An important part of horse ownership is taking proper care of your horse’s hooves. Getting your horses’ hooves shod or trimmed regularly is just the beginning. There are many aspects to consider when taking care of your horses’ hooves besides just shoeing and trimming that contribute to equine hoof health.
Hoof Trimming
If you go with hoof trimming vs. shoeing, have a farrier trim your horse’s hooves every 5-8 weeks. The amount of time will vary depending on the environment your horse is living in as well as weather, nutrition, and the surface you are riding him or her on.
Shoeing Your Horse
Consult a farrier to determine what type of shoes that your horse needs. Shoes can come in metal, rubber, and other types of material. You can choose to shoeing or cold shoeing as well depending on the methods of the farrier that you choose.
Having shoes on your horse should not cause the quality of his hooves to deteriorate. BE sure to choose a well trained and experienced farrier to do the job safely.
The Importance of Re-shoeing
Horse hooves grow as fingernails grow. It’s not ok to shoe your horse and leave the shoes on until they grow out and fall off. Occasionally a horse will throw a shoe. Work with your farrier to develop a schedule that keeps your horse sound and healthy. Do your best to stay on schedule with your horse.
Signs Your Horse’s Shoes Should Be Reset
Have your horses reshod every six to eight weeks. Again the frequency will depend on the environment, your individual horses’ hood growth, or soundness challenges as well as the type of environment he lives in and is ridden in.
- A loose shoe or shoe that falls off.
- Cracking hoofs
- Obvious hoof growth beyond the norm.
Be proactive with your horses’ hoof care. Following a schedule helps prevent these issues before they start. This keeps you and your horse riding without a hitch.
Foal Hoof Care
Foals should have their hooves trimmed at one to two weeks of age. This allows the farrier to address any issues with anatomy or hoof growth early on. This may prevent difficulty with correction of issues relating to the legs and hooves that arise when disregarding new foal hoof care.
Horse Nutrition and Health
Protein
A deficiency of protein in your horses’ diet can have a negative effect on hoof growth. The effects can include diminished hoof quality and slower growth of new hoof. Pay special attention foals or lactating mares. These age groups have higher protein requirements than mature horses.
Calcium
Consider using a vitamin supplement that gives your horse calcium. Calcium is an important nutrient in the formation of bones, muscles, teeth, and other structures. A diet that is deficient in calcium can cause poor or slow hoof growth or diminished quality of hoof.
Zinc
Zinc is a nutrient that relates to growth in structures throughout the body. If your horse is deficient in zinc have the vet check your horse for causes of nutrient malabsorption.
Biotin
Biotin is a B vitamin that is produced in the horse’s gut. Some horses that were deficient in biotin had poor hoof quality. For years biotin supplementation has been popular in the equine industry to help support healthy hooves.
According to a study: “Statistically significant improvements in growth rates and hardness of hooves were produced by biotin supplementation. Greater growth rates and hardness were achieved at a daily dose of 15 mg than at 7.5 mg” (Effect of dietary biotin supplement on equine hoof horn growth rate and hardness, E A Buffa, et Al., 1992) This is a vitamin that actually has research behind it to show it’s effectiveness to aid in promoting a healthy hoof.
Essential Fatty Acids
Supplementation with essential fatty acids can help the development of a healthy hood growth and potentially prevent drying and cracking of the oof. The two essential fatty acids a horse must get from diet are linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid. These fats are used to build omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Flaxseed (linseed), canola, and olive oils are excellent sources. Consider adding these oils in small amounts to your horses’ grain.
Equine Hoof Supplements
Most hoof supplements contain some or all of the above dietary elements. Good nutrition is a crucial part of maintaining healthy feet and the supplementation of these ingredients has been proven to encourage both the growth rate and quality of hoof horn. Of course, more research is needed to determine optimal dosages, and also why some horses may require these additional quantities of certain nutrients for growing healthy feet. In general, though, supplements are both safe to feed and, along with good care and farriery, may give your horse the best toenails possible to walk on.
Environment
A basic step to encourage a healthy hood is a safe environment. Don’t allow your horse to stand in deep mud or an overly wet environment extended period of time if possible. Consider making plans for dry ground if you live in an area particularly wet or snowy winters. Keep your horse out of areas with bad fencing, lots of holes in the ground he could step in, or objects that can cause trauma to the legs or hooves.
Exercise
Ride your horse regularly. When exercising your horse be sure to ride in safe areas, such as riding arenas or clear trails. Use caution when going up and down steep hills or on irregular terrain. If you are going to ride on rough terrain prepare your horse by having the farrier come and outfit him with the proper shoes in advance.
These are just some of the steps to promote healthy hooves, and healthy hoof growth in your horse. Hoof care is more than just putting shoes on your horse every couple of months. Address all components from exercise to nutrition, to a safe environment, to a routine hoof care schedule and you are on your way to improving and sustaining your horses of hoof health.
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