ABSTRACT
The main aim of the study was to compare the shape of navicular bones classified as normal and pathologically changed. A comparison of metric features of the navicular bone between different types of horses and associating the examined parameters to the size of the middle and distal phalanges was an additional aspect of the study. The material comprised 53 horses of various breeds which were divided into three types. Through anatomical examinations it was concluded that as many as 30 navicular bones were normal, while 23 were found to present pathological changes. The following methods of statistical analysis were used: Levene's test, one-way ANOVA, T-test, LSD test and Pearson correlation. The shape of the navicular bone was described by seven indices developed for this purpose. From among them, three show statistically higher values in the affected bones compared to the healthy ones. The main result of the study is that navicular bones with defects are relatively thicker and have a higher flexor surface and a higher articular surface for the joint with the middle phalanx. Therefore our hypothesis is that the occurrence of pathological changes of the navicular bone is preceded by an increase in the thickness and height of this bone. Adverse changes occur only in the subsequent stage of the process. The study also revealed the interrelations between the phalanges and some metric features of the navicular bone. There were strong correlations between the breadth of the middle and distal phalanx, and the breadth and thickness of the navicular bone. Also, the height of the flexor surface of the navicular bone is strongly correlated with the breadth of the phalanges.
