Horse hoof health is vital. The hoof helps not only dissipate impact energy, but it also covers and protects several bones, tendons, ligaments, fibro-fatty, and fibro-cartilaginous tissues.
That said, keeping a horse’s hooves in top health can be challenging and ever-changing, especially as the seasons transition.
A horse’s hooves have different needs and potential problems each season, based on factors like wet/dry cycles, exertion levels, or even how often the horse is being bathed.
While there are several ways horse owners can help keep hooves healthier topically, there are other ways that can help improve a horse’s hooves from the inside out.
Each season brings a new set of challenges regarding horse hoof health.
Summer, for example, introduces different factors, like more riding and competition because of the warm weather. For barefoot horses especially, this means more wear and tear on the structure of the hoof.
Summer also means more baths. Unfortunately, these more frequent baths can cause problems with a horse’s feet.
Bathing, especially with the use of detergent shampoos, breaks down the oils in the hoof and compounds hoof problems, such as brittle or cracked feet. Stomping at flies is another way horses can compromise their feet, creating additional impact for the hoof and potentially damaging hooves that are already weakened feet from these frequent baths.
When feet do not have a good waxy outer layer, they are also more prone to moisture and weather changes.
In winter, horse hooves are more prone to weather cracks in the hoof wall. When the ground is hard and frozen in the winter, it can also worsen issues with weak hooves due to both impact and the frequently changing wet/dry cycles that winter can bring.
Once a horse’s feet get too soft, too brittle, or too ‘shelly’ they don’t hold a nail well and lose shoes often, leading to more nail holes and more damage.
For many horses, just trying to keep up with these hoof-related issues topically is not enough.
While a number of ingredients can help support hoof health, biotin is a stand-out ingredient that can make a noticeable difference when it comes to hoof health.
Biotin, which is also referred to as vitamin B7, contains sulfur. Sulfur is important for hoof formation, because of the biochemical pathways in which sulfur relates to hoof function. It comes from the sulfur found in methionine, which is a sulfur-containing amino acid. This bond is very important for structural strength in hooves.
Biotin is also an essential nutrient for keratin production. Keratin is the main protein responsible for strong hoof health and is also what helps with the intracellular fatty cement in a horse’s hooves.
While biotin is typically found in the horse’s regular diet, the levels are usually not enough to be fully beneficial when it comes to supporting hoof health.
The recommended daily amount of biotin a horse should consume to support optimum hoof health varies depending on weight, and more might be necessary for horses who need additional hoof support.
Fortunately, biotin is known to be safe for horses. Excess is simply excreted through urine and toxicity is not something that has been reported when feeding high levels of biotin to horses.
High-biotin diets can be supportive to horses with cracked or brittle feet, and those who have a hard time keeping shoes on.
Not only does biotin help the hoof horn grow faster, but it can help with sole sensitivity, as the soles can also become stronger with added biotin.
Biotin may be best known for supporting hoof quality and growth; however, biotin doesn’t just support healthy hooves—it has several benefits in other areas of a horse’s health as well.
Coat quality can also be impacted by the levels of biotin a horse is getting in their diet. This is partly because keratin is also an important component when it comes to healthy skin and coat. The right levels of biotin can help prevent issues like dry, flaky skin and other skin-related issues.
Biotin also influences enzymes that make fat from sugars and the energy from this fat.
Biotin might help these cells break down fats more efficiently, therefore producing energy and possibly enhancing fat metabolism. Since biotin plays a role in a glucokinase enzyme that burns energy or stores it as glycogen, it might help with regulation, and the lowering of blood glucose levels.
For horses in heavy exercise and competition, this increase in biotin levels could help with getting the most out of their body’s nutrients and energy levels to improve exercise tolerance.
When low blood biotin levels are present, the lactate in their blood runs lower as well. This suggests high levels of biotin could influence sustaining higher speeds when exercising.
A horse’s hoof hits the ground with extreme pressure.
Even when considering the more refined makeup of certain breeds, it’s incredible how properly maintained hooves can do amazing things. When a racehorse gallops and a single foot is loaded, there can be up to 10,000 pounds of pressure on a hoof that is smaller than the average human foot.
So, let’s appreciate and care for our horses’ hooves! They’re the very foundation of your horse’s health, after all.
