Should you feed your horse hoof supplements? Every horse depends on their hooves to provide them with movement and traction, influencing the whole bodies health at all times. There are many factors that affect a horses health and hoof quality is directly related to them.

Perhaps your farrier has mentioned the need for a hoof supplement, or maybe you're just curious as to what the benefits of a horse hoof supplement are. In either case, this page will help to inform and point the reader in the proper directions for exploring the equine hoof quality issue of supplements.

• If your horse has what is commonly reffered to as "shelly" feet. This is when the wall breaks off easily and chips out despite the efforts of shoeing and regular upkeep.
• When wear is exceeding growth. Commonly you will hear this as a reason for shoeing a horse, as well this may be a sign to add some supplements to your horses diet. Good enough hoof growth should occur in a matter of 1-2 months that a farrier should be needed.
• To speed recovery in certain injuries, a horses diet is supplemented in an attempt to rebuild the damaged area. This definitely applies to the hooves as well as the rest of the body.
• Hairline cracks sometimes occur in a horses hooves that reach from hairline down to the ground. In this case, the horse in question is usually lacking in a particular vitamin or mineral. Hoof supplements are definitely recommended to fight this condition off.

When supplementing your horse, there are certain ingredients that influence a horses hoof growth. There are some well balanced supplements on the market designed especially for hoof supplementation like "Hoof Power" or "Farrier's Formula".

Let's find out abit more about two of the main ingredients that go into a hoof supplement:

• Biotin: The number one ingredient talked about in the horse world for hoof supplementation. Biotin was one of the first things found to influence a horses hoof growth in a good way. Biotin is a B-vitamin and is water-soluble, meaning that it is not stored in fatty cells, but is actually disposed of in the urine. This means that Biotin must be fed on a constant everday dose to achieve results. (Usual dosage is 15mg per day)
• Methionine: Methionine is another ingredient that will influence your horses hoof growth and quality. It is an amino acid and one of the equine bodies "protein building blocks". Zinc-methionine is often included in many good horse hoof supplements.