A corn is a hematoma that has occurred between the sensitive and insensitive layers of the sole. A hematoma is an anatomical area that contains effused blood. Therefore a “corn” is actually a “subsolar hematoma.” It’s important to understand that this is a totally different condition than the corns found on the feet of people.

The most common site of a subsolar hematoma is the heel of the foot, between the bars and the wall. It is commonly found in the front feet and rarely in the hind feet. This is because the front feet bear more weight than the hind. An animal that is conformationally challenged with flat feet is also more predisposed to this condition.

Many chronic forelimb lamenesses are attributed to corns and care should be taken to exclude other possibilities before this diagnosis is made.

Causes Of Corns

Subsolar hematoma can be caused by a number of conditions, including:

Poor or improper shoeing which results in undue pressure on the sole at the angle of the wall and the bar and usually occurs when the shoes are left on too long.

When shoes are applied, it is common to bend the inside branch of the shoe toward the frog to prevent the animal from pulling or stepping off the shoe. Biomechanically, this results in added pressure to the sole at the angle between the bars and the wall and not to the wall itself.

The application of a shoe that is even a half size too…