No Hoof No Horse
We have all heard the old saying…no hoof no horse. But have you really put any thought into the role nutrition plays in your horse’s healthy feet? If you have a horse with cracked, weak, or crumbly feet, read on.
Protein
Protein is the foundation of healthy hooves, but as we know, it isn’t so much about quantity as quality. Methionine and Lysine are both essential amino acids that are required for healthy hooves. Without them, the body can’t build healthy hoof tissue.
Some great protein options to boost your horses intake of these critical amino acids are black oil sunflower seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
Minerals
If you aren’t already, it is so important to get your horse on a chelated mineral supplement. Inorganic minerals often found in commercial feeds or feed store packages are not easily recognized by the body, and therefore are not put to good use, either excreted or stored in vital organs. Chelated minerals, however, are the most bioavailable form, making them immediately usable by the body. Poor hooves are a sure sign that your horse is lacking in minerals, so offering a chelated mineral can make a huge difference.
While a chelated supplement is great for the minerals required in trace amounts, it is also important to look at the minerals needed in large quantities. In particular, calcium and phosphorus. It is most ideal to have equal amounts of the two minerals in your horse’s diet, however if one should exceed the other it is better to have more calcium. Many horses that eat large amounts of bran mash or alfalfa tend to have poor hoof quality because their calcium intake is far greater than phosphorus. The best fix for this is to back off on the bran mashes and alfalfa, replacing with beet pulp or grass hay. However, black oil sunflower seeds are a great source of phosphorus and can be added to your horse’s bucket to help balance the ratio.
Fats
Like protein, the quality of fat is critical to your horse’s ability to utilize it in their body. We want to be feeding mostly omega 3’s, then omega 6’s, and finally omega 9’s. Luckily, the same things mentioned above for protein quality also happen to be great sources of omega 3’s. This includes chia, flax, hemp, and sunflower seeds. Black oil sunflower seeds are high in fat as well, but are mostly comprised of omega 6’s.
Make these simple changes to your horse’s diet and you’ll surely see stronger, healthier hooves. Keep in mind that it takes about six months to a year for hooves to grow out completely, so be patient with these changes.