Tried a 3-degree pad on a navicular case in Lexington and got a weird reaction

I was working on a Quarter Horse with a long history of navicular pain, and after talking with the vet, we decided to try a 3-degree wedge pad to change the breakover. The horse actually seemed more sore for the first two days after the shoeing, which was the opposite of what we expected. I'm wondering if the angle change was too much too fast, or if we missed something else in the trim. Has anyone else seen a horse get worse before getting better with a wedge pad?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan8218h ago

Yeah, my buddy had a similar thing happen with a rehab mustang. He put on a wedge pad and the horse was off for like three days, just short-striding and grumpy. They backed it off to a 1-degree pad and gave him some bute, and then he came right around. Maybe the change was just too much for him all at once.

danieltaylor17h ago

Sounds exactly like too much angle too fast. Seen it a bunch with horses coming off a long layup. Their soft tissue tightens up and a big wedge just yanks on everything. Always start super low, like a one degree, and build up over a few weeks. The bute probably just took the edge off the inflammation so he could move comfortably and stretch into it.