Wedge Shoe with Pad is one of the craftable items in the game. Users in the Blacksmithing stream can produce it using iron and leather.

Course Article

Shoeing Navicular Cases

Navicular syndrome is a condition affecting the structures of the horse's heel. The navicular bone is a small bone found in the hoof, that acts as a fulcrum point for the flexor tendons as they attach to the coffin bone (the main bone of the hoof). The pain of navicular syndrome can come from many sources, including the bones, the tendons or the fluid filled spaces surrounding these areas.

Horses with navicular syndrome typically show mild lameness that gets worse over time, often with stiff or short-strided gait. They may "point" their feet when standing, to try and relieve the pain on their heels. They often show the most lameness when turning, going downhill or on rocky ground. Typically horses are diagnosed based on their clinical signs and taking X-rays of the feet to show changes in the bones. Some cases may need to have an MRI done to diagnose soft tissue injury.

Typically, trimming and shoeing changes can help treat horses with navicular syndrome. In general, farriers try to reduce tension in the flexor tendons and reduce pressure on the navicular bone. One of the simplest methods to reducing flexor tendon tension is to elevate the heel, so these horses are often put in a wedge shoe. Wedge shoes are thicker in the region of the heel, so basically act like high-heels for the horse! These shoes are often used in conjunction with a shock-absorbing pad to reduce the pain from concussive forces when the horse steps down.

In Oxer to Oxer, applying a wedge shoe with a pad to a horse diagnosed with navicular syndrome will reduce their recovery time by half. These shoes are crafted by users in the Blacksmithing stream using two iron ingots and a piece of leather.

1. Navicular syndrome in horses. Kentucky Equine Research, 2010. https://ker.com/equinews/navicular-syndrome-horses/