44 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Nohoof,nohorse!Horsepeopleunderstandperfectlywellthisold adage! But what are a horse’s real nutritional needs for healthy feet,andwhenshouldaddingahoofsupplementbeconsidered?

Ahorse’sfootisquiteacomplexsystem,withinternalandexternalstructures working in unison. The foot supports the horse’sweight,whileenablingtheanimaltobemobile;itsstrengthandintegrity begin at the cellular level thanks to the proper synthesis andorganizationofvariousnutrients.

Let’s take a look at the hoof and the tissues that compose it.Thehoofformsacapsulearoundthefoot.Itsstructureisquitehardandstrongwhile remainingflexible. It is thereforeable tochangeshapeunderthehorse’sweight,whilewithstandingthevarious impacts towhich it is subjected. The dermis, the partthatattachesthehooftothethirdphalanx(coffinbone),consistsmainly of collagen, a tissue whose role is to fill, support andprotect.Thedermisneeds tobeflexible toallow thehoofandbone of the foot to move in every direction under the effect of the horse’sweight.Thedermisconsistsofnerves that control thebloodflowandofnumerousbloodvesselsthatnourishthefoot.

Thecatchphrase forhealthyhooves isnutritionalbalance. It isimportant to ensure that the horse’s daily diet is providing it with sufficient nutrients to prevent occurrence of the various foot-relatedailments.Thenutrientsneededforthedevelopmentandmaintenance of strong healthy hooves are succinctly described here.

Amino acids and energyThe amino acids that form the various proteins are mostly used tosynthesizecollagen.Morespecifically,certainsulfuredaminoacids, such as methionine, allow the synthesis of intracellularsubstances that help “cement” the cells together and also allow the synthesis of structural proteins such as keratin. Keratin isparticularly important, since it is themainproteinof the tissueformingthewallofthehoof.Also,thefactthattheaminoacidmethioninecontainssulfur isbeneficial,assulfur isresponsibleforthebondsthatprovidestiffnessandresiliencetothehooves.A methionine deficiency, in addition to affecting the integrityof the hoof, can interferewith growth and lead to poor stresstoleranceaswellasskinproblems.

Likeprotein,energyisalsoanessentialelement,since,withoutenergy,nometabolic functionsarepossible. In fact,apart fromwater, of course, energy and protein are the main so-called“limiting” nutrients. If they are not provided to the horse insufficientquantities, thequalityof thehoofwillbedeficientno

Healthy Hooves Need Good Nutrition By Josée Lalonde, B. Sc. A.

Nutrition

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46 | WHOA! Winter 2013

matter how many vitamins and minerals the animal receives in its feedration.Thehorse’sprimarysourcesofenergyarefibre(hay,pasture,soyhulls,beetpulp),starch(grains)andfat(plantsource).

MineralsOne mineral that is especially involved in the development and maintenanceofthehoofiszinc.Zincplaysaroleinthehealthandintegrity of hooves by promoting the division and protection of thecellsofthedermisandthesynthesisoftheproteins.Aclinicalstudy has shown that the quality of the hoof is directly related toitszinccontent.Furthermore,zincstimulatesthesynthesisofcollagenpresentinsignificantquantityinthedermis.

Othermineralsthatareofspecificaccountinregardtothequalityofthehoofarecopper,manganeseandselenium.Theiractionisespeciallybeneficial tohoofhealthbecauseof their antioxidantproperties,whichprotectthecellmembrane.Copper,inadditionto contributing to the formation of collagen and elastin (blood vessel membrane), contributes to the formation of disulfidebondsinthekeratin,whichimproveshoofquality.

Clearly,ifthereisnotasufficientquantityofthesemineralsintheration,oriftheirinteractionsarenotbalanced,hoofproblemsmayarisedowntheroad.Thesemineraldeficienciescanalsoaffectthehorse’scoat,leadtojointdisordersandimpairwoundhealing.

VitaminsThe topic of hooves cannot be addressed without talking about biotin.Clinicalstudieshaveshownthebeneficialeffectsofbiotinintherestructuringofthehoofhorn,morespecificallythehoofwall.Usedoveralongperiodoftime,itcontributestorepairinghorndeficiencies.Servedalone,biotinhasshowntobesomewhateffective, but served togetherwithmethionine, the results are

Nutrition

evenmore conclusive.Having said this, since biotin is difficultfor thehorsetoabsorb, it is importantthatthehorseconsumeenoughtoobtainthedesiredeffect.

Othervitaminsalsocontributetomaintaininghoofquality,notablyvitaminE,apowerfulantioxidantwhich,likeselenium,manganeseand copper, protects the cell membrane. Vitamin C, which isinvolved in the production of collagen and the maintenance of the integrity of the blood vessels, and vitaminA, active in themaintenance of the integrity of the epithelial tissue (tissue formed ofoneormorelayersofcells),arealsoessentialtomaintaininghealthyhooves.

Forbadlydamagedhooves,addingabiotin,methionineandzinc-based curative supplement is recommended until the condition is resolved. Besides adding an efficient hoof supplement, it isimportant that the horse’s current feed ration be analyzed toensurethatitisindeedmeetingallofitsnutritionalrequirements,especiallywithrespecttovitaminsandminerals.Ifthehorsehasserioushoofproblems,itisunlikelythatitsnutritionalneedsarebeingmet.

A complete supplement such as vitamin and mineral balancer will needtobeaddedtotheirdailydiet.Donothesitate tocontactprofessionalequinespecialistsinyourarea.Theywillbepleasedtoworkwithyouandyourfarriertoensureoptimalhoofhealth.Once the horse’s daily ration is complete and balanced according toitsneeds,majorhealthproblemswillbepasthistory,provided,of course, that farrier care remains regular andconstantand isdonebyprofessionals. T

Josée Lalonde is Equine Marketing & Product Manager at Agribrands Purina Canada. Visit Purina’s new website at www.agripurina.ca