Feeding for Happy Feet: A Recipe for Healthy Hooves

their products with selenium. However excess selenium can lead to selenium toxicity which can cause a variety of hoof problems including hooves sloughing off severe cracks around the coronary band and even laminitis.
Unfortunately the safety margin for selenium is quite narrow compared to other nutrients. Most commercial feeds are formulated to provide adequate selenium when the product is fed appropriately as per the directions. Problems can arise when horses are fed multiple sources of selenium such as feeding a complete feed and a protein supplement or when they are fed more than the label recommends.      
Vitamins
Healthy horses can make most of the vitamins their bodies require with the exception of Vitamins A and E. Vitamin A assists in maintaining the integrity of epithelial cell walls and is needed for healthy skin and keratin. Betacarotene the precursor to vitamin A is abundant in fresh pasture but is largely lost in dried and stored hay. Fortunately horses are able to build up a few months supply of vitamin A in their liver. This combined with commercial supplementation makes deficiencies rare.
One of the most commonly used supplements for creating healthy hooves is biotin. Biotin is a B vitamin and works to improve tissue growth. Although biotin is produced by the bacteria in the horses hindgut as it ferments forages it may not be produced in sufficient amounts or easily absorbed by the horse. For most adult horses 20 mg of biotin per day is recommended. Studies have shown that with consistent biotin in the diet hooves are stronger and less susceptible to damage. Horses that are deficient in biotin can have soft white lines and weak hooves that crumble and crack. Biotin products are readily available at most feed stores.
Hooves are built from the inside out and there is truly no substitute for a wellbalanced diet. If your horses nutrition is lacking he will not have the necessary nutrients available to grow healthy hooves. Fortunately many feed products exist to assist horse owners in preventing nutritional deficiencies. One caution that I cannot stress enough is that while having too little of a nutrient is bad having too much can be equally or more harmful. Always pay close attention to the particular supplements your horse is getting and the amount you are feeding. This is particularly important if you are feeding more than one product. When in doubt always check with your veterinarian or
a qualified nutritionist.
Dont forget that once your horse is on a solid diet it takes time for hoof tissue to change and grow. Often it will be six to nine months before changes are noticeable but taking the time now to evaluate your horses diet will have your horse farrier and veterinarian thanking you!