19.10.26
A strong, healthy hoof and a glossy coat are things we all love to see in our horses, and while grooming, management, regular farriery and general health all have an important part to play, what goes into the feed bucket matters too.
There isn’t one magic ingredient that will transform hoof or coat condition overnight. Quality protein and amino acids, fats, vitamins, minerals and trace elements all have different roles to play, and the starting point should always be a well-balanced diet suited to the individual horse(Spörndly-Nees et al., 2023).
But where a horse needs some additional support, targeted nutrition can help.
Before adding anything specifically for hooves or coat, start by looking at what your horse is already receiving.
Good-quality roughage should form the foundation of the diet, with additional feed chosen according to your horse’s age, workload, body condition and individual requirements(Ermers et al., 2023).
One of the important things to consider is whether the diet is providing enough essential nutrients as well as enough energy. This can be particularly relevant for good doers, horses in light work or those receiving relatively small amounts of concentrate feed. They may be getting plenty of calories from pasture and hay but, depending on the complete diet, may not necessarily be receiving optimal levels of all the vitamins, minerals and quality protein they require.
Getting that foundation right gives you a much better starting point before deciding whether your horse would benefit from more targeted support.
Hooves grow slowly, but they are growing all the time.
This growth requires a steady supply of nutrients, including quality protein and amino acids, vitamins and trace minerals. Biotin is probably the nutrient most horse owners associate with hoof health, but it is only one part of the picture (Rueda-Carrillo et al., 2022).
This is exactly why Hygain® HoofGain® has been formulated specifically to support hoof growth and quality. Rather than relying on one ingredient alone, HoofGain® provides targeted nutritional support for horses where hoof condition is a particular concern.
It can be particularly useful for horses with brittle, cracked or poor-quality hooves, horses that struggle to maintain good hoof condition, or where you simply want to provide additional nutritional support for healthy hoof growth.
Most importantly, think long term: the hoof you see today has taken months to grow. Any improvement resulting from changes to the diet needs to grow down from the coronary band, so consistency is far more important than expecting a quick result.
If you’re introducing targeted hoof nutrition, give it time to do its job.
A beautiful coat starts with a horse that is receiving good nutrition overall.
Once those foundations are in place, targeted nutrients such as biotin, zinc and methionine can be particularly useful for supporting skin and coat condition, and this is where Hygain® Gleam® can become an invaluable addition to the ration.
Gleam® provides a concentrated source of biotin, bio-chelated zinc and methionine in a highly palatable powdered form, allowing key nutrients that support healthy skin, hair and keratin growth to be supplied at a relatively small daily feeding rate.
It is a great option for horses where you want to encourage a healthy, glossy coat or provide targeted nutritional support for the coat, mane, tail, skin and hooves. With a daily feeding rate of approximately 40g for a 500kg horse, it can be added without materially increasing the size or energy content of the overall ration.
While we all love the shine, Gleam® isn’t simply about making a horse look good. Its combination of biotin, zinc and methionine supports healthy skin, hair and keratin growth as part of a balanced overall feeding programme.
When we talk about protein in our horse’s diets, the conversation often turns immediately to muscle, but protein has plenty of other jobs.
Hair and hoof tissue both require amino acids for growth, so supplying adequate amounts of good-quality protein is an important part of supporting them. This is why looking at the entire diet matters(Spörndly-Nees et al., 2023).
Adding a hoof supplement while the basic ration is lacking quality protein, for example, may mean you’re only addressing one part of the nutritional picture.
Rather than looking at individual nutrients in isolation, consider how roughage, concentrate feed and any supplements work together to provide what the horse needs.
It can be tempting to start adding supplements when you want to improve something, particularly when you’re dealing with frustrating hoof problems or a coat that just isn’t looking quite right. But adding more of everything isn’t necessarily the answer.
Vitamins and minerals interact with one another, and the balance of nutrients within the complete diet is important. Feeding multiple fortified products without considering what each is contributing can result in unnecessary duplication. Sometimes the answer isn’t another supplement at all, it can be as simple as making sure the base diet is properly balanced.
Nutrition is important, but it doesn’t work in isolation.
Regular, good-quality farriery remains essential for hoof health, while environment, footing, wet or dry conditions, genetics and the individual horse can all influence hoof quality.
The same applies to the coat. Season, rugging, grooming, age, workload and general health can all influence how your horse’s coat looks.
If you notice a sudden or significant deterioration in hoof or coat condition, or something doesn’t seem right with your horse generally, it is important not to assume nutrition is automatically the cause.
Speak to your vet, farrier and look at the whole picture.
This is perhaps one of the most important things to remember when feeding for hoof and coat health. Give it time.
Coat condition can change relatively quickly when a horse’s nutrition and management are working well together, but hoof growth is a much longer process. You cannot change the hoof that has already grown. What you can do is provide the nutritional building blocks to support the new hoof as it develops.
That means feeding consistently and assessing progress over months rather than weeks.
Taking regular photographs of the hoof can be a really useful way to monitor new growth from the coronary band and see changes that might be difficult to notice day-to-day.
A healthy coat and strong hooves can be a great reflection of a horse that is receiving the nutrition they need.
Start with good-quality roughage and a well-balanced feeding programme, then consider whether there are areas where your horse could benefit from some additional support.
For horses needing targeted nutritional support for hoof growth and quality, Hygain HoofGain® can be incorporated into the daily ration.
For horses needing additional support for skin and coat condition, Hygain® Gleam® provides an easy-to-feed option.
Both have their place. The important thing is choosing the right nutritional support for the horse in front of you, because when it comes to healthy hooves and a beautiful coat, good results start from within.
Whether you’re dealing with poor-quality hooves, looking for that extra coat shine or simply want to make sure your horse’s overall diet is properly balanced, the Hygain nutrition team can help.
We can look at your horse’s current feeding programme, workload, body condition and individual requirements and help you find the right approach for them.
Book HERE for a free 30 minute Nutrition Consultation.
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