"No hoof, no horse." An old saying, but a truth to live by when caring for your horse's feet...

Problem is, when it comes to the "correct" way to do things, there are as many opinions as there are horse people. The key is to make informed decisions, with the help of your farrier and veterinarian, about what's best for your horse and you, addressing both internal (nutritional) and external factors. Although the results of nutritional care are often less noticeable and slower to appear than the results of external care, both are very important to all horses. Here, you'll find many tips addressing these two aspects of hoof care.

For overall hoof care, having a good farrier and veterinarian is critical to the success of any horse management program, and you should select these professionals as carefully as you would your own doctor. Then, beyond the regular care they provide, seek their advice as often as needed regarding nutrition, training, and care.

Nutritionally, the best place to start is with a basic understanding of how the hoof fits into the anatomy and physiology of the horse. The largest organ (glandular structure) of the horse is the dermal tissue, a voracious consumer of nutrients which includes not only the hooves, but also the skin, hair follicles, sweat glands, oil glands and related structures. Because these parts share common nutrient needs and utilization, it is impossible to nutritionally improve the condition of the hooves without also achieving an improved mane, tail and coat. What sets hooves apart, and makes them more vulnerable than other dermal structures, is their function. Because they serve as the barrier between your horse and his germ-laden environment, hooves are critical to overall equine health. And, since they show weakness or defect more quickly than the other dermal structures (due to their location and function), hooves also serve as a highly reliable indicator of your horse's dermal health. Of course, paying daily attention to a horse's feet comes naturally to active horse people, as the consequences of not detecting the early signs of poor hoof health or trauma can be dire.

Hooves reflect the fact that every horse is an individual, with a home (environment), a family (genetics), and a career (discipline) that affect his body and the level of care needed. You can have two horses in the same barn, on the same diet, competing in the same discipline and level, with the same farrier... and one has tough feet, and the other can barely hold shoes on a week at a time. In this case, even though the diet is the same, the culprit is still likely to be nutrition. That's because two otherwise similar horses have many genetic differences... and genetic makeup plays a big role in how nutrients are absorbed and utilized. Begin to vary diet or environment, and the complexity of hoof health and appropriate care becomes apparent.

Nutritional problem-solving can be especially tough, as there are many essential nutrients required for healthy connective tissue. When horses have poor feet due to dietary factors, it can be hard to determine the exact cause. You can, however, assume he's: 1) not receiving the correct nutrients, 2) not absorbing them sufficiently, or 3) another dietary factor is interfering with nutrient utilization.

If your horse is in the first category, you can start by making sure he's receiving a well-balanced diet of high-quality feed, forage, and a broad-spectrum supplement that provides all the nutrients known to be deficient in a horse with poor feet. If he's not absorbing nutrients or suffering from dietary interference, the information contained on the inside panels may help you solve the mystery... and help you discover the healthy feet you thought your horse could never have.

Hoof Care from the Outside In

• Hoof trimming or shoeing should be performed as recommended by your farrier, dependent upon level of work, condition of the hooves, and how fast the horse grows horn. As a general rule, no horse should go beyond eight weeks. With excessive untrimmed growth, hoof balance alters dramatically, at best decreasing the stride, comfort and performance of the horse, at worst causing permanent structural damage and lameness.
  
  
• Stabled horses should be kept in clean, dry bedding, with soiled bedding removed a minimum of once per 12 hours of stall keep. Ammonia from equine waste and decaying bedding is extremely destructive to hooves.
  
  
• Wet-dry-wet-dry-wet-dry... a cycle that's especially tough on hooves, and difficult to control if it's Mother Nature changing your horse's pasture from mud to desert to mud again. However, if you're riding in a sand ring, then bathing, then immediately putting your horse in a shaving-bedded stall, you're perpetuating the cracking, chipping and peeling that can accompany rapid moisture changes in the hoof. And if you're bathing with soap, you're stripping the hoof's natural water-proofing oils and waxes. What to do? Keep moisture changes to a minimum, and consider using a topical application that seals in the correct amount of moisture, yet allows oxygen to pass through.
  
  
• In general, you should make cleaning your horse's hooves a daily event, especially before riding. This can prevent nasty stone bruises and thrush, a bacterial infection that eats away at the horse's frog and sole. Take care to clean the grooves on either side of the frog well, as that's where stones and bacteria tend to collect. The exception to daily cleaning is if your horse is pastured and barefoot, or tends to pack in only "clean" dirt. There are some good arguments out there that a "clean" dirt or clay pack actually supports the frog and does the foot good. Just remember, if you're not cleaning your horse's feet daily, you may not notice when a problem develops until he's lame.
  
  
• Should you detect a rotting smell when you clean your horse's feet, he probably has thrush. All horses are exposed to thrush; it's a bacterium that's always present. Thrush bacteria are opportunistic, multiplying in the absence of oxygen and the presence of waste. Don't use copper sulfate, tincture of iodine or a bleach solution, or any of the highly damaging common thrush remedies that act as sealants, fostering the anaerobic growth of thrush bacteria. Instead, clean the foot thoroughly, then apply hydrogen peroxide to the affected areas at least once a day. Of course, chronic or severe cases should always be attended to by your veterinarian or farrier.
  
  
• And speaking of hoof remedies... remember that, as tough as hoof horn may seem, it's approximately 95% protein, much the same as your own hair and skin, and therefore as susceptible to damage. A great rule of thumb is to avoid any commercial or home remedy containing solvents, protein-altering ingredients, or anything that seals oxygen away from the hoof. Besides bleach, iodine, and copper, you should also avoid remedies containing axle grease, motor oil, pine tar, formaldehyde, acetone, and turpentine.
  
  
• A few words about salt and trace-mineralized salt blocks. Salt and trace minerals should not be fed in combined form, as a horse's need for these are quite different. Salt requirements beyond metabolic needs are based almost entirely on the amount a horse sweats, while trace minerals are a metabolic need, and are relatively steady irrespective of exercise and ambient temperature.

• If you have any hoof problems whatsoever, don't feed bran. Whether from wheat, rice, oats or other grains, bran contains phytate, which is high in phosphorous. Phosphorous blocks absorption of calcium in the small intestine, creating a systemic calcium deficiency and undermining hoof health. If bran is being fed to regulate stool consistency, use soaked sugar beet pulp instead. If it's being fed to prevent sand colic (many reports suggest that bran isn't effective for this), psyllium is a better-proven solution.
  
  
• Biotin alone is not enough to correct poor horn quality in most cases, as it's only one of many nutrients needed by the adult horse. In fact, the adult horse is said to have no dietary requirement for biotin unless under stress conditions such as intense work, traveling, being stabled for long periods or being fed a low-quality diet. And even under these conditions, biotin deficiency is relatively rare, and is usually accompanied by many dietary deficiencies. Horses which respond to biotin supplementation alone (approximately 5% of those with poor-quality horn) show large holes in the outermost layer of the wall when viewed under a microscope. The inner layers of the wall were usually not affected. If you'd like to confirm that your horse is not biotin-deficient, there's a relatively inexpensive blood test your veterinarian can perform for you.
  
  
• Methionine, proline, glycine and glutamine are some of the major building blocks of healthy connective tissue, or collagen. Copper and vitamin C are also necessary, serving as catalysts in the formation of strong and healthy horn. All these nutrients should be supplied via diet or supplementation for healthy hooves.
  
  
• Essential fatty acids are necessary for a healthy, shiny coat, as well as the proper moisture maintenance and pliability of the hoof structure. Your horse can obtain these fatty acids from grain, unprocessed grain oils, cooked whole soybeans, or the lecithin found in processed grains and supplements.
  
  
• Healthy hooves require zinc for the prevention of defective keratin, the tough material found in the outer layers of hoof and skin. If keratin is not properly formed, the hoof will be soft and brittle. You can provide the proper quantities of zinc through diet or supplementation.

Equine nutritionist Frank Gravlee, DVM, MS, CNS graduated from Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine and practiced for several years before attending graduate school at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During a three-year residency in nutritional pathology, he received a master's degree in nutritional biochemistry and intermediary metabolism, and is a board-certified nutrition specialist. Dr. Gravlee has written several articles on the relationship between laboratory findings and clinical problems in the field of equine nutrition. He has collected an extensive database of laboratory findings on this subject.

Here the hoof capsule has been removed and partially cut away to reveal the underlying corium. In healthy hooves, the capsule is tightly attached to the corium by millions of microscopic ligaments. In foundered horses, these ligaments stretch, allowing the capsule to move and press on the coronary band, inhibiting new growth. The healthy corium supplies nutrients to the hooves via blood circulation.

Copyright Life Data Labs, Inc. - 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Credits: 1. Leighton-Hardman, 1980. 2. S.A. Kempson, 1987. 3. K. Jack Easley, DVM, 1994.
Medical illustration concept by Ted S. Stashak from the Horseowner's Guide to Lameness. All illustrations by Maureen Shelleay. Title photograph by Johnny Johnston

Frank Gravlee, DVM, MS, CNS
Founder, Life Data Labs Inc.