Hoof care is a huge topic – or is it?

How did horses get this far without professionals focusing on the hoof? It is reasonable to say that keeping horses is unnatural today, and I agree. In addition, breeding for speed, beauty, strength or agility is common, but not necessarily for their hooves. The Quarter Horse breed’s hooves became too small for their bodies. The Thoroughbreds are known for their flat, “platter feet.”

Intense debates between adding metal shoes or leaving the hoof “bare” are common among horse owners.

To date, every time I ask a farrier, a veterinarian or a horse professional how they feed the hoof, I am met with a blank look. Then I ask (as a hint for them) what makes the awful smell when a hot shoe touches the bottom of the hoof. Again, a blank look.

I listen to and read many presentations on horses’ hooves, diseases, care, and corrections. I never hear about preventing diseases or the demise of hooves crushed heels, cracked hooves) by feeding them materials that strengthen them. What if we could avoid hoof disease?

Please visit the nutrition section for information on this. Stop feeding inflammatory ingredients and add up to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight high-quality protein per day. The changes seen in the hooves are noticeable in 2 to 4 months, and in 1 to 2 years, a strong connection replaces the weak hoof.

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