The Scoop Equine Nutrition Podcast Ep 17: Hooves and Nutrition: Beyond Biotin, Copper and Zinc

In this episode of the Scoop Equine Nutrition Podcast, host Annie Emery discusses the importance of hoof health in horses and separates fact from fiction regarding various supplements and feeds.

The episode covers the common issues and how they link to environmental and nutritional factors. 

The podcast aims to equip horse owners with scientific knowledge to make informed decisions for their horse's hoof health.

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Transcript

0:07

Welcome to the Scoop! Equine Nutrition Podcast. I am your host, Annie Emery. Thank you so much for joining me today. It's a big topic, all about hoves and nutrition, so I could teach on this for hours. But this will be a short overview, and I expect to teach on this more in the future, just like I have been on my website and Facebook education group. So every day we see ads all over social media, in newsletters, with companies. Everybody wants to sell you something. Improve your horse's hooves. Give them this top dressing. This is the best one. It will make the hooves look amazing. Look, in only three weeks we saw amazing results. Let's separate fact from fiction and look at everything here with a scientific lens. I want you to be an educated and informed consumer who makes good decisions for their horse and possibly saves money in the process. So today we're going to talk about all of the aspects of what does a good hoof look like, what is a bad hoof, what are the nutrition aspects in each of these problems, and how do we move forward. Do you need a hoof supplement? Maybe not. In most cases, my clients don't. So let's dig into it today. First of all, disclaimer. As always, I am an independent professional. This podcast is free from all commercial bias and influences. I don't sell any supplements. I don't generate and make any feeds. I don't favor any product. I tell you the honest truth of what's working and I get no kickbacks and promotions from any brands. Please use everything at your own risk, and this is not a substitute for veterinary, medical, or farrier advice. We know that horses put a lot of wear and tear in their hooves. You've heard the expression, no hoof, no horse. This is extremely accurate. I have dealt with hoof issues in my personal horse. I talk to clients every day who are struggling. It is very frustrating and stressful when there's a problem with the hooves. We don't always know what to do, and we're being bombarded by ads, and everyone is overwhelmed. And we do acknowledge that hooves grow pretty slowly, so it takes about 9 to 12 months for a horse to grow a hoof from the top to the bottom. Therefore, You have to be really patient when you're starting a supplement or a new program just to let it grow out and stay the course. However, it also means when you get behind the curve and you're starting to notice problems in the hooves, it does take a long time to turn it around. So I want you to be educated and informed to know what you're looking for when there's a problem. And hopefully, call me before it gets to escalate and become extremely stressful. I don't want that for you guys. It is my expectation that all my clients have excellent hooves and know exactly what they're doing. Let's talk about exactly what different defects can be in hooves. What's the problem? And then what does a good hoof look like? So the biggest thing I see is and hear about is weak and brittle hoof walls. Some people call this chipping, some people call this shelly, and they are basically, the bottom of the hoof looks uneven, very jagged, the horses may have discomfort or pain, sometimes they're lame, so basically chunks of the hoof are coming off, whether in one area or like feathering along the bottom. Wet weather is the number one culprit. Prolonged exposure to rain or mud can soften the hose, weakening their entire structure. Wet conditions can also foster bacteria and fungi and cause infections like thrush. And on the flip side, super dry weather is another reason. So that's right, we can't really get away from it. Extremely dry conditions can cause the hoof wall to lose moisture and become brittle, leading to cracks. Third, irregular trimming. Without consistent farrier care, hoofs can grow unevenly, leading to splits, cracks, or imbalances. So talk to your farrier about what trimming cycle is best for your horse. And it does change depending on the time of year. And of course, nutrition. That's right, a diet lacking essential nutrients compromises the structure and growth of the health, making it more susceptible to damage. So if your hay isn't good, just slapping on a hoof supplement may or may not take care of the problem. You can't outrun bad hay. What exactly do healthy hooves look like? We don't want to just talk about what's wrong, we want to talk about what the goals are. A hoof should be strong, resistant to cracking, and healthy. It should have a smooth surface, be free from defects, with a shiny and even surface. It should be balanced. The next thing we're going to talk about is the parts of the Hough. Now, although for some it will be review, I have seen people define the Hough problems incorrectly. The reason this matters is because we use different things to target different parts of the hoof. If you're having a problem with the hoof wall, you need to understand the language used for that, and the nutrients involved in hoof wall is going to be different than the nutrients involved in the sole and also the frog. So just like When I talked about bone supplements, joint supplements, and cartilage supplements, people get a little wishy washy on what they're asking about. So to be a good consumer, you have to have a clear idea of the whole basics. The, Hoof wall is the outer layer of the hoof made of keratin. This is a tough protein that protects the internal structures. This also bears most of the horse's weight and absorbs shock during movement. The sole is on the bottom of the hoof. It's softer than the wall, but it's still essential for protecting the inner frog and absorbing impact. It's a funny name structure that is the V shaped structure and acts as a cushion, distributes pressure evenly, and aids in blood circulation. It can also play a role in horse's balance and proprioception. All of these parts work together to provide support and resilience. So again, it's important to use the correct terminology, so when you're describing a problem with your horse's hooves to either myself, other professionals, veterinarians and farriers, we can clearly understand what you're dealing with and how to help you the best. And unfortunately, hoof problems are very common. So what exactly are the problems? So again, we have cracks. Cracks can be caused by dryness, irregular trimming, or trauma. They can range from superficial to deep, potentially leading to infections. The second is thrush. This is an annoying bacterial infection that thrives in wet, dirty conditions. It can also appear as a black smelly discharge around the frog and can cause lameness if untreated. Please work with your veterinarian to get your horse assessed and treated for thrush. Nutrition isn't exactly related to thrush, so don't look for a miracle cure in that direction. Abscesses. This is definitely a nemesis for some horses. It's thought that genetics plays a role in this quite strongly. So these are infections trapped inside the hoof, and they can cause sudden swelling. They're often triggered by small injuries or foreign objects. So we don't generally have a strong correlation of diet and abscess, but I want all of my clients to have the best nutrition, so it will help whatever is going on with your horse. And it may not prevent abscesses, but I'm going to give you guys my best. Chipping hooves is absolutely explained by nutrition, at least in many cases. What percentage? We don't know. But most times when clients come to me with shelling and chipping feet, there is some nutritional deficiency that explains it. And remember, the amount of nutrition for each horse will vary. How much copper does your horse need? That might be different than how much copper your friend's horse needs. So copying diets is really not advised. It's really particular to the horse's requirements, which is set by the National Research Council. We want to avoid deficiencies and toxicities. Check out their feet every day. Check for punctures, cracks, abrasions. Make sure nails are good. If you have shoes on your horse, clean them regularly. Keep them mud free as possible. Obviously, we live in the real world, but just do your best and stay on top of it. Check everything and make notes on concerns. And know all of your options, whether it's barefoot, hoof boots, or shoes. I know I resisted putting shoes on my horse for a while, but it was just the best for him. And, it's made a world of difference. Let's talk about nutrition. We're finally getting to my favorite topic. It's hard to say exactly what percent, these hoof issues are related to nutrition. We know that environment, genetics, weather, et cetera, all play an important role. So it's not that every horse will have a magical cure forever and ever on a perfect diet. But let me tell you, I've seen some amazing things. And like I said, I want the best for you. I think good nutrition and making use of the wide range of commercial feeds is just. And super impactful and really dials in the problems. And then you're left with what is happening after that. After your diet is 100%, then you can deal with the other issues. Sometimes we just feel like we're playing catch up with the hooves. We notice a problem, all hell breaks loose, and like I said, it takes a while to turn the tide. But before something happens, I want you to be proactive and educated. Because it can be one of the most stressful situations we deal with. Many other problems I can turn around for clients. In a week or two. If a horse has low energy, they usually bounce back pretty quickly. Fecal water syndrome, I usually clear that up in two weeks. But hoof problems are just the long, slow game. So don't wait too long. That's really the number one take home for today. So now let's get into the different nutrients and how they impact the hooves. What's really worth our money? What's already in the diet? And why are we being sold 50 million supplements? So let's talk about biotin. What exactly is biotin? What does it do? And how much does our horse need? So biotin is a water soluble B vitamin. It's essential for producing keratin, which I mentioned is basically the component of the hoof wall. So keratin provides strength, Durability and elasticity, allowing the horse to withstand the demands of weight bearing and movement. Why do we care about biotin? So a horse requires a constant and consistent intake of biotin to ensure steady hoof growth. We like to have 20 mg of biotin in the diet for most adult horses. Now, feeds vary in how much biotin they have. Some don't. The levels vary. So please check your diet. your package and talk to your nutrition professional if you have any questions. And you can definitely add it as a supplement. Biotin is pretty cheap and affordable. It's easily obtained and most horses eat it just fine. So biotin is a very important consideration. A lack of biotin can absolutely result in hooves that are brittle, flaky, or prone to cracking or chipping. Biotin may be found in feeds, so definitely check your labels. It does not have to be listed on the guaranteed analysis of feeds, so definitely check into the website of companies and, do some digging there. Biotin is a nice, cheap supplement that is good for many horses. It's often, less than 20 cents a day for many of the products. And I have not noticed a huge difference between brands, but again, use whatever is easy to get. Try to get around 20 milligrams a day for the serving. And it's like MSM in my opinion, it's pretty universal and it works. So definitely keep that on your radar. Every horse should have 20 milligrams from whatever source it's provided. I don't promote or endorse a specific brand at this point. So let's talk about zinc and copper. Copper and zinc are extremely important. These are trace minerals that play a critical role in maintaining hoof strength and integrity. However, They must be carefully balanced to avoid ratios that are improper and can harm hoof health and general well being. This is one that people love to supplement. You have hoof problems? Ah, just throw on some zinc and copper. Great! Do you need to? Let's back this train up. Zinc is a cofactor for enzymes involved in keratin synthesis. It contributes to the development of tough, resistant hoof walls and promotes the efficient wound healing. So copper, I just did a whole podcast about copper for you to enjoy. You're welcome to look at that. So just briefly, copper supports the formation of strong, connective tissues within the hoof and acts as an antioxidant, protecting against oxidative stress that can damage cells. Excessive zinc can interfere with copper absorption, particularly weakening the hoof and connective tissues. So we want to stay with 3 to 1 zinc to copper ratio. It's critical for hoof health. And this is my take home message for this part of the talk. Most of the time, the diet provides plenty of zinc and copper when it's done correctly for your horse. When people add zinc and copper to a diet and see amazing and effective results, generally, they're fixing a deficiency. And they're choosing to do it through a supplement. So they're just bringing up the horse's copper and zinc to the required daily amount for that horse and the hooves are responding as they should be. So is adding extra copper and zinc beneficial over the horse's RDA? I would say probably not. So we want to be careful and stay within reasonable limits. Another thing that people forget is that protein, amino acids, are very important for hoof health. In a lot of the forage fad diets, I'm seeing a ton of protein deficiency come through my work with clients. And a lot of times protein deficiency does show up in hoofs. It makes total sense. The hoof is basically made of protein, right? If your horse has poor hooves, You definitely want to get the diet looked at ASAP. And you can also check out my other information on soy that I've recently published on why we love soy as a protein source. And generally, if a horse has hoof problems and is on a soy based diet, the hooves start to turn around and look amazing, along with bringing up the biotin, copper, zinc, and other nutrients. Why is soy so good for hooves? So we're talking about methionine, lysine, and threonine. These are particularly significant for hoof care. Methionine is a sulfur containing amino acid that aids in strengthening the keratin bonds that form the hoof structural matrix. Adequate methionine, enhances resilience and prevents cracking. Lysine. Lysine is the limiting amino acid and controls every other one. So if you don't have enough lysine, that's going to be a huge problem. And, All you guys who love flax, there is not very much lysine in flax. Unfortunately, that's one of the biggest drawbacks for using flax. So if you have a diet that's pretty heavy in the flax department, you just want to make sure lysine is either added or complemented with the other feeds, hays, and grasses. So that's something I have seen show up as a problem. Lysine is key. So just be a little careful. So flax is technically a fat anyways. It's not even a forage and is not digested like a forage diet. So just be a little careful. I think there's a lot of misinformation about flax out there. So flax has definitely other great uses. My own horse gets flax. It's a great source of omega 3s. We love flax, but please use it in context. So anyways, that's a tangent. Let's talk about threonine. Threonine is an amino acid that works along this lysine to optimize protein metabolism. It ensures hoof tissues receive the nutrients they need to grow. Where do we find these amino acids anyways? High quality protein sources, like I said, soybeans are amazing, alfalfa is amazing, good quality grass hay, and high quality commercial concentrates are really the sources of protein. Just be careful that your concentrates have enough protein in them and are fed at the right amounts for your horse to support good hoof health. Like I said, protein deficiency is real, and I think it's something to pay attention to. We do love omega 3 fatty acids. They are, quote, inflammation fighters. Although, a lot is left to be determined in horses, and I see a lot of facts about omegas that are being paraded around as true. We don't actually have an official omega 3 to 6 ratio yet. We don't actually know how much horses need. But we do like omega 3 fatty acids, and it is thought that adding omega 3s to the diet may help the flexibility of the hoof capsule. Some people say omega 3s are helpful for horses that have laminitis or other inflammatory conditions. So we don't really know, like I said, But it's probably not going to hurt your horse to put them on some omega 3s, either in the diet itself, in the fresh grass, or with a supplement. But just be careful what you repeat as a fact, and be careful with context here. So we do love omega 3s, we want to get that dialed in, but just, have it all in context. And don't forget the other nutrients, and over focus on omega 3s. And just remember too, that inflammation is not a dirty word. The body does need some inflammation to, normal processes. But Again, it's all about context. It's nothing to be scared of, we know that biotin, zinc, copper, amino acids, and omega 3s are key players in hoof health. And we also want to look at the bigger picture. So calcium and phosphorus. These minerals work together to support the hoof structure as well. An imbalance, such as having too much phosphorus, can weaken hoofs. And again, we do love alfalfa. It's used quite a lot in many diets. I might say overused in some cases, but please contact me or a colleague if you have a diet based on primarily alfalfa hay. We definitely want to check that. I get a little concerned. I've seen some things. So be careful. And there is a point where even if the calcium and phosphorus ratio is good, the calcium levels themselves may still be really high. We do know that can lead to some adverse health events in some horses. So again, work with your veterinarian and just be careful. Now let's talk about vitamin A. And you're probably wondering, why is vitamin A involved in this, Annie? Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. It is very important for maintaining epithelial tissues, which is part of the hoof wall. So we do want to have the right amount of vitamin A in the horse's diet. Adequate water intake really helps your horse's hooves. It's obvious, isn't it? But it can help hydrate all the tissues and protect and prevent cracking. How much? I don't really know. But hydration is super important for all horses. We've discussed today the importance of knowing clearly the different parts of the hoof, what is a good hoof versus a hoof with some issues, and then providing a diet rich in biotin, zinc, copper, amino acids, omega 3s, etc. can only help your horse, How much of each of these nutrients depends on your horse's RDA, which is going to be different than your friend's horse. And it also depends on their life stage, their workload, their weight, etc. Just please call me and I can help you out. Use caution with social media, use caution with TikTok, and always fact check before you either use something for your horse or pass it on as a fact. The last question, do you need a hoof supplement? I would say that most of my clients do not actually need a hoof supplement in the end. We can get the job done with the feed and the hay. Now, you have to do it carefully, but it is possible to meet the RDAs for all of the horses with high quality products. Now, I am totally supportive of a hoof supplement. I think that it's a great tool to use after you have a full conversation about diet. I always tell my clients, come back in six months and tell me if you need a hoof supplement, none of them did, or none of them do. Some of them also come on a hoof supplement and the owner will say, Annie, I put my horse on this hoof supplement, it's been a miracle. I used to have the horse's hoof falling apart. Part of this also depends on how serious are the problems. If you cannot ride your horse because of it, and it's a few extra dollars to put your horse on a hoof supplement, and you're basically stopping the bleeding, symbolically, I would fully support bringing out every single possible tool You can use for your horse. My own horse has been on a hoof supplement. It is something to use, but my point is to use it appropriately and carefully. And, I would say 9 out of 10 horses do not need one when the diet is sorted and done appropriately. Given time to work Please be careful spot treating copper and zinc Just don't start splashing and dashing things into the horse's diet. Generally, they're safe But it's better to do it in context and you know rely on trusted sources. I appreciate you hanging in there with me. If you have any questions, you can find me at revolutionequinutrition. com. I see clients virtually for diet balancing and client education. My program started at 150 US dollars. I would love to help you out and sort out your horse's hoof problems if that's something that's beneficial to you. I've dealt with hundreds of horses all over the United States and Canada and the age ranges is from four months old to 34 years old. I've seen everything under the sun. And I also have an almost 22, 000 Facebook member group if you'd like to do some more research and talk about general education topics. So again, thank you for joining me on the Scoop Equine Nutrition Podcast. These are my original ideas. They are my opinions only and copyright 2025. This material may be not be repeated or used in any format again, thank you so much for joining me on the Scoop Equine Nutrition Podcast. We'll catch you next time.