B.
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Member:
Paul303
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Posted on Friday, Sep 23, 2005 - 3:20 am:
Cindy: My QH mare was diagnosed in the mid eighties with navicular - it wasn't "synDrOme" then. I know what probably caused it: she's out of a King Ranch mare ( bulldog quarter horse )and "Nan's Wimpy Dude" was the stud- a fine boned reining horse with a beautiful fine athletic build. My mare ended up built like a brick #%&@house set on top of fine boned tiny legs and feet. To top it off, there was a lot of LTLH (long toe, low heel)trimming going on back then.
It was caught at about age 5 or 6, and we have had her corrective shod with some sort of pad, or rim pad to raise the heel, rolled toes the last 8 or 9 years, and shoeing every 4 to six weeks. We've had her x-rayed and blocked ( fairly through lamness exam)about every 4 years resulting in one angle increase ( around the time we started rolling the toes ) in around 20 years. According to the x-rays, she has showed no progressive changes in over 15 years. She was on bute daily for about 16 years but we have been able to stop that since moving from the mountains to absolutly flat ( rockless and sandy ) terrain.
We've tried nearly every new tactic that came along, but found regular shoes with rolled toes and rim pads the best for her. ALuminum shoes and egg-bars were a short - lived disaster. The farrier also leaves the last two nails out. She has always remained ridable ( not showable )and comfortable, but four to five weeks after a shoeing, she begins showing her discomfort by pointing her right front. We've learned also, to keep her weight down - but now she has Cushings, so we can't allow it to go too far down...or up.
Farrier's Friend supplement has worked best for her of all the hoof supplements. It helps her to grow enough hoof so that we can keep short shoeing times without having nail holes end up too close and weakening the wall. We ride her in Professional Choice sport boots with a support strap. She also gets Legend about every 3 months and a Glucosamine/ChonDrOiten supplement daily. She also gets Hylaronic Acid supplement daily.
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Member:
Cmitch
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Posted on Friday, Sep 23, 2005 - 6:05 am:
SUsan,
Yes, you got it. He has had the eggbars back on 1 day, though, and still sore. So, I guess what you are saying is it might take a couple weeks to re-aquaint him self with the eggbars again, even though the Natural Balance were only on 2 weeks? Yes, it was the same farrier who put on the Natural Balance and who has been shoeing him since we found out he had the problem 2 years ago. He has never went better, with the eggbars and pads, so this Natural balance shoe has been a nightmare.
Lee, well that is a great success story, thank you for the hints on supplements. SOunds like you managed your horse's issue very well.
Cindy
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Monday, Oct 3, 2005 - 11:35 am:
Hello Cindy,
I am curious as to how your horse is doing, now that he is back in his comfy shoes?
I have a similar issue going on and would like to compare notes  .
Susan B.
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