# red rings below coronet



## sspromise (Jun 9, 2008)

I have a 10yr old TB mare w/ 3 good feet and one permanently damaged by a coronet injury. That being said she came in a week ago with red rings around all four of her feet, approx 1/2" wide directly below her coronet band. My farrier just trimmed her feet and he said it is probably due to some systemic trauma. She is pasture kept (grass only), sound, and in good health. She is ridden 1-3 times a week and I have not noticed anything unusual. Anyone seen anything like this before?


----------



## RebelsRose (Jul 15, 2007)

Does this seem to cause her any pain? Will she let you touch the red rings? I havent heard of anything like this before. Is there heating? swelling? Any signs of trama at all? Call your vet as soon as you can and tell him/her what is going on and maybe send some pictures to him through e-mail. If I were you I wouldnt ride or work her heavy on the ground untill everything cleared with the vet since you havent a clue whats going on with her. Keep an eye out for any dicomfort...Best of luck...keep us updated.


----------



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Yes, ditto here for photos. I've never heard of this either. Please keep us informed.


----------



## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

I assume then, the hooves are white so you can see the red.

A lot of times, horses will react to a "sugar overload" in their system and it will manifest in the hooves. If there was a weird change in weather, the grass can produce more sugar than normal. Lots of factors that go into that, but that's the simple version.

When there is an unsual sugar spike in the horses' body, it can cause mild inflammation in the hooves (that in worse cases manifests as laminitis/ aka founder) but it doesn't have to cause lameness. If your horse has dark feet you likely won' t notice the color (duh) but sometimes you'll notice a "growth ring" that looks like the hoof grew thicker for about 1/4-1/2 inch. It's basically a mild bout of laminits that didn't do any real harm. Once that red is there, it has to grow out. 

Another version of this you'll see sometimes is red spots when the hoof is freshly trimmed. It looks like a fresh bruise but it is made when the hoof horn is made and grows out. Horn doesn't let oxygen pass through freely and once it's formed, the blood vessels no longer reach it. It stays fresh looking for that reason, but can be weeks/months old

It's a good sign to watch for to catch metablolic issues in horses, esp if they are fat. If you start seeing a lot of red marks showing up in the light hooves, or small growth rings, then you might consider a diet change. If it's once in a blue moon that it occurs, it's not a big deal as long as the horse isn't hurting from it. 

A side note, when you see those growth rings..as it grows out to ground level, that particular section of wall is weaker than normal and will be more prone to chipping or separating, so be esp. sure to keep up on your trimming maitenance.


----------



## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

*SIgh* :wink: I tried to edit the previous post.. for laminitis I tried to use the common term f o u n d e r but the site keeps changing it to the "L" word. LOL Most people know what it is, but I wanted to include the other word just in case.


----------



## sspromise (Jun 9, 2008)

No pain, no heat, no swelling. At this point the rings are at the top of her hooves (actually a part of them, like they were dyed) so if I would have to wait a year for them to grow out if I had planned on not riding till the red was gone. NOT an option  She is SOUND, no reason at this point not to ride. Yes hooves are white. Thats the funny part because we have no idea how many times this may occur in other horses that may have dark feet and we just can't see it! I'm working on a picture  Thank you for the help


----------



## Micki O (Apr 22, 2008)

It is possible she stood in something out in the pasture that stained her hooves? Sometimes I think wayyyyyy outside of the box :wink:


----------



## sspromise (Jun 9, 2008)

No, all four feet, all the way around, with the band the same width? It's a stretch. Plus it doesn't come off. It is definitely growing down. I was looking at previous pictures of her feet, and now that I am looking for it, I can start to see it the red. I'm going to post 2 pictures that are from April 30 PRE trim and POST trim. Don't be alarmed at the crack. We have tried to close it for years with no success and bouts of lameness. Now that we've given up and open it up she is as sound as could be  Post trim it's not as noticeable but still there.

















Sorry they have to be so small but you can see in the center of her hoof all the way at the top that it's just starting to turn pink, it's so weird!


----------



## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

I couldn't get the pics up. Dang.

Well, no lameness, then ride, ride, ride! Exercise is the best thing, for sure. When the rings were first forming (in retrospect) was it spring grass coming in, change in diet (even change in hay suppliers can do it) ?. Strange how that can do things to their feet, isn't it?


----------



## sspromise (Jun 9, 2008)

I figured out that if you want to view the picture you can only copy the address not the at the beginning or the end, if that's any help. 

They get no hay, just grass (24/7 and there is tons of it) It may have been the spring grass, but it's not like she was turned out on it all at once, she's been in the same field all winter, so the grass has come up gradually. I guess it could still be that though. The only other thing I could think of is if maybe she ate a weed of some sort. Is there any weeds that would do that? Her pasture mate has all dark feet so I can't tell if it has happened to hers or not :(


----------



## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Probably was the spring weather. Sugar levels in grass can flucuate. It is higher in periods of stress for the grass (who knew plants had stress, right? LOL) Sudden growth spurts in spring and fall, after a frost or rain after a drought, even the time of day can affect it! Generally speaking though, spring and fall are the prime times to watch for problems. 

Doubt it was a particular weed. 

safergrass.org has great info about the sugar in grass..just don't get all paranoid when you read all the details. It's just good knowledge to be aware of.


----------



## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

and yes, that's what that red mark is on the hoof in your pics. Sugar marks, I guess you could call them. They will grow out.


----------



## sspromise (Jun 9, 2008)

thank you so much for all your help!


----------

