Question of the Day from an online Horse/Hoof forum:

My farrier has told me that [Dobbin] needs a supplement to strengthen her hooves.
She said there are lots out there available but couldn’t really advise me on
what would be best. Does anyone here have any recommendations of what I could
give to her?

My Answer:

Strength comes from within. There’s more to that saying than just the philosophical. One can add all the artificial supplements one wants and may do *some* good; may do *some* bad but mostly will be emptying the pockets with no real results because the origin of the issue has not been addressed.

Horses’ hooves are strengthened by stimulation, diet, husbandry and pretty much in that order. Movement is keep to get the blood circulating in the foot to grow healthy new horn/capsule. The blood carries nutrients (diet’s the next in line) and O2 to the foot. But if the nutrients are not present in the blood then well …

Horses, as a species, are designed to eat forages. Live, fresh, raw forages. Grasses, flowers, weeds, herbs, trees, roots, etc. according to their indigenous environment. Sage brush and cactus augment the diet in the dry, arid west (US) while kelp, algae, beach grasses, etc augment the diet for the feral horses who live along the shore.

What does that mean for the domestic horse? How can we feed live foods to the domestic?

With live vegetables,fruits, nuts, seeds, grasses to augment free-choice EXCELLENT quality hay.

Each vegetable, fruit, etc. have their own properties, vitamins, minerals etc. with each having individual energies to heal different conditions, strengthen different organs and enhance performances of the different parts of the body. Some have antibacterial properties while others are strong antioxidants while others help to regulate blood sugar etc. etc.

Studies have shown the effects of processed foods on the human body; the results being leukocytosis and the more processed, the stronger the reaction to the processed food. Studies have also been done through 3 generations of cats (Pottenger’s Cat Studies) with 3 groups showing the effects of a ‘raw’ diet vs. a 100% processed diet. The 3rd generation on nothing but processed food? Diseased, sick, organ failures … not pretty, not something we want for our horses (or ourselves!)

Incorporating fresh, live foods into the domestic horses’ diets is not difficult to do. Eliminating processed and substituting all fresh is easy and even economical! Variety of fresh is the key – feeding all parts of the body and mind.

And helping to develop hooves that are rock strong and like cement to trim! (Just ask my clients who call me a few months after instituting a raw diet for their horses !!! The complain that they can’t trim them anymore cause they’re like cement! hahahahaha! Luv it!)

The other factor in strong hooves is movement, as I said. Even simply walking a horse for 10 mins. a day, barefoot (no boots) on a hard, smooth, tarred surface will reap incredible results in just a month or less!

So, some factors to consider. If you want to learn more about feeding fresh and the results of processed foods please feel welcomed to read some of the articles on www.thepenzancehorse.com under EQUINE NUTRITION (in the articles section) and EQUINE HEALTH. I think you’ll find them interesting and filled with thought-full information.

🙂 — Gwen
PENZANCE Equine Integrated Solutions