Nutrition and hoof care

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You are here: Home / Articles / Horse care

Ruth Bishop

5 July, 2004

Some horses seem to have a bigger shoe habit than Imelda Marcos.

When you are paying upwards of £60 every four to six weeks, it can be desperately frustrating if your horse has chipped, cracked or thin feet that don't hold on to a shoe for any length of time.

Scientific studies in different countries have shown incidence of poor hoof quality in 30-40% of the horses studied. Nutrition is one important factor in hoof quality – in unison with several others including farriery, genetics, conformation, management and environmental conditions.

Hoof growth is relatively slow, at around 0.2mm a day, meaning that the horn takes 9-12 months to grow from the coronary band to the weight-bearing surface. Adverse changes therefore take a while to correct.

You only have to look closely at a hoof to see that it is highly complex in structure. Hoof wall thickness and strength are created by layers of linked cells. The strength of the hoof depends on the ability of such layers to hold together.

Nutrition for the hooves must concentrate on the hoof cells and the lipid "glue" that holds the wall together. Given their complexity, no single nutrient can fulfil all roles.

First and foremost the requirement is for a balanced diet – one containing appropriate amounts of all nutrients, from energy and protein down to the smallest micronutrient.

The most well acknowledged support nutrient for hooves is the B-vitamin biotin, shown to be specifically required for the production of hoof horn. A dose of 15-20mg a day is recommended for a typical 500kg horse, but it is not a cure all. If after six to nine months of feeding biotin there is no improvement in your horse's feet, you should look at other options.

High-grain, low-forage diets may not support hoof growth. Not only may B-vitamin production be low, but low calcium availability may also result in weakness – calcium is reported as having a direct effect on the attachment of layers of hoof horn.

It is less easy to understand why grass fed horses may have nutritional hoof problems, as grass is generally very rich. However, low trace element levels may not be supporting hoof growth. Poor horn has been associated with low zinc concentrations, but the primary effect of grass-based diets on hoof quality may actually be more environment related.

Changing conditions such as wet and dry weather and uneven ground certainly have an impact.

Look after your horse's feet and use the farrier regularly.

If your horse has poor feet, take into account the nutrient supply from forage and hard feed, and look for gaps, most likely in vitamin, mineral and trace element supply.

Give a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement if low levels of hard feed are fed or the diet is based primarily on forage of unknown quality.

Consider biotin supplementation if poor hoof quality persists after a balanced diet has been fed.

Regular exercise maintains a healthy circulation, which in turn provides nutrients to the hooves.

This article first appeared in H&H (3 June 2004)