Feeding for Happy Feet: A Recipe for Healthy Hooves
Hoof care is an integral part of managing your horses health.
Many factors can affect hoof quality including environment genetics farrier care and nutrition. Fortunately a horses nutrition can be easily managed and can have profound effects on hoof strength and structure. The hoof condition of all horses from young foals to seniors can be significantly improved simply by ensuring they receive a wellbalanced scientifically sound diet.
As an equine nutritionist one of the first areas of a horse I evaluate is the hoof quality. The hoof can act as a mirror its external condition often reflects the horses internal nutritional state. Many common hoof problems can be indications of an inadequate diet. The kind of hoof issues observed may help you determine which dietary area is lacking. It is important to note that there is no single magic dietary component that will guarantee good feet rather good feet are the result of a balanced diet including adequate protein energy vitamins and minerals.
The horses hoof wall is largely made up of protein. Special building blocks called amino acids link together to form different proteins throughout the body. Some amino acids can be synthesized within the horses body others must be supplied in the diet. The latter are called essential amino acids. Two essential amino acids of key importance to hoof health are lysine and methionine
Lysine is the primary limiting amino acid the essential amino acid present in the least amount relative to the need for that amino acid in most cereal grains which of course form the basis of the equine diet. When all the lysine supplied in the diet is used up by the horses body protein synthesis stops no matter how many other amino acids are available. Lysine deficiency is common in horses that are fed diets high in cereal grains and can result in a restriction of growth not only of hoof tissue but throughout the entire body making lysine particularly important for the healthy development of young horses.
