Nutritional Support for Horse Hooves

The complex equine hoof relies on important nutritional building blocks for strength and integrity.
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Nutritional Support for Horse Hooves
The equine hoof—with its complex arrangement of connective tissues, nerves, cartilage, bone, and blood supply—relies on important nutritional building blocks for strength and integrity. | Photo: Erica Larson/The Horse
The versatile equine athlete depends on strong hooves to be fleet of foot and agile in motion, to negotiate quick turns and abrupt stops, and to absorb impacts sustained by all maneuvers. And the equine hoof—with its complex arrangement of connective tissues, nerves, cartilage, bone, and blood supply—relies on important nutritional building blocks for strength and integrity.

Mary Beth Gordon, PhD, director of equine research and new product development at Purina Animal Nutrition, weighed in on factors that influence hoof health: “Genetics is most important, followed by nutrition, then exercise and season. Farriery practices are also significant. Because some horses are genetically endowed with phenomenal hoof strength, even with a less-than-adequate diet their hooves remain strong. However, a severely restricted or poorly balanced diet could adversely affect genetically superior hooves, just as such imbalances negatively impact overall health.”

Gordon pointed out that sedentary horses tolerate nutrient deficiencies or imbalances better than active, performance, or breeding animals.

“All horses in all life stages are susceptible to deficiencies and subsequent deleterious effects,” said Gordon, noting that early and late life stages are particularly important times to monitor your horse’s diet. For example, “The aging digestive system of a senior horse may be less efficient at absorption or production of nutrients in the hindgut, such as B vitamins,” she noted. “Supplementation with (this and other) constituents that target the hoof may benefit senior horses

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Written by:

Nancy S. Loving, DVM, owns Loving Equine Clinic in Boulder, Colorado, and has a special interest in managing the care of sport horses. Her book, All Horse Systems Go, is a comprehensive veterinary care and conditioning resource in full color that covers all facets of horse care. She has also authored the books Go the Distance as a resource for endurance horse owners, Conformation and Performance, and First Aid for Horse and Rider in addition to many veterinary articles for both horse owner and professional audiences.

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