Life Data® Blog

Biotin is a B vitamin often associated with hoof health. Many equestrians consider biotin as the only supplement needed to maintain hoof quality. How accurate is this? Will feeding an “only biotin” supplement fix your horse’s hoof problems? Before examining these questions, let’s discuss biotin and its role within your horse.

What is Biotin?

Biotin is Vitamin B7, and horses require it for their overall well-being. Horses utilize biotin to maintain health and for a multitude of metabolic functions, including:

• Converting Food to Energy
• Maintaining a Healthy Nervous System
• Hoof Growth and Strength
• Skin and Coat Quality

Natural pasture grass and many of the feedstuffs we provide our horses contain adequate biotin. Horses also manufacture biotin through microbial action within the horse’s hindgut. Through these sources, most of the horse population will receive the required daily amount of biotin needed to function and thrive.

Biotin Deficiencies in Horses

One fact that many horse owners are unaware of is that a biotin deficiency is relatively rare. Most horses do not benefit from biotin supplementation alone.* A true biotin deficiency will result in a hoof with thick layers of hardened tissue that “peel off” like an onion. Also, in most cases of biotin deficiencies, other nutrient deficiencies will also be present.

Biotin Excess in Horses

Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin; therefore, the kidneys excrete excess biotin into the urine. This is good, as biotin will not build up within the horse’s system and is thus generally regarded as safe by most nutritionists.

Supplementing for Hoof Health with Biotin Alone

Unless your horse is a member of a small population of horses with a biotin deficiency, the investment you are making with biotin supplementation will not likely have any impact on your horse’s hooves. Biotin is important, especially in biotin-deficient horses, to strengthen the crosslinks joining the connective tissue of the hooves. However, biotin is not the only nutrient your horse requires. To produce the best hooves possible, the horse needs a combination of several nutrients that are balanced in the correct amounts and ratios.

Proper Hoof Supplementation for Horses

If you are looking at providing hoof health supplementation through biotin, consider a complete hoof supplement. A good hoof supplement for horses will not only contain biotin but will also have the additional nutrients required for your horse to produce strong-quality hoof growth.

The extra biotin within a hoof supplement may benefit horses:

• Performing Heavy Work
• Experiencing Severe Stress
• Affected with Hindgut Issues Preventing the Manufacture of Biotin
• Afflicted with Acute Laminitis and/or Founder

Our recommendation is to utilize a complete hoof supplement that:

• Contains Biotin
• Is Balanced in Other Nutrients Important for Healthy Hooves
• Is Established in the Equestrian Community as Effective
• Is Proven to be Effective Through Scientific Research

Farrier’s Formula® ushered in the concept of “feeding the hoof” in the 1980s through innovative research, including whole blood macro mineral, trace mineral, vitamin, fatty acid, and amino acid analysis. Farrier’s Formula® contains biotin in addition to many more hoof-building nutrients. It is the number one recommended hoof supplement by farriers, was independently tested and researched with the results published in the Veterinary Record, and is one of the best-known hoof supplements in the world.

*Kempson, S.A. 1987. Scanning electron microscope observations of hoof horn from horses with brittle feet. Vet. Rec. 120:568-570. TO HOOF HEALTH?

Thrush

There has been a vast amount of information published in the scientific horse industry literature concerning the causes, prevention, and treatment of thrush. Although often overlooked, proper nutrition can promote the development of hoof tissue with better characteristics to help prevent or control thrush. 

How Does Thrush Develop in Hooves?

Thrush develops in the equine foot when bacterial and fungal organisms begin populating the frog’s dark and moist crevices, or sulci. These organisms thrive and divide in oxygen-poor (anaerobic) environments often contaminated with wet organic material. 

The organisms causing thrush are opportunistic and typical in the soil and environment. All horses are exposed. High humidity or wet environments predispose horses to thrush. The opportunity for a progressive invasion and subsequent infection of the frog tissue can occur once the organisms begin dividing in the frog sulci. Many of the same microbes linked with white line disease are associated with thrush.

The Importance of Oxygen in Thrush Prevention

The blocking of oxygen to the tissue of the frog and surrounding areas will predispose a horse to develop thrush. Debris, footpads, boots, or the application of grease and oils to the foot can block oxygen. 

The material associated with thrush is usually black and characteristically has a highly unpleasant odor. Infection of the frog and surrounding tissues often leads to lameness. 

Important Nutrients for a Strong Hoof

In Thrush, the first line of defense from environmental microbes invading the hoof capsule is a “sound” hoof wall structure. The same nutrients necessary for a sound hoof wall are also essential for dense frog and sole tissue. 

• Calcium is necessary for the proper bonding of cells to each other.
• Zinc is important for healthy keratin, the tough pigmented material found in the outer layers of the frog and sole. 
• Methionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid necessary to form the healthy “cross-links” of collagen that add strength and elasticity to tissue. 
• Phospholipids are needed to form healthy cell membranes that give the cells the ability to maintain proper moisture and oxygen balance and repel excess environmental moisture. 
• Copper and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) are also necessary, serving as catalysts in the formation of strong and healthy connective tissue. 

Effective Thrush Prevention Involves:

• A combination of maintaining a clean, dry (but not too dry) environment.
• Cleaning the feet on a routine basis.
• Adequate exercise.
• Proper preventative nutrition.

Proper nutrition involves supplying nutrients in the correct amounts and ratios to each other without over supplementing.

Important Tips for Thrush Treatment

If the horse develops thrush, provide the horse with a clean and dry environment on which to stand. Clean the bottom of the foot and frog area by removing any debris and washing the area thoroughly. 

Hoof disinfectants containing tamed iodine are ideal for treating or preventing thrush. Products containing tea tree oil and low levels of iodine packed into the frog sulci can also be effective. Surgical debridement of affected tissue may be necessary. 

Learn More About Our Recommended Treatment for Thrush

White Line Disease

To address the relationship between nutrition and white line disease, we must not overlook the important observations regarding the disease and the predisposing factors over the years.

Burney Chapman

Burney Chapman, a world-renowned farrier from Lubbock, Texas, USA, became one of the foremost authorities on the condition back in the late eighties and early nineties. At that time, he began to see an alarming increase in the number of white line cases he encountered in his farrier practice both in the U.S. and U.K. 

Burney determined that it was not a disease of the white line but the result of a fungal invasion of the middle hoof wall. The disease is known as stall rot, seedy toe, hollow foot, wall thrush, and white line disease.

Burney’s Observations

At first, Burney thought white line disease was found in environments that were poorly maintained. However, the more he encountered it, he began to realize the disease occurred more often in clean, well-managed stables and barns. He also observed no correlation to breed, color, or front vs. back feet and that the initial stages were non-painful and usually detected by the farrier during routine hoof care.

What Causes White Line Disease?

Today, we know more about white line disease and recognize that all horses are exposed. The medial (middle) hoof wall is affected by white line disease. Both bacterial and fungal organisms commonly found in the environment cause the damage. These organisms require a nutrient-rich environment that lacks oxygen to flourish. 

White Line Disease and the Hoof

The outer hoof wall is more resistant to invasion. This is due to its higher density and exposure to environmental oxygen compared to the lower density and lack of oxygen in the middle hoof wall. 

The outer and medial hoof walls are derived primarily from the coronary band. The coronary band provides the pigment to the outer and medial hoof wall. 

The third section of the hoof wall, the inner hoof wall, is derived from the laminae and is therefore non-pigmented and glistening white. It is more resistant to microbial invasion due to the proximity of live tissue in this area. The live tissue is not only oxygen-rich, thereby inhibiting these opportunist anaerobic organisms, but also has infection-fighting abilities. 

We know that often trauma to the hoof capsule creates bruising and bleeding. The damaged and leaking blood vessels create a good food source for the “hoof-eating” microbes.  

Other predisposing factors include a prior occurrence of an abscess or laminitis in which the hoof wall becomes full of holes and crevices. Nail holes or hoof cracks allow organisms to gain access. Also, high moisture environments tend to soften the foot and allow the bacterial and fungal organisms a more accessible entrance into the hoof.

Nutrition and White Line Disease

Properly balanced nutrition and quality hoof supplements will strengthen and increase the density of the hoof wall, reducing the likelihood or severity of white line disease. 

No one has proven this fact more sufficiently than Dr. Susan Kempson. Dr. Kempson is a noted equine nutrition researcher in the Dept of Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, Royal School of Veterinary Studies, at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Dr. Kempson has conducted numerous electron microscope studies of the equine hoof wall. Electron microscopes use electrons rather than light to capture images and magnify them up to two million times. 

Dr. Kempson’s Research

Dr. Kempson demonstrated with scanning electron microscope photos that a horse supplemented with excessive selenium developed a lack of structure in the hoof horn. Sulfur is required to build the strong cross links necessary for a healthy hoof horn. However, excess selenium substitutes in place of sulfur, creating a weak hoof structure. In addition, the soil where the horse lived was deficient in copper. Copper will help protect the horse from the detrimental effects of small amounts of excess dietary selenium.

The electron microscope photos also showed that bacteria had invaded the space between the cells. Interestingly, Dr. Kempson found that bacteria were the front-line invaders of the hoof wall, setting up the environment for the secondary fungal invaders. The several different species of organisms that have been isolated from infected hooves all have one thing in common – they thrive on the sulfur-containing collagen of the hoof wall. 

In the above case, after three months of discontinuing the selenium and supplementing copper, the horse returned to his normal activities.

Calcium Deficiencies

Hoof wall quality also deteriorates with calcium deficiency. Calcium deficiency is often a result of diets high in bran and creates weak, crumbly hoof horn. The poor hoof wall quality develops holes and defects. This allows the bacteria and fungi associated with white line disease to penetrate.

Final Observations

The above information explains many circumstances associated with white line disease. However, it does not explain the puzzle of why horses in the well-managed facility and the overfed horse often have some of the most challenging white line problems. In agreement with Burney’s Chapman’s observations, it is possible that the horse consuming a high carbohydrate diet, especially a sweet feed, is predisposed to white line disease due to changes in the hoof wall environment that are favorable for these hoof-eating organisms. 

It is vital for Horses with laminitis to receive a balanced diet that fulfills their nutritional requirements. Fulfilling these nutritional needs not only benefits laminitis recovery but can also help prevent future bouts from developing. Additionally, your horse’s current diet could be the cause of its laminitic troubles. Below are five tips to feeding horses with laminitis.

1. Manage the Body Condition of your Horse

Obesity is one of the major contributing factors to the current rise of horses with laminitis in the United States.  In fact, mismanagement due to overfeeding idle horses causes 70-80% of these laminitic cases. Taking the necessary steps to maintain the correct body condition score can help in laminitis prevention and recovery. Horse owners can help reduce and maintain body weight by:

• Providing regular exercise
• Feeding a low starch forage balancer
• Providing free choice hay
• Monitoring grazing
• Removing additional calories such as compound feeds or oats
• Using grazing muzzles if needed

Contrarily, Laminitic hard keepers may need additional calories to maintain body condition. Hard Keepers diagnosed with laminitis can be given:

• Beet pulp
• Vegetable oil
• Oats
• Copra
• A combination of the above

2. Avoid Grain Overload

One primary cause of laminitis in horses occurs from undigested starch (carbohydrates) entering the caecum. This usually occurs due to grain overload or from grazing a pasture that has developed high sugar content grasses. The small intestinal tract can be presented with more carbohydrates than it can digest. When this occurs, the carbohydrates enter the hindgut, and the hindgut microbes begin to ferment these carbohydrates. The resulting toxic microbial fermentation products not only enter the bloodstream but are also detrimental to the microbial population itself. This creates a cascade of toxins that enter the bloodstream and damages the sensitive blood vessels within the hoof capsule.

Additionally, horses that tend to eat quickly are more likely to develop a digestive upset or carbohydrate overload. If the feed is not chewed adequately, the digestion-assisting saliva is not sufficiently mixed with the feed. Adding fist-sized rounded rocks to the feed bucket can help circumvent this unhealthy habit.

3. Limit Fructan Digestion from Forage

Pasture grasses recovering from frost or drought caused stress are most likely to produce excessive levels of fructans, or grass sugar. Likewise, cool seasoned grass that flourishes in the spring and fall will also have high levels of fructan.

Fructan is a complex sugar present in pasture grasses and cannot be digested and absorbed in the small intestine of the horse. The microbes in the hindgut ferment fructans into lactic acid. Fructan levels of the pastures vary throughout the day depending on:

• Exposure of sunlight
• Temperature
• Moisture Levels
• Grass Type

Ingestion of a large quantity of high fructan grasses can alter the hindgut environment leading to the death of vast numbers of beneficial microbes. This releases endotoxins that often trigger a laminitic episode or colic. Since photosynthesis from sunlight is necessary for fructan production, pasture fructan levels are highest in the afternoon and evening and are lowest in the mornings. Easy keepers and horses with laminitis are less likely to develop grass laminitis if they are only allowed pasture access in the early morning to early afternoon.

4. Horses with Laminitis Need to Chew

Horses with acute laminitis can often develop sore teeth. The teeth laminae become inflamed just as the laminae of the hooves. Consequently, the tooth pain often discourages proper chewing. Unchewed whole grains are less likely to be digested prior to reaching the microbes of the hindgut. We advise against feeding any concentrated feeds to a horse with acute laminitis. Feed up to the normal amount of hay free choice or divided into as many feedings as possible.

5. Provide Nutritional Support for Horses with Laminitis

Nutritional Support with the nutrients required for strong and dense growth of the hoof wall and sole may help reduce the time of laminitis recovery. For example, Long-term feeding of a quality hoof supplement may strengthen the cohesive bond between the hoof wall and the coffin bone. This strengthened bond may benefit acute cases of laminitis.

Hoof Supplementation

Proper hoof supplementation can help repair damage sustained during a laminitis/founder cycle. Many horses are fed rations deficient in the nutrients necessary to maintain and rebuild hoof health after suffering from laminitis and founder. Some hays are deficient in essential nutrients, especially those stored while wet, grown on nutrient deficient soils, harvested at a late stage of maturity, or have been stored for an extended period.

Recommended Hoof Supplement: Farrier’s Formula® Double Strength

Supplement for Horses with Laminitis

Horses with laminitis need a supplement that contains ingredients to support the liver such a lecithin and thyroid building nutrients such as tyrosine and iodine. Amino acids play an important role in re-building a hoof damaged by laminitis and founder.

Recommended Supplement for Laminitis: Life Data® Lamina Formula

Essential fatty acids and phospholipids are needed to build cell membranes and walls. Vitamin A is an important hoof-building vitamin. Calcium, copper, and zinc are important minerals for hoof strength. For these nutrients to be most effective they must be bioavailable (absorbable) and in the proper ratio/balance.

If your horse develops a case of laminitis contact your veterinarian and farrier immediately. Its important that horse owners treat every case of laminitis as an emergency. If you have any questions regarding feeding and supplementation for horses with laminitis contact us.