Factors That Affect Your Horse’s Hoof Growth and Quality

By Diego Almeida, CJF, EE, FE, TE, AWCF; In partnership with Zoetis Equine, USPC’s Official Health and Wellness Partner

Although your local climate and weather conditions will likely have an influence on your horse’s hooves, there are some universal factors that impact hoof quality and growth rate year-round, no matter where you live. Here we’ll explore the fundamental elements that play a role in your horse’s hoof health.

Activity and Exercise

Farriers and veterinarians will agree that lack of adequate activity and exercise is a challenge to the health and well-being of horses in every way—from the mind to the digestive system, to the joints, to the feet. Mother Nature did not design horses to stand still. That’s right: Your horse’s hoof health is very dependent on healthy circulation to his feet, and healthy hoof circulation is dependent on his movement.

This means you should limit stall time by providing as much turnout as possible, as well as regular, controlled exercise, like riding, driving, hand-walking or whatever activities you and your horse enjoy together. Even the best diet and the best farrier may not be able to overcome the significant challenge of poor hoof circulation that can result from too much time standing still.

Nutrition

A complete and balanced diet—with a foundation based in quality forage—is also crucial to your horse’s overall health, including his hooves. Quality protein from essential amino acids, balanced macro and trace minerals, fat- and water-soluble vitamins and the right fatty acids are all thought to play a role in the growth rate and quality of your horse’s hoof horn (the thick, keratin-rich tissue that makes up the outer surface of the hoof).

Limiting simple carbohydrates (sugars and starches) may also be important, depending on your horse’s metabolic health. This crucial support from the inside helps contribute to resilient hoof tissues that may better withstand extreme shifts in moisture, such as the seasonal change from spring mud season to summer; added stress like stomping from flies; along with normal wear and tear. Work with an experienced equine nutritionist, together with your veterinarian, to design the optimal diet for your horse’s life stage, workload, and specific health considerations.

Keep in mind that good nutrition alone may not overcome any foot-health detriments that can result from lack of ample activity and exercise, because—as mentioned above—good circulation is what delivers nutrients to the tissues of the foot. Also, remember that nutritional changes will only affect new hoof growth, and it may take six to 12 months for your horse to fully replace his hoof wall, depending on age, breed, time of year, and other factors.

Age and Metabolism

As a horse ages, the rate and quality of his hoof growth will change. Generally, the hooves of young horses grow faster than those of senior horses, and thus youngsters may need to be trimmed more frequently than older horses in your herd. In some breeds, the feet of older horses tend to flare out and will lose sole depth as connective tissues lose strength due to the normal loss of collagen that comes with aging (just like in humans).

As the connective tissues of the horse’s limbs become laxer with age, the boney column of the limb may begin to descend into the hoof capsule (the structure comprised of the hoof wall, sole, frog, and heel bulbs), resulting in changes to the shape of the hoof and depth of the sole, which your farrier will need to manage accordingly.

It is also critical for hoof health for you to work closely with your veterinarian to understand your horse’s risk for Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), aka Cushing’s Disease. Both conditions put horses at a greater risk of developing laminitis. EMS is a condition that can be seen in middle-aged horses, especially “easy-keeper” breeds (those who put on weight easily) prone to obesity, and PPID is common in many breeds as the horse enters his senior years.

The importance of proactive management and a great partnership between your veterinarian and farrier can’t be overstated when it comes to metabolic and endocrine disorders and their implications on foot health. The best possible scenario is that you and your horse’s care team stay ahead of these health challenges before the devastating condition of laminitis develops.

Professional Hoof Care and Maintenance

As discussed above, the growth rate and integrity of your horse’s hoof tissues depend on healthy amounts of movement, proper nutrition, age, metabolism, and genetics. Some breeds tend to have a certain hoof conformation while other breeds tend to have a stronger or weaker hoof wall, etc.

The job of your farrier is to help maintain the hoof capsule so that it is as healthy as possible. This is accomplished through properly balanced trimming at regular intervals, generally, every four to eight weeks depending on the time of year and your horse’s rate of hoof growth, plus correctly fitting shoes, if required, for protection and/or traction based on your horse’s individual needs.

As they say, “No hoof, no horse.” So developing a great relationship with both your farrier and your veterinarian is one of the best things you can do for your horse’s hoof health.

Diego Almeida is the program director for Montana State Farrier School in Bozeman, Mont. Almeida is a Certified Journeyman Farrier and the first to achieve all three advanced endorsements offered by the American Farrier’s Association (AFA)—the Educator, Forging and Therapeutic endorsements. He now heads up the AFA’s Educator Endorsement Committee and is an AFA tester and certification instructor, supporting the development of other farriers in the U.S. and abroad. In 2019, Almeida achieved his Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (AWCF) in England, and he is a past winner of the International Hoof-Care Summit’s Rising Star Award and a three-time recipient of the AFA’s J. Scott Simpson Outstanding Educator Award.

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