5 Tips for Happy Hooves
There’s an old saying, ‘no hoof, no horse’, and it has stood the test of time for a reason!
Hooves are complicated structures, and having a healthy hoof at the end of each leg is a non-negotiable if you want a happy, rideable horse. As with so many things, nutrition can have a big impact on your horse’s hoof health. In this article, we dive into what you can do nutritionally to help ensure your steed has a stellar set of hooves.
1. Feed quality protein ingredients
Did you know that the hoof wall is mostly made of a protein called keratin? This goes some way to explaining why providing good quality protein in your horse’s diet is so important for hoof health. When we say ‘good quality’ protein, we’re talking about protein that is rich in essential amino acids (such as lysine, methionine, leucine and valine) that are also bioavailable (ie. able to be used by the horse). Essential amino acids are the amino acids that horses can’t make themselves – so they have to consume them in their feed. Feed ingredients to look out for that are high in good quality protein (and therefore can help support hoof health) include soybean meal, stabilised rice bran and lupins.
2. Hindgut health affects hoof health
It might not be the first thing you think of, but your horse’s hindgut health can have a big impact on their hoof health. Your horse’s hindgut contains a massive population of microbes whose job it is to ferment the fibre your horse eats. Your horse receives energy from this fermentation, along with B vitamins (including biotin) which support hoof health. Therefore, taking steps to look after your horse’s hindgut microbiome – such as only feeding cooked grains, feeding small meals, and feeding plenty of forage – will help support their hoof health too.
3. Make sure the diet is balanced
Feeding your horse a balanced diet is important for ALL aspects of their health – and hoof health is no exception. By a ‘balanced diet’, we mean that for your particular horse (with their particular level of exercise, stage of life, and environmental conditions), you need to feed a diet that provides the correct levels of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals for them.
To choose just one example, zinc deficiency has been associated with decreased hoof hardness. This is especially good to know if your horse is on a forage-only diet because pastures can be low in zinc, and a zinc-deficient diet can result. Therefore, providing your horse with a fortified feed, a balancer, or a vitamin and mineral supplement can help ensure they receive the nutrients they need to support hoof health.
4. Don’t overfeed energy
From a hoof’s perspective, carrying around an overweight horse is bad news because it places undue strain on the hoof structure. In more serious cases, it may also put your horse at higher risk of diseases such as laminitis. To help ensure your horse doesn’t get too fat, do not feed them more energy than they need. You might find it helpful to monitor their body condition score (BCS) and keep it within BCS 4-6 (on the Henneke scale of 1-9).
5. If your horse already has hoof issues, consider feeding a biotin supplement
In conjunction with the above tips and appropriate hoof care from your farrier, feeding your horse a biotin supplement could help support hoof growth and strength. Biotin has an important role in supporting the strength of the bonds between collagen strands in connective tissue, including in the hoof wall. While poor hooves have not actually been linked with biotin deficiency, biotin supplementation HAS been linked with improved hoof health. If you are looking to add biotin to your horse’s diet, ensure you look for a supplement that will provide 20 – 25mg/day.
