Can someone decipher this description below for me, please?

"10 YEAR OLD SORREL AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE GELDING. HAS A FOUR YEAR HISTORY OF GRADE 2-3 CHRONIC BILATERAL FORELIMB LAMENESS PROBLEM, CALLED NAVICULAR. SUITABLE FOR LIGHT RIDING OR AS A PASTURE COMPANION FOR ANOTHER HORSE. " Does this mean he can't run, or can't bear weight, or both? Or what?

Can someone decipher this description below for me, please?
10 yrs old- obvious.


Sorrel- red body, blonde mane and tail


American Quarter Horse: a breed of horse


Gelding: castrated male


Navicular disease: a term used to describe horses with chronic heel pain, because they have a little bone called the navicular bone at the back of their foot. Read on!





The rest is bad news. He has been lame in both front legs for 4 years. Grade 2-3 is serious (Grade 5 is non weight bearing, the horse holds the foot up at all times).


If you are thinking about buying this horse, don't-- run the other way!!! If, as your name suggests, you already bought him, have a vet come and evaluate him ASAP. It doesn't sound like he is suitable even for light riding, and from the description, it may not even be humane to leave him out in the field to look pretty without corrective shoeing and daily pain meds. Have your vet do nerve blocks. He may look like he's moving okay, but when you numb one front leg (he will still be able to use it, and he won't be lame on it), sometimes they are dramatically lame on the other front leg. He was really that lame all along, it was just hidden by being lame in both front legs. Navicular horses have a tendency to trip and fall, sometimes on their riders, so I would stay off him if I were you. If he is ridden, it should be for short rides, on soft, level, even footing, and only at a walk. If you want to give him a retirement home, realize that you may need to pay for corrective shoeing every 4-6 weeks and dialy pain meds. Good Luck!!
Reply:I agree that you should not get this horse...but if you think that shoeing every 4-6 weeks is "unusual" then maybe you shouldn't have a horse at all. Not all horses need shoes, but depending upon where you live, the kind of footing you ride on, how hard and how often you ride, or if you plan on showing it might be necessary. A horse normally should be reshod every 6-8 weeks, so 4-6 weeks is hardly extreme.





Remember that buying the horse is typically the cheapest part. A lot of people are literally abandoning their horses their year (opening the pasture gate and shooing them out) because of the increased prices in hay. Out here it went from $2/bale to $3.50/bale and it hasn't really even gotten cold yet. Not to mention that you need to have money ready for potential vet bills (especially for a younger horse). Do not be fooled into thinking that you can get something for nothing. A friend of mine with absolutely no horse experience bought a horse for $25 (basically for free but the owner had them pay for farrier work) and in 1 year they have had to call out the vet for 3 separate injuries and have put well over $1,000 into her. I haven't asked exactly how much, it could certainly be more than that, but the horse is now completely unsound and probably on the verge of euthanasia by now. And they had nothing to do with the accidents, one was just when the filly fell into a hole and another happened when she caught herself on the barbed wire fence. They're yet to be able to ride her and they've had her for over a year.





Please keep this in mind as you continue to look for horses. If you can't pay a few hundred dollars at the drop of a hay for a vet bill if the horse gets injured, then just walk away.
Reply:It means the horse is permanently lame on both of it's front legs. He probably can't run (at least without pain) and probably should never be riden. Having this disease for 4 years, I'm surprised he hasn't been put down yet. The horse is probably in constant pain.
Reply:it means a little of both he mostly for petting and looking pretty
Reply:Means you can't really run him or should ride him very much as his forelimb may go out on him.
Reply:light riding and little weight on him and no running
Reply:Try the link below. Here is what the first few lines have to say. It sounds like he might not be able to bear much weight, but may or may not get better. Does look like a nice horse though.





Navicular syndrome is a degenerative disease involving the navicular bone, navicular bursa and deep digital flexor tendon. It is a common cause of lameness in the middle-aged performance horse.





The mention of the word 'navicular' makes the heart race for many riders and they assume the athletic career of their horse is automatically over. There are a number of treatment regimes that can offer a significant improvement to your horse’s lameness, however, some horses will respond better to certain regimes than others and its important to try a number of treatment methods before giving up in despair.
Reply:This means he can be ridden by a light person, ad not for long. Or, if you have another horse, you can put this horse in for a companion. Also can be used for someone who can't ride, but wants a companion.