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Conformation Clinic Part 5 - Page 3

© Patricia Celley

Horses that suffer a mild case of founder can often be serviceably sound. However, if a horse has foundered once he will be predisposed to do it again. Special care must be taken to keep his diet free from excess amounts of grain, lush green pastures or fresh hay. Special care must also be taken in maintaining the feet. A farrier and veterinarian will need to work together to develop corrective shoeing or trimming methods to make the horse comfortable and support the coffin bone.

The second most common and serious condition of the hoof is called Navicular disease. In navicular disease the tissue is stressed beyond its limits and the navicular bone begins to degenerate. Erosion of the cartilage and adhesions between the bone and flexor tendon also occur. These changes may also be accompanied by swelling in the bursa (fluid around the joint) and tendons. It is not known exactly what causes navicular disease, but conformational defects such as small hooves, straight pasterns and straight shoulders are predisposing conditions. Horses with navicular disease often have contracted heels due to poor circulation and a reluctance of the horse to bear weight over his heels. This is a conformational flaw of the hoof where the heels, or back of the hoof become narrow. As you look at the conformation of a horse, be sure that he is standing squarely on all four feet and that he carries the majority of his weight over the center of the hoof. Pointing of the toes is observed in horses suffering from both navicular disease and founder. Both of these diseases are more prevalent in the front hooves.

Navicular disease is difficult to diagnose as the navicular bone is obscured by the coffin bone. A veterinarian will use x-rays, the horse's reaction to pressure applied when using hoof testers, predisposing conformational flaws, predisposing types of work (hard stops, twists at speed, forceful landings) and a temporary block of the nerve endings to target the area. Treatment is limited to corrective shoeing and the use of pain relieving drugs such as butazolidin (bute). The drug Isoxsuprine hydrochloride has also proven helpful, although no one is quite sure why or how it works. In advanced stages sometimes surgery is performed to permanently deaden the affected nerve endings. The procedure is called a palmar digital neurectomy.

Bacteria, yeast and fungus are responsible for many undesirable hoof conditions. Most of them can be successfully treated therefore placing them in the category of blemishes rather than unsoundnesses. Left untreated however, all of these conditions can cause permanent damage. The most common of these is thrush. Thrush is a disease of the frog. It is a painful bacterial infection where the frog literally rots away. The characteristic stench is unmistakable. The frog will appear black, and with further cleaning will reveal white cheesy diseased material. The infection may spread into the laminae and other structures in the foot.

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