Navicular syndrome, described more recently as podotrochlosis, is the classic problem veterinarians diagnose and manage in the rear, or caudal, portion of horses’ feet. Paige Poss, a longtime hoof care provider who has studied hoof anatomy and performed thousands of hoof dissections, recently shared what she’s learned from dissecting this part of the foot and how we could be inadvertently damaging it with our management practices. She spoke to an audience of veterinarians and farriers at the 11^th annual Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners (NEAEP) symposium, held Sept. 25-28 in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Poss has spent 20 years dissecting and photographing horses’ lower limbs, focusing primarily on the feet to better understand and explain hoof pathology—disease or damage—through teaching materials for professionals and owners. She believes many clues to a foot problem (and its fix) lie in anatomic circumstances within the hoof that veterinarians and farriers need to stop and consider.

“The back of the foot is a truly unique structure,” said Poss. “It’s excellent for dispersing concussion– that’s what it’s made for. But when the back of the hoof is unhealthy, I don’t think it deals well with constant compression. So how we load a vulnerable foot can really affect the shape of the hoof.”

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