changes in the equine hoof due to constriction and contraction

horse hoof health

navicular disease

Navicular Disease

  • loosened up all over from being treated only at the foot
  • slamming the foot on the ground later that night

The horse had been diagnosed as having Navicular disease in the left fore and was undergoing veterinary treatment. A 17hh 12yr old he continued eating hay in relaxed fashion throughout the entire session oblivious to anything sensational.

During the session I only worked on the affected foot. I could clearly feel the binqi through the back of the hoof between the heels. Kept taking binqi out of joint and felt that it was re-accumulating as fast as it was removed. Felt to be a very active area. The other foot felt very different with little detectable binqi.

The owners observations were as follows: " During the session there was nothing noticeable to see, the horse seemed oblivious to anything as well and just kept eating his hay. In the evening of the same day after he’d eaten his night-time feed, he stood on three legs, pawed the air with the ‘bad’ foot and slammed it on the floor a few times. This went on for about 5 minutes. This was most unusual behaviour for him!"

On the following day there was again nothing unusual in his behaviour, but he did trot up nice and free in a straight line although I did not try him on a turn.

The following week he was sound on both reins on a circle on the soft. (The owner was waiting until the following week to try him on the concrete). Only his foot was worked on but somehow he seems to have loosened up all over - maybe because he’s not being worked? Maybe!

My own assessment is that, whilst I would never claim to be able to resolve this kind of problem especially at such a late stage, it was interesting to note that it was possible to feel binqi from the foot by sensing and pulling out from behind the heels. The binqi was obvious and not sensed in other foot. It would make sense that the whole body could be affected in terms of moving fluids towards the foot and thus setting up a chain reaction in and around the rest of the body which was what generated the renewed freedom the following day. A large part of a Buqi session is involved in clearing a good exit route to the extremities of the hands and feet, or in the horse’s cases, the hooves.