By Madeline Boast, MSc Equine Nutrition, PAS

Hoof health is a critical aspect of equine well-being. The common phrase “no hoof, no horse” has merit; however, to optimally support hoof health, a variety of factors must be considered. Hoof care, genetics, movement, climate, management, and nutrition are just some of the numerous factors that influence hoof health. For optimal support, it is recommended to use a holistic approach that considers all factors.

Hoof Growth 

What you are feeding your horse now will have a lasting impact on their hooves. Consider how long it takes for a hoof to fully grow out — up to a full year! In many cases, it can take nine months before visual improvements become noticeable after dietary changes are made.

It takes up to a full year for hooves to grow out, and nine months before improvements are noticeable after dietary changes are made. Photo: iStock/CasarsaGuru

Because it takes so long to properly evaluate whether changes are making a positive difference, it’s important to make informed, educated adjustments. Supporting hoof health means evaluating the horse’s entire ration, not simply adding a hoof supplement. What you feed your horse has a direct impact on hoof quality, and a balanced diet is essential for growing strong, healthy hooves.

Important Nutrients for Hoof Health 

The hoof is continually growing and changing depending on a multitude of factors, including nutrition. A diet that meets a horse’s nutrient requirements is important, but there are a few key nutrients to emphasize when discussing optimal nutrition for hoof health.

Energy: Starting out with the basics, a horse must be consuming adequate calories (energy) to be able to support hoof health. If the horse is in a calorie deficit, energy will be prioritized for vital organs and essential body processes. This is evident in underconditioned horses as their hair coat and hoof health suffer. 

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In these situations, adding a hoof support supplement is not going to fix the root of the problem. If your horse is struggling with hoof health and needs to gain weight or is losing weight, consider increasing their energy intake. 

There are a variety of options to increase energy intake. The recommended starting point is to maximize forage intake with free choice access to quality hay. Supplemental cubes or pellets can be incorporated, too. For horses with higher energy needs, relying on a fortified concentrate or adding supplemental fats are additional options to consider.

On the flip side, excessive energy intake also has the potential to negatively affect hoof health. When a horse is consuming more energy than required, they will gain excess weight. Overweight and obese horses are at a greater risk of developing metabolic health issues, which predispose them to endocrinopathic laminitis — a detrimental hoof condition. 

For horses that easily become over-conditioned it is recommended to avoid energy-rich concentrates and excessive treats. However, many horses will become overweight on their free choice forage and a ration balancer. In these cases, it is critical to test your hay to evaluate the digestible energy content and work closely with a qualified equine nutritionist to support safe weight loss.

To evaluate if your horse’s calorie requirements are being adequately met, it is recommended to body condition score your horse. In North America, the nine-point Henneke Equine Body Condition Scale is most frequently used. With this system the horse’s condition is assigned a score of 1 to 9 (1 being poor/emaciated and 9 being extremely fat) to six different body regions (neck, withers, shoulder, back, ribs, and tailhead). A score of 5 is considered ideal, but depending on the horse’s individual needs, a score of 4 to 6 is acceptable.

Protein: Proteins play an essential role in body tissues such as hair and muscle and are important for many body processes. In equine nutrition, both the amount and quality of protein must be considered for optimal hoof support.

When reviewing the nutritional content of your horse’s feed or hay, the value “crude protein” will be listed, often as a percentage. This can be helpful for determining the grams of protein your horse is consuming, but does not provide information on protein quality. 

A quality protein source is one that provides essential amino acids, which are those the horse cannot synthesize and must be provided in the diet. Unfortunately, the exact requirement for each of the ten essential amino acids has yet to be determined, aside from lysine.

Lysine, followed by methionine and threonine, are the most frequently discussed amino acids as they tend to be the first to limit protein synthesis in the body. Soybean meal and alfalfa are two protein sources considered to be high quality for horses due to their amino acid profiles and lysine content. 

The hoof horn is comprised of keratin, which is an insoluble protein. This means it is made up of amino acids. Providing horses with a diet that is adequately supplying quality protein — rich in essential amino acids — will support the strength and growth of the hoof horn.

Protein-fortified ration balancers are a great way to ensure that your horse’s diet is adequately providing essential amino acids. When choosing a ration balancer for your horse, it is recommended to review the ingredient list to evaluate quality and check the guaranteed analysis for essential amino acids (such as lysine).

Minerals: Adequate intake of the essential minerals is another aspect of balanced nutrition imperative for hoof health. Beyond the amount of each mineral, the ratio between some of the minerals is also important. For example, zinc is critical to maintaining hoof strength, but too much zinc in relation to insufficient copper can impact the horse’s absorption of copper, resulting in a deficiency. 

It is generally not recommended to add supplements of an individual mineral, such as zinc, unless recommended by an equine nutritionist or veterinarian. 

When adding individual minerals to a ration without guidance from a qualified nutritionist, there is risk of nutrient imbalances, deficiencies, and toxicities. Choosing a commercial product from a reputable company and then feeding it at the manufacturer’s recommended rate is preferable because a nutritionist has already ensured that the mineral ratios and feeding rates follow scientific guidelines.

If you are feeding a commercial feed product below the recommended rate, it should be combined with a ration balancer or vitamin/mineral premix. Individual mineral supplements should not be added unless an evaluation of the full ration has been carried out.

Biotin: Vitamin B7, more commonly referred to as biotin, is a water-soluble vitamin that supports hoof health. Biotin contains sulphur, which contributes to the strength of the collagen strands in connective tissue including the hoof wall. Numerous research studies have shown a benefit to feeding biotin to horses both with rate of hoof growth and hoof strength. For an average-sized horse (500 kg), about 20-30 mg of biotin daily is recommended for increased hoof growth.

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Related: Healthy Hooves, Happy Horse

Supplementing biotin is recommended for horses that struggle with hoof health. However, biotin alone will not result in optimal hoof health, especially if there is an underlying nutritional deficiency.

Hoof Supplements 

Hoof supplements have their time and place, but first it is worthwhile to invest in evaluating your horse’s diet to ensure it is balanced. Also, feeding more of a good thing does not make it better. Remember that everything in balance is critical and there are risks to overfeeding nutrients. 

Hoof supplements often contain essential amino acids, biotin, and minerals such as zinc, copper, and selenium. Adding a hoof supplement to an unbalanced ration might make a positive difference in hoof health. However, it is preferable (and often more cost effective) to first ensure the base ration is balanced.

Support Healthy Hooves with Nutrition 

Invest in a full ration evaluation if you suspect a nutrient deficiency or imbalance might be negatively impacting your horse’s hoof health. Remember, it takes up to a full year for a hoof to grow out, so trialling different supplements for short periods is not going to be effective. 

1) Body Condition Score your Horse 

Relying on your horse’s body condition score to determine if digestible energy (calorie) requirements are being met is commonly overlooked when it comes to hoof health. It is recommended to check your horse’s body condition score at a regular interval so that small changes in condition are noticed before they become serious. 

As previously mentioned, hooves take a long time to grow out, so if your horse has a period of calorie deficit and weight loss, it will impact their hooves for a prolonged period. 

An easy way to remember to regularly score your horse’s body condition is to take updated scores and measurements every time the farrier is out, which is normally on a five- to six-week schedule.

2) Quantify Body Weight 

Body condition scoring tells us if the horse needs to gain or lose weight, but we also need to quantify their body weight to determine if nutrient requirements are being met. In an ideal world, every barn would have a scale to weigh our horses, but this is not the reality. Instead, we rely on a set of body measurements: heart girth and body length.

Photo: Clix Photography 

Related: Does Your Horse’s Diet Support Strong Hooves?

Start by ensuring the horse is standing square. Place your tape measure directly behind the elbow (where the girth sits), and measure around the horse. For body length, the measuring tape should be placed at the point of the shoulder and the point of the buttock. Note that this is different than a measurement for a blanket and that different mathematical equations are available for growing horses and differing breeds. 

Below is an equation to use to calculate weight for a mature horse: 

Kg of body weight = [girth (cm)2 x body length (cm)] / 11,880 

3) List All Feeds and Supplements (with weights)

Now that you have your horse’s body condition score and weight, you can evaluate if the products you’re feeding are a good match.

Commercial feeds being fed below the recommended feeding rate is one of the most common nutrition issues. This results in nutritional deficiencies as the products are formulated to be fed at the specified rate, and when we feed below that rate the horse is not getting adequate vitamin and mineral content, even if calories and protein requirements are being met.  

If your horse does not need additional calories beyond what the forage is providing, a ration balancer can be used. These products are concentrated sources of quality protein, vitamins, and minerals. For your average-sized horse, the feeding rate is generally about 500g to 1 kg per day. If your horse is maintained on a ration balancer but is being fed below the recommended rate for their body weight, nutritional deficiencies are likely present.

For horses that need supplemental calories and are maintained on a performance or senior feed, the feeding rate remains critical. With these products it is also common that they are being fed below the recommended feeding rate, which again results in nutritional deficiencies. If you are feeding below the recommended rate on a performance or senior feed, and increasing the amount would result in unnecessary weight gain, a supplemental source of vitamins and minerals should be added. In these cases, it is recommended to consult an equine nutritionist.

4) Test Your Hay 

Take a moment to visualize what your horse consumes in a day. It is likely a large amount of hay and a small amount of supplemental concentrate. When practical, hay testing should be completed. Through testing hay, we equip ourselves with the information on its nutritional content including calories, protein, and minerals.

However, this is not always practical. If your horse’s hay is changing frequently with new batches every few weeks, we do not test every batch but ensure a well-fortified ration balancer is incorporated.

Take Home Message 

Hoof health is critical to overall equine well-being, and the phrase “no hoof, no horse” is well-known for a reason. Although there are a variety of factors that influence hoof health (including genetics, environment, climate), what we feed our horses has a direct impact on their hooves. When adjusting a ration to ensure it is optimally supporting hoof health, invest the time into a comprehensive review instead of simply adding another supplement to their diet. It is a worthwhile investment as hooves take nine to twelve months to grow out, and what you feed your horse today will impact their hooves in the future.

Related: Healthy Hooves Hoof Care Guide

Related: Henneke Equine Body Condition Scale

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Main Photo: Doswell Creative