High severity

Gravel (Ascending white-line infection)

Gravel is an infection that tracks up the white line from a sole puncture or stone bruise and may burst at the coronary band — not a pocket abscess in the sole, not thrush in the frog, not white-line disease hollowing the inner wall, and not quittor in the collateral cartilage. A photograph cannot diagnose gravel. A still cannot tell gravel from a hoof abscess, white-line disease, a bruise, or thrush. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam. The hoof scan is a first look at the hoof to share with a vet, not a gravel test, and there is no gravel scanner.

Symptoms to watch for

Sudden lameness after a stone bruise or a suspected sole puncture — the history is a clue, not a still-photo verdict

Heat, a strong digital pulse, or pain to hoof testers in one spot — a reason to book a vet/farrier, not a photo verdict

A dark tract or wet spot along the white line that can track toward the coronary band

Swelling, moisture, or a burst at the coronary band after days of sole pain — a still cannot tell that from a hoof abscess or quittor

A bruise, thrushy frog, or crumbly white line that can look like gravel — a still cannot tell them apart

Some horses stay almost sound until the tract reaches the coronet — a change is a reason to book a vet/farrier, not a photo verdict

Common causes

Infection that tracks up the white line from a sole puncture or stone bruise and may burst at the coronary band
A nail hole, crack, or packed stone that lets bacteria in at the sole — the wound is a clue, not a diagnosis
Not a hoof abscess (a pocket in the sole), not thrush (frog sulci), not white-line disease (inner-wall hollow), and not quittor (collateral cartilage) — a still cannot tell those apart, and those need a vet/farrier
A still cannot tell gravel from a hoof abscess, white-line disease, a bruise, or thrush — those need a vet/farrier

Prevention

Pick out all four feet every day and look at the sole and the white line, not only the frog
Watch for stones, nail holes, and sole bruises after rough ground, and book a vet/farrier rather than waiting on a photo
Keep a regular farrier cycle and dry standing so the white line is less likely to pack and track
Do not treat a photo, a coronary-band burst, or a scan result as a diagnosis
Hoof photos can help you, the vet, and the farrier look at the sole and coronet — they do not confirm or rule out gravel, and they cannot tell it from a hoof abscess, white-line disease, a bruise, or thrush

What to do

1
Book a vet/farrier exam if the horse is suddenly lame after a stone or puncture, if you see a tract along the white line, or if the coronary band is wet or bursting. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam — not a photograph.
2
Do not pare, syringe, or pack a tract yourself. A still cannot tell gravel from a hoof abscess, white-line disease, a bruise, or thrush.
3
Photograph the sole and the coronary band in good light and keep the photos on the horse's record so you, the vet, and the farrier can see change over time — a first look to share, not a diagnosis.
4
Use a hoof scan only as a first look at the hoof to share, not as a gravel test. There is no gravel scanner.
5
If gravel (ascending white-line infection) is confirmed, follow the plan your vet and farrier prescribe. Do not start a treatment protocol from a photo.
6
Keep the vet and farrier on the same page. Share what you see; do not treat a photo as a verdict.

When to call the vet

Pick up the phone if…

Schedule a vet/farrier exam if the horse is suddenly lame after a stone or puncture, if you see a tract along the white line, or if the coronary band is wet or bursting. Call sooner if the horse will not bear weight, the limb is suddenly very swollen, or the horse is dull or off feed. A photograph cannot diagnose gravel. A still cannot tell gravel from a hoof abscess, white-line disease, a bruise, or thrush. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam. Gravel is an infection that tracks up the white line and may burst at the coronary band — not thrush, not white-line disease, not an ordinary hoof abscess, and not quittor. The hoof scan is a first look at the hoof, not a gravel test, and there is no gravel scanner.

Get a first look at the hoof

Scan the hoof in HorseCare. 5 free scans this month, then Pro.

Scan the hoof

5 free scans this month, then Pro. Scans run in the HorseCare app.

Educational content only. Not a substitute for veterinary advice.