My OTTB gelding who has 'bad feet' has been successfully barefoot for the past year since retiring. Naturally, being in the nutrition field, a question I commonly get is: "What hoof supplement did you use?" My answer: "None!"
The same has been true for every single client horse that has come to me concerned about hoof quality.
This is not to say there are not well-formulated, evidence-based hoof supplements - there absolutely are - but a lot of the time when it comes to addressing hoof quality through nutrition, we panic (which is fair, because we all know the saying "no hoof, no horse") and overthink it.
By correcting existing deficiencies and imbalances in the diet, we can often elicit stronger and happier hooves. (Plus, hoof supplements cannot do their job if deficiencies or imbalances remain in your horse's diet).
Are you worried about hoof quality? Here are some things to check first before adding a hoof supplement that may not be what your horse needs:
🌾 Hay mineral profile: Either with a hay test, or by finding local average hay data for your area, you can identify areas where your hay is not meeting your horse's mineral requirements (spoiler alert, hay is often incapable of covering your horse's mineral needs), or contributing to imbalances! Once your hay mineral profile is known, you can make sure the rest of the diet covers these gaps!
💪 Protein quality: Hay, especially grass hay, can also lack important amino acids needed to support hoof quality and growth. Depending on the quality and type of your hay, and your horse's protein requirements, an additional protein source may be needed!
📊 Mineral fortification: Is your horse receiving enough minerals? Hay is often lacking in minerals, and if you are not feeding the recommended minimum amount of concentrate (bagged feed or premix mineral), your horse likely has holes in their diet. Make sure to cover these holes by feeding recommended minimums of suitable concentrates for your horse!
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