# Holes on coronet band! What is it and why?



## sullylvr (Aug 13, 2009)

Hmm in not an expert but it looks like some sort of fungus to me...
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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

My friends pony has a little hole on her coronet band and it is super sensitive and looks like a puncture wound.

I agree it looks fungal


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

I agree that it looks fungal, have you talked to your farrier about it?


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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

My trimmer had a look at it and said she doesn't know what it is


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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

Doesn't seem to cause him any grief at all but just worried what it is


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## sullylvr (Aug 13, 2009)

Coronet Band fungus??? [Archive] - The Farrier & Hoofcare Resource Center Forums 

Found this about it!
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## sullylvr (Aug 13, 2009)

It dosnt say exactly what it is but it has suggestions and it seems she cured it
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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

Thank you! I just read it. Seems a very high possibility. Will double check with vet and see what he has to say/recommend for treatment. Till then I will spray with iodine


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

I've seen things posted like this on a few forums... with everything from selenium levels, to abscesses, to standing in wet ground to long...

some links 
Small holes in coronet area - The Farrier & Hoofcare Resource Center Forums (go through the whole thread)

Horse Junction - South Africa's no. 1 horse site | View Thread


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't know. The only one that even raises a bit of concern to me is the big close to the bulb of his foot. That, to me, looks like a blown out abcess. The rest of it looks like a horse that is kept in a fairly wet area and spends a lot of time with wet feet.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

I heard from somewhere that if the grass a horse is out on has a really high level of toxicity then it can cause blisters on the coronet bands. And basically the toxin causes a fungus(which causes the blisters), so basically what everyone else has said haha. Apparently it happens in cows and horses. 

You could try spraying a Chlorhex solution with like an athletes foot cream and see if that helps and basically keep the horse on shorter pasture or no pasture to see if it goes away.

If this sounds totally nutzo I'm sorry this is just something I picked up over the years of listening to old time cowboys in my area haha.


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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

Hmm could be. I think hes got two of them, both on the front feet. What would cause such a abscess?
Yeh unfortunately summer has just ended and the paddock is starting to get quite muddy in some areas, but he did have this in summer as well when everything was absolutely dry


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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> I heard from somewhere that if the grass a horse is out on has a really high level of toxicity then it can cause blisters on the coronet bands. And basically the toxin causes a fungus(which causes the blisters), so basically what everyone else has said haha. Apparently it happens in cows and horses.





Phantomcolt18 said:


> If he's on a toxin binder though? Still a possibility?


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

In NDAppy's first link above, I'm ElRebelde, and this was my photo of my horse:










I never did get a satisfactory answer as to what caused it. That poor gelding died not long after of (presumably unrelated) cancer, and my mare who had a much milder case had no lasting issues. The following summer the holes returned to the slightest possible degree, and then again disappeared without incident....


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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

Yeh all the forums I have read so far, no one really knows what it is. There's a lot of debate about it actually. Sorry to hear about the gelding. But good news about it not affecting your mare. So if they are coming and going with her, have you haven't noticed anything in how her hoof grows with it?


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

When I see this around here, I usually think its mostly dampness related. 

For the coronet... Id think the hoof has been wet for awhile and the horse has scuffed the periople on something or just been overly wet awhile. 

Bubbas pict looks very much like a scuff mark. Maybe even the rasp scuffing in a miss as I see rasp marks very high on the foot. 

The OP's picture looks more like dampness related peeling on the periople. it could possibly be slightly fungus related. Id probably try listerine if I thought I needed to and just see if it changes anything. It cant hurt used once or twice.

As for the holes in the heel...it can be thrush and impact related. Usually in wet condition where the bulbs have gotten very soft and the horse has stepped on a root or some such that has damaged the bulbs. Ive noticed it occurs often when its been very wet and the horses go for long trail rides around here. It can be mild to much worse than the picture depending on how hard the horse has worked in the terrain and how low the horses heels tend to be. Ive seen some beat up bulbs after a ride on certain horses before. I also agree with abcesses in some cases. Sometimes thrush can travel out the heel bulbs in a track also. So...It depends.

The best way to help it is to get the feet dry and out of the wet and guard against nasties. It will grow out eventually.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Those aren't rasp marks, nor were the holes caused by the farrier. Nor do I think it was dampness related, as all the times I've seen the holes in my horses' hooves, it was during the middle of summer, when it's hot and humid but far less muddy than other times of the year.

Kingzy, the mare's "holes" were far less severe than the gelding's, and the've come and gone twice now. As they grow about half an inch down the hoof they just even out and disappear, but they weren't very deep to begin with, either. Hers were also more towards the heel bulb region (for the most part, and like the OP's photo) than the gelding's. Seems like the holes on the white hooves were less noticeable than those on the dark hooves, and I don't think it was just a contrasting color thing, either.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

smrobs said:


> I don't know. The only one that even raises a bit of concern to me is the big close to the bulb of his foot. That, to me, looks like a blown out abcess. The rest of it looks like a horse that is kept in a fairly wet area and spends a lot of time with wet feet.


That's my thought as well. I actually have a gelding who's feet look like that quite often. He's never had issues. I notice it mostly when it's wet.


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## horsecrazy84 (Mar 20, 2011)

I agree with the others who say it's from moisture. Usually during the night in summer you get dew on the grass, so even if it's dry, doesn't mean the hoof doesn't have too much moisture. If there's no lameness I wouldn't worry about it. Usually when it's soft like that it peels very easily.


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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

Cool, all sounds right. Thank you all for your help! It kind looks like its peeling off now. Im having a vet come and do a general health check up soon anyway but I think you guys right about it not being anything bad. Thanks =)


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## bntnail (Feb 3, 2011)

Kingzy said:


> My TB has odd looking holes on his coronet band. They are on all four feet. Some of them look almost a cm deep!
> If anyone has encountered this or knows what it is please do tell, I'm not sure what I should do


Hoof worms.


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## Kingzy (Mar 27, 2011)

No such thing as hoof worms


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## cosmomomo (Aug 10, 2010)

my horses hooves look exactly like that when it has rained for a long period. Or when I hose him off too frequently. He's never had soundness issues from it either. When everything dries up, they pretty much go back to normal looking. I guess it COULD be from some sort of fungus..but I highly doubt it since it isn't causing him any discomfort.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

smrobs said:


> I don't know. The only one that even raises a bit of concern to me is the big close to the bulb of his foot. That, to me, looks like a blown out abcess. The rest of it looks like a horse that is kept in a fairly wet area and spends a lot of time with wet feet.


Another vote for this.


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