N

Please select a letter below for horse and farrier glossary terms.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

NAIL, HORSESHOE

Soft steel nails specially designed for attaching horseshoes to hooves. They are generally made with a four-sided, tapered shaft; the tip beveled on the inside, and a head shaped to seat into a horseshoe. A pattern or trademark is stamped into the inside face of the head to make it possible to distinguish the inside from the outside at a glance. Carpenter or masonry nails are not suitable substitutes for horseshoe nails. a.k.a: Horse nails.

 

NAIL NIPPERS/PULL-OFFS

A tool used for removing shoes, nails, and cutting nails.

 

NAPOLEAN SHOE

See: Backwards shoe.

 

NARROW BEHIND

The hind feet are closer together than the hips.

 

NAVICULAR DISEASE

[from the Latin navicula, little ship]: Degenerative heel lameness. May involve the navicular bone, navicular

bursa, DDF, and the coffin joint. a.k.a: Navicular syndrome.

 

NEAR

The side of the horse that faces west when the animal is walking north. The horse’s left side. Horses are most often led, saddled, and mounted from the near side. Opposite of off.

 

NECROPSY

A post-mortem examination.

 

NECROSIS

Death of animal tissues

 

NERVING

See: Neurectomy.

 

NEURECTOMY

Removal of a section of nerve to eliminate or reduce sensation in part of an animal’s body. This procedure is often performed to alleviate pain within the horse’s hoof. After such a neurectomy, the horse may not be considered entirely sound because the mechanical cause of the problem still exists.

 

NICHOLSON

Brand of rasps from 1864 to the present.

 

NODDING

Nodding or bobbing the head is often an indication of lameness. The horse will use his head to help unweight a lame leg.

 

NON-WEIGHT BEARING

A non-weight bearing leg is one that is so sore that the horse will carry it without letting it touch the ground while moving.

 

NORMAL OR PHYSIOLOGICAL SHOEING

Shoeing of a normal foot taking into account the physiological movements of the foot so as to interfere in a minimal way with them. Balancing of the foot is considered of primary importance.

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