Hoof Supplements – A Case Report
7 MAR 2019, updated NOV 2025
The following “Tip of the Day” is provided to assist you with horse and farm management. This tip is available to you at your own risk. Leslie Raulin does not make any claims or warranties nor does she have any financial interest in any products that may be mentioned. Always consult with your veterinarian regarding horse care.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hoof supplements are substances intended to make horse hooves stronger. There are many commercial products, articles, podcasts, and concerned owners. Therefore, hoof health must be a problem for some, if not many, horses (particularly thoroughbreds). A good review article is available online from The Horse: Hoof Supplements: Feeding the Feet, Sep 1, 2000; by Karen Briggs (click here).
A horse’s diet is key to overall health, including good hoof health. However, some horses with a good diet still have poor hoof quality. This may be due to bad genetics, perhaps because breeders select for performance attributes more than good hoof attributes. It may also be because we still lack information on optimal nutrition for hoof health. Many substances have been studied on horses and other animals. Of these substances, biotin, methionine, and zinc have received the most attention.
BIOTIN
Biotin is vitamin B7 and is involved in glucose metabolism, cell growth and division, and utilization of other B vitamins. It contains a small amount of sulfur, which participates in formation of the reinforcing bonds of collagen, and is therefore important in the health of tendons, cartilage, ligaments, haircoat, and hooves.
A key biotin study was conducted in 1991 on Lipizzan stallions at the Spanish Riding School with a follow-up in 1995 (click here). The horses’ hooves were crumbly, thin, and had a tendency to crack. Over two years, 26 horses received 20 mg of biotin daily in their feed (biotin group) while 16 horses received a placebo (placebo group). Within nine months the hooves of the biotin group improved (decreased incidence of hoof cracks, less crumbling, and greater measurable tensile strength). This improvement continued through the two years of the study. In contrast, the hooves of the placebo group showed no improvement.
Even though biotin supplementation appears to help hooves, the actual reason is unknown, particularly since most horses get sufficient biotin in their feed and grass/hay. However, in horses with poor hoof quality, supplementation with biotin is commonly accepted to be beneficial for hooves.
METHIONINE
Methionine is an essential (must be obtained from the diet) amino acid that is converted to cystine by the body. Cystine provides the sulfur crosslinks that are necessary for healthy collagen, thus strong hoof structures, skin, hair, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. Research on pigs has demonstrated that a methionine deficiency might contribute to poor hoof quality and tendon and ligament disorders.
Although the optimal equine dosage of methionine is unknown, in horses with poor hoof quality, supplementation with methionine is commonly accepted to be beneficial for hooves.
ZINC
Zinc is an element on the periodic table and is a trace mineral involved in the health of hair, skin, and hooves. It is found in whole grains and hay; however, the levels may not be adequate. Therefore, many horse feeds include zinc. Since the absorption of zinc is related to the levels of other trace minerals, particularly copper, the feed must have the correct balance of these substances.
As with biotin and methionine, the optimal level of zinc for horses is not known. However, zinc supplementation, in balance with other trace minerals, is commonly accepted to be beneficial for hooves.
Commercial hoof supplements contain many additional substances; however, the key ingredients appear to be those above.
Hoof supplements are not an instant fix. Horse hooves grow and 1/4″ to 3/8″ per month. Since hoof supplements mainly affect new hoof growth it can take about nine – 12 months before hoof improvements are seen.
BIOTIN, METHIONINE, AND ZINC IN COMMON COMMERCIAL HOOF SUPPLEMENTS
| Product (Manufacturer) | Biotin | Methionine | Zinc |
| Biotin II 22X Super Concentrate (MVP) | 22 mg | 1,563 mg | 45 mg |
| Farrier’s Formula | 20 mg | 5,300 mg | 250 mg |
| Grand Hoof Pellets (Grand Meadows) | 20 mg | 3,000 mg | 250 mg |
| Hoof Secret Biotin Supplement (Cox Vet Lab, Inc. | 70 mg | 4,571 mg | 275 mg |
| Horseshoer’s Secret Pellets (Farnam) | 7.5 mg | 1,362 mg | 288 mg |
| Master’s Hoof Blend (Vita Flex Nutrition) | 20 mg | 1,800 mg | 45 mg |
| Nu-Hoof Maximizer (Select the Best) | 30 mg | 1,800 mg | 250 mg |
| SmartHoof Pellets (SmartEquine) | 25 mg | 2,500 mg | 400 mg |
| SmartHoof Ultra Pellets (SmartEquine) | 35 mg | 4,500 mg | 400 mg |
| SmartHoof Ultimate Pellets (SmartEquine) | 45 mg | 5,000 mg | 500 mg |
NOTE: SmartEquine has excellent articles and videos covering hoof supplements (click here).
USE OF HOOF SUPPLEMENTS – ONE SUCCESSFUL CASE
Meet Rock Creek (Rocky). He was a 17.1 hh chestnut gelding that was 22 yo in the above photo. Rocky was probably a thoroughbred, but his breeding is an unknown. He came to me at the age of 16 as a “free” horse (there is no such thing!) looking for a new home. Rocky was very sweet and had obviously been loved in the past; he received excellent walk/trot/canter training and had a few dressage movements. He ended up as a school horse at a succession of hunter/jumper barns but was looking for a new home due to his age and he had a habit of ducking when landing from jumps (probably due to a not yet diagnosed RF keratoma). I needed a tall lower level dressage horse (no jumping) so he came to me in June 2013.
Rocky had been well fed as he arrived a bit overweight. However, his only turnout had been a few hours a day in a riding arena; therefore, he had minimal access to grass and thus perhaps had some nutritional deficiencies. He was known to have very bad feet and, by the time he came to me, all four shoes had fallen off and his feet were a mess. The edges of his hoof walls were almost completely chipped off so he was primarily walking on his soles, making him very uncomfortable. When my farrier first met Rocky, his comment was “oh that poor boy.”
In July 2013 Rocky was started on Grand Hoof Pellets, one scoop per day. This gave him 20 mg biotin, 3,000 mg methionine, and 250 mg zinc.
Under my care, Rocky lost a bit of weight and mainly had 24 hour turnout with plentiful grass pasture in the summer and free-choice hay in the winter. He was fed Purina Impact 12% twice daily.
Over many months my farrier worked hard to get Rocky comfortable with shoes; however, they were always falling off. Nonetheless, I had some chances to ride him and participate in some FADS shows. We were the 2013/2014 Fall/Winter FADS Reserve Champions at Intro AA (mean score 72.656%).
X-ray diagnostic of RF keratoma.
Note defect in toe aspect of coffin bone.
(Radiograph courtesy of Dr. White, Marion duPont Equine Medical Center, Leesburg, VA.)
Four days after RF keratoma surgery.
Bar shoe placed.
In September 2014 Rocky went lame – he was diagnosed with a right front (RF) keratoma (click here for a Merck Manual overview). He had surgery on 30 September 2014 and a bar shoe was placed on 4 October 2014.
About a month after the keratoma surgery, Rocky had three seizures and he would not lie down. A month after that the seizures had stopped but his knees and hocks developed severe swelling. He tested negative for EPM and Lyme disease. He did not respond to EPM treatment but, with doxycycline treatment, he quickly and happily started lying down and rolling; however, the joints remained enlarged and were arthritic. Therefore, Rocky was retired.
In November 2015 Rocky was switched to SmartHoof Pellets, one scoop per day. This gave him 25 mg biotin, 2,500 mg methionine, and 400 mg zinc.
28 May 2016 – RF – 20 months after keratoma surgery. Despite being on hoof supplements since July 2013, Rocky continued to experience hoof chipping, loss of hoof wall in the region of the surgery, and he frequently lost shoes.
1 July 2016 – RF – 22 months after keratoma surgery. Despite being on a hoof supplement for three years, Rocky continued to experience severe hoof wall chipping and he frequently lost shoes.
In December 2016 Rocky was switched to SmartHoof Pellets, TWO scoops per day. This double dose, recommended by my veterinarian at that time, provided 50 mg biotin, 5,000 mg methionine, and 800 mg zinc.
15 March 2018 – RF – 15 months on the double dose of SmartHoof Pellets. Rocky’s feet were looking so good that he had been left barefoot.
11 January 2019 – RF – 25 months on the double dose of SmartHoof pellets. Rocky had an abscess that spread to the defect in the coffin bone (remnant from the keratoma).
LEFT X-RAY: Persistent defect in the coffin bone, debris in the defect. Farrier had opened the abscess in the toe.
RIGHT X-RAY: Spread of the infection under the anterior hoof wall with debris and gas pockets toward the coronary band. Rotation of the coffin bone with toe aspect approaching the bottom of the hoof sole.
Radiographs courtesy of Dr. Mia Lee, Solstice Equine Veterinary Services, Lovettesville, VA.)
On 11 January 2019, Rocky received a partial hoof wall resection to clean and treat the infection.
To support the RF, on 15 January 2019 a bar shoe was placed on the RF and a regular shoe was placed on the LF.
15 February 2019 – both fronts – 26 months on the double dose of hoof supplement. One month after shoes placed. There is aberrant hoof structure just below the coronary band that must be watched.
Otherwise, Rocky’s hooves are looking excellent and the shoes are staying on! His hooves are finally (presumably) responding to the hoof supplement.
I am not necessarily advocating the use of a double-dose of hoof supplement. In Rocky’s case, my vet recommended the double dose and it worked; Rocky remained on the double dose until he had to be euthanized due to complications associated with the keratoma (further rotation of the coffin bone resulting in very painful non-resolvable lameness). The message is that hoof supplements may work; however, one particular supplement/dosage may not work, but another one might. And it takes lots of time to see the results. So if at first you do not succeed, try again with another formulation/dosage and be patient.
ROCK CREEK
1997 – 2019
Rest in peace sweet Rocky. You will not be forgotten.