The "N" word in horse lameness

Well, as per usual spending much time being creative at the computer during the summer months has proved next to impossible. Here is a little thought on an age old hoof lameness.
Over the years the “N”–word has been changed-up a little, almost like the number of methods available to shoe for this lameness. There has always been an array of techniques with more added as the pathology is re-visited. I am talking about navicular, which now tends to be termed navicular-syndrome, heel pain, or anything but straight navicular. Which is all fine and dandy. My main concern is the method of shoeing or trimming to aid in the comfort or healing of the horse.
The other day I had a client who’s vet injected his horse in the navicular area and said she would have her shoer come do some corrective shoeing on the horse. I was going to be there to trim another horse and told the owner I could probably do whatever she recommended. Well, when I got there he said the vet just said to do what I normally do for a navicular horse…. In my lifetime of shoeing there has been no one “normal” way to shoe a horse with navicular. I have reversed a shoe, raised heels with pads and/or swelled heels, applied bar shoes, rolled toes, squared toes, rocker toes, EDSS, and combinations of any of the above. Usually the method applied was at the discretion of the vet.
In this particular case I was at a little bit of a loss. Since I am relatively new to the area with no real repute with any particular vet, I was put in a hard place. But when I did my questioning and the few procedures I know to check for severity and found very little lameness I used the KISS method. And kept it plain and simple. Though I really like the reverse shoe method I kept it all very uncomplicated and just broadened the toe and rolled it, bringing the breakover back and supported the heels with a little extra heel length. (Some would call this a natural balance shoe, others would cringe to use that term though whatever the term it is the same mechanism).
Well it made me think how many different approaches I have used over the years for navicular, navicular-syndrome, heel pain type problems. And gave me something to document on my blog.