Looking for some recommendations for sore feet supplements… my horse has navicular and he is being treated accordingly i.e. shoes, injections etc. Every now and then he has off days and I can tell his feet are just a little sore. Are there any good supplements anyone has had luck with to help sore feet? I have looked into Heiro but I don’t know too much about the success of it. Thanks in advance!
You say your horse has navicular symptoms. Heiro is designed for metabolic issues, laminitis, founder.
Has your horse also foundered? If not I don’t see why you’d be considering Heiro.
If you want to optimize horses nutrition we need to know what he’s being fed and if you are covering all the bases for vitamins and minerals and protein. You can’t add a supplement to a bad diet and expect miracles.
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My old gelding has IR. He has chronic sore feet, even though he’s never foundered. The insulin causes lamina inflammation, I believe that’s the science behind it… Anyway, he does well on Heiro and a controlled diet.
My little mare has sore feet. Poor anatomy is to blame for her soreness. Her soles are too thin to keep pads on, so I just use sole paint like crazy and watch out for hard ground. I love Sea Shore Acres sole paint.
I read an article recently that “navicular” was a catch all diagnosis for unexplained foot lamenesses.
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You have probably already used this, Magic Cushion packed in the hooves. If your horse has pads, magic cushion can also be used under pads and switched out at resets.
Also, STP, Stop The Pain is a natural, buteless pain supplement. Helps my 25 y/o feel wonderful. You can feed it daily or only when needed. My horses like the flavor and have no problems eating it top dressed on their grain.
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Navicular syndrome is a term applied to pain inside the heel area of the hoof that is not obviously something else. Laminitis and founder have clear diagnosed so these are not difficult to distinguish from navicular.
The reason navicular syndrome is a bit poorly defined is that it can be associated with changes to the navicular bone itself (deterioration or arthritis), or to inflammation or degeneration of the tendon that crosses the navicular bone, or to the surrounding soft tissues.
It may even be misdiagnosed when the problem is with the hoof trim.
Hopefully ongoing research will eventually give us more fine tuned diagnosed like “navicular bone arthritis” or “inflammation of the limpar ligament” etc.
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I thought SmartHoof® Circulate Pellets really helped my horse, unfortunately he is a super picky eater and after a few months said he was no longer interested.
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I definitely second trying a hoof packing product like Magic Cushion. That should help draw out some of the soreness and help give him some relief. You can also try Farrier’s Fix hoof oil to help and nourish his feet and encourage good hoof health and growth. Keratex can help make his hooves harder if softness is a problem. Another thing you can do is make sure that you give him the best footing possible and make his bedding in his stall thicker than you usually would to reduce pressure on his feet.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure that any hoof supplement will do anything drastic. While I am a firm believer that nutrition is key to proper health and performance, there is only so much a supplement can do in this case. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try one, but it will probably just make expensive urine. :lol:
Good shoeing, supportive veterinary care, and proper footing are the only things that will help without a doubt, which you are already doing.
I wish you all the luck!
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@BLBSTBLS I have never heard of that supplement before and would definitely like to look into it. Do you know where I can get it? Also, do you know how it is on their stomachs? My horse has a pretty sensitive stomach I can’t normally give him bute without ulcergard. Thanks!
@hunterjumper98 We do have great footing at our barn luckily however I never thought of something as simple as making his bedding thicker either, thanks! Also, I use the farriers fix already but I haven’t used the keratex do you think one works better than the other? Thanks!
Stop the Pain is available at all tne usual vet supply places and Amazon. It’s Devils Claw and Yucca, those are also easy to find. DC is a “natural anti inflammatory” that might or might not work and might or might not irritate your horse’s tummy. Also illegal to show on. Only way to know is try it but all it’s going to do is, maybe, kill the pain. It won’t cure or reverse the conditions causing the pain.
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Farriers fix is basically venice turpentine which hardens sole. Keratex is formaldehyde, which helps retain sole.
Your horse has navicular syndrome. He has pain inside his foot, in the inner structure. Making the sole harder probably won’t help much.
If your feet are too sensitive to walk on gravel, putting on shoes would help. But if you have a pain inside your foot, plantar fascitits or a sprained ankle or fallen arches, wearing a show is of limited help. Same for a horse.
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@Scribbler That makes sense, do you have any recommendations as to what I could do to help him? If you don’t think the oils will help too much. I saw your other post above, I was told he has navicular when we did X-Rays and there were a lot of arthritic changes to his navicular bone. Thanks!
Honestly if you have the very best therapeutic farrier and lameness vet in the area, there isn’t much you can do. If you don’t have the best, you can contact the best for a second opinion.
You should also read up on navicular syndrome and hoof care and angles on line. As I understand it, navicular syndrome can be related to sub optimal angles in the horse’s feet as well as small feet and upright pasterns so treatment is mechanical: the trim, the heart bar shoes, etc.
in order to understand navicular syndrome you need to understand basic horse hoof anatomy too.
Once it appears it’s there for life and treatment is about managing the condition. If your horse is showing discomfort I would contact the farrier first as he may be able to tweak the trim or shoes. The farrier should be told and I would also start keeping a daily log journal of the horses progress so you can track the various factors and report back to your care team. And also be able to see correlations between pain, workload, shoeing cycle, etc.
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Just a note that putting in packing often really exacerbates navicular pain, as it puts pressure on the very region that needs relief and support. Deep bedding/footing can do the same as it goes up into the concavity of the hoof and presses into the sole, creating pressure and pain.
My mare has navicular and is essentially asymptomatic with therapeutic shoeing - we custom build her shoes, but essentially they give her extra support through the heel and keep her sole well off the ground. She’s on a hoof supplement for overall quality of wall etc, but I suspect at least 50% of the effect is a placebo effect on me. Excellent, regular farrier work is really what’s gotten her and kept her sound.
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If you want to make him more comfortable, instead of herbal supplements that might or might not work, why not look into Previcox? It’s a drug, not a supplement. Very effective, very safe with very few side effects reported over the about 20 years it’s been widely used in horses. I’ve used it on mine for arthritic hocks and it’s also used in dogs and humans with very good results. You just mix it in their food.
You take an aspirin or Ibuorofen for cramps or headaches, your horse is entitled to something similar when his feet hurt due to a degenerative, internal condition.
Navicular is pretty easy to research and most of the data equally easy to understand, not too technical. Just watch out for claims made by those trying to sell you something only they sell absolutely guaranteed to cure the condition. The Internet is a double edged sword, full of knowledge and quite a few half truths, lies and hysteria. Use your head. And check on here, we aren’t the only source of good info but many of us have owned horses for decades, including those with navicular, we’ve tried everything and wasted alot of money chasing miracles only to create a still sore horse with very expensive piss.
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@findeight I actually just started him on equioxx about a week ago and he definitely seems more comfortable and I totally agree with not just spending money to spend money. I was very interesed to see what people on here say but for the most part I feel like it is everything I’m already doing. Thanks for the tip about the equioxx 
I’m going to keep him on it a bit longer and see how it continues to help him. I also think at this point it would be a good idea to get a second opinion with a farrier.
I would ask around locally for the best therapeutic farrier. The angles matter a lot with navicular syndrome, and there are different options on shoes: heart bar? Reversed? Etc.
What shots has your horse gotten? IM or interarticular? If IA, is it cortisone or Adequan or what? If it’s not working can you bump up to the next level?
When you own a horse with a chronic condition you need to really self educate so that you can be the best advocate for the horse. You need to know exactly what and why the farrier is doing things and what interventions the vet is doing. You should be present for the visits, ask questions, write down names of drugs or shoes.
Then keep a daily log of horses work and soundness.
That’s the only way you will be able to know what’s been tried and how that worked.
Something to consider if you’ve already got bony changes is Osphos. No, it’s not a cure all (and it’s not without its side effects) but it is something to discuss with your vet.
What kind of injections have you done so far? The typical steroid cocktail?
You could also look into PRP, IRAP, or ProStride.
And yes, most important is making sure you have a good farrier.
BigDweb.com sells it and it is not pricey. I have used it on horses that were diagnosed with ulcers by scoping and it has not seemed to bother them at all. I believe the main ingredient is Devil’s Claw and Yucca as the main anti inflammatory ingredients. But as we all know every horse is an individual that being said I have used it and recommended it to friends without any issues
and Findeight is correct it is illegal to show on under the governing bodies, my old mare is only toting tiny tots in local unrated schooling shows
