How to Solve Hoof Health Problems

"No hoof, no horse." - if you are a horse owner, you must be familiar with this jargon.

The necessary foundations of hoof health are farrier care, a clean environment, and proper nutrition. If the hooves of your horses don't hold up, it will cost you farrier bills, lost riding time, and poor fitness the horse.

What are you Feeding is very important. The hoofs of your horse cab give an accurate picture of your horse's overall wellness. If he is not getting proper nutrition, his feet will reflect it, sooner or later. A poor diet will be reflected in his cracks, chips, or uneven hoof growth.

93 % of the hoof structure is made of Keratin and other proteins. Research says this protein is made of amino acids—that's why a well-balanced diet with quality protein is necessary.

Factors that Impact Horse Hoof Health:

Nutrition, exercise, seasonality, and farrier's skills - all these stuff influences the condition of your horse's hoof.

Farrier skill :

Tending, trimming, and shoeing your horse is crucial for healthy hooves. You must ensure proper hoof care all year round, not just in winter when the shoes come.

Seasonality :

Winter and spring become tough on hooves because of the frozen mud and wet conditions.

Exercise:

Although hooves seem like a hard, non-living part of your horse's body, blood circulates through feet and provides critical nourishment. Exercise is essential as movement can stimulate circulation and nurtures tissue and bone. If your horse has Equine Metabolic Syndrome, exercise will help treat the insulin-resistance as well.

Nutrient Requirements:

A balanced diet is the key to good hoof health. We will talk about this in detail.

Protein :

As a concerned horse owner, you should always keep a close eye on your horse's hooves, but don't just reach for an over-the-counter supplement.

Lack of energy, protein, amino acids, and specific vitamins or minerals can Detroit hoof health. You must ensure adequate energy and protein.

If the energy requirements are not met, the horse will use the protein in the feed to help maintain his weight, rather than incorporating it into a new hoof.

A horse needs 14-16% high-quality protein of his total diet. Alfalfa and soybean meal are good sources of protein.only the hooves and hair need 90% protein of the entire body. So, proteins are the "building blocks" for a healthy foot.

Protein deficiency can result in a lack of amino acids available and as a result, can horse develops poor hair coat and weak hoof horn along with slow hoof growth.

But despite having good quality forage, vitamin and mineral supplement for more than eight months if your horse's hooves are still not satisfactory, you should consider giving a hoof supplement.

Four nutrients are crucial for hoof growth. These are biotin, MSM, methionine, and zinc.

Amino Acids:

Essential amino acids found in the hoof include sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine. Methionine and cysteine are found in high protein feed like alfalfa, soybean meal, flaxseed meal, and wheat bran.

Biotin :

Biotin is another essential nutrient for hoof growth. Biotin deficiency can lead to the weakened hoof. 15-20 mg biotin supplementation per day can improve hoof wall, structure, tensile strength, and hardness and increase the growth as well.

Biotin is water-soluble, and it has a low risk of toxicity. Therefore it is a recommended component of hoof supplements.

But biotin is more effective for horses with weak hooves has a healing effect. It is not needed for horses who already have healthy feet.

Biotin can be found in many conventional equine feeds like Alfalfa, oats, and soybean meal.acording to research large oral doses of biotin can benefit horses' hooves, but it does not help increase the hoof growth rate.

If your horses' hooves are improved after 8 to 16 months of supplementation, they need to be on biotin for the rest of their lives to keep that improvement. Reducing the dose is not advisable as it may affect the results.

Methylsulfonylmethane ( MSM)

MSM is an organic source of sulfur.

Sulfur supplements strength to tendons, ligaments, and joint tissue. To ensure your supplement is improving your horse's hoof strength, make sure your hoof supplement contains MSM.

Methionine :

Methionine is an essential amino acid.It must be included in the horse's diet. It is necessary for the production, which makes up 24% of all the amino acids in keratin. And keratin is necessary for the reproduction of protein in hair and hooves. 2,500 mg of methionine will assure good-quality proteins to support their health.

Zinc and Copper: Zinc is a micro-mineral. It functions as a cofactor of numerous enzymes.

Low zinc and copper diet can be the reason for white line disease. Four parts zinc for one part of copper is recommended on the menu.

There are many hoof supplements that contain zinc, copper, and magnesium as well.

Calcium:

Calcium plays a crucial role in bone strength. It is responsible for supporting the sulfur cross-links within keratin. Foods rich in calcium and protein, as well as many other nutrients, can improve the hoof structure in horses with brittle feet.

It is essential to top keep your horse on a hoof supplement that contains all of the above components for 8 to 16 months. Then you can determine if your horse's hooves got in better shape than before. This is because it takes at least 8 to 12 months to replace and grow an entirely new hoof wall from the inside out.

Good-quality hooves will make your horse compete better and longer than a horse with hoof problems.

Hoof supplementation along with good vitamin or mineral supplement, good quality hay, horse health program, and good farrier will improve and maintain healthy hooves throughout the rest of your horse's career.

Keep in mind that some horses have poor hooves genetically. For them even the very best diet might not give good results. However, you must ensure correctly balanced diet to get the best hooves he is genetically capable of having.

Hey, I am Patricia Sever. I am glad to welcome you to my profile. I am a freelance writer by profession.