Many hoses improve dramatically with good trimmer and / or shoeing. Each horse should be trimmed according to its own particular confirmation to allow the proper hoof angle. Some horses require hyper specific angles in each hoof to prevent long-term mechanical problems. Farriers will often square or roll the toes to ease break-over in stride. Corrective shoeing aligns the hoof-pastern axis to establish sound lateral to medial balance in the leg. Egg bar shoes are typically used to achieve good heel support. Recently, composite shoes have become a popular shoeing alternative for rehab in the Navicular horse. Composite shoes offer excellent overall freedom of movement, which allows the natural mechanics of the foot to work correctly again. Consult with your farrier about these shoeing options. In most scales the above treatments allows the horse with Navicular syndrome to live comfortably and return to a certain level of function. If therapy does not help, a neurectomy can be performed as a last result. Neurectomy is a drastic treatment in which the nerves to the Navicular area are cut to deaden the foot. Owners should know that this treatment is not without short and long term complications. These can be undetected foot abscesses, nail punctures, painful nodules on the cut nerve (neuromas), and even tendon rupture. There is also the tendency of the horse stumbling often because it cannot tell exactly where its feet are. Needless to say, this is not a solution for a performance horse. For further information on Navicular syndrome contact you farrier and equine veterinarian.