Best Hoof Supplements For Barefoot Horses

Last Updated on October 18, 2021 by Cristina

Though most horses do well barefoot, some horses struggle with chips and cracks. Fortunately, the best hoof supplements for barefoot horses provide the ingredients necessary to promote a healthy, strong hoof. No matter how young or old a horse is, hoof health is important.

Hoof supplements help strengthen and protect hooves from cracks and chips. Having healthy hooves is important for horses, especially performance horses of all disciplines. The combination of a balanced diet, regular hoof trimmings, and supplements can help horses with weak or cracking hooves.

How To Choose A Hoof Supplement For Barefoot Horses, What You Have To Consider

Hoof supplements help horses with many things including that can lead to hoof problems including weather changes, fluctuation in the quality of grazing and a horse’s workload. Poor quality horn, slow growth, and a regular occurrence of hoof cracks and splits often happen because of nutritional deficiencies and environmental aspects. Fortunately, hoof supplements are formulated to provide nutritional support that creates a strong, healthy hoof.

A farrier can help you determine what hoof problems your horse is having and if a hoof supplement is the right choice for your horse’s needs. It is important to make sure your horse is receiving a balanced diet and proper hoof care. When choosing a hoof supplement, you will want an option designed to strengthen the hoof that comes in a palatable, easy-to-feed formula.

How To Choose A Hoof Supplement For Barefoot Horses, What You Have To Consider

What Are The Advantages Of Using A Hoof Supplements For Cracked Hooves

Having healthy hooves is important for horses, especially performance horses. A weak, diseased or damaged hoof can cause issues for a horse’s overall health. In addition, a horse with cracked, split, weak, or diseased feet will not be able to perform as well and may even struggle when being worked.

Using a hoof supplement will help strengthen the hoof while also preventing cracks and chips from forming. It will improve the overall health of the hoof, which will help your horse perform better.

Things To Look For In The Best Hoof Supplements For Barefoot Horses

When shopping for a hoof supplement, the main ingredient to look for is biotin. Biotin is a B vitamin that promotes healthy, strong hooves. It works to turn nutrients into energy and helps strengthen the cells of the hoof. It also plays an important role in the lipoprotein of the extracellular matrix.

In addition to biotin, you also want to look for ingredients such as zinc, copper, calcium, fatty acids, and methionine. Zinc is crucial to maintenance, repair, and development in the hoof, while copper works to help in keratin development.  Calcium helps absorb protein while promoting hoof and bone growth.

Fatty acids work to prevent hooves from cracking. Methionine is an amino acid that makes proteins along with other essential molecules, while also working to detoxify and strengthen hooves in horses. When making a horse hoof supplement comparison, look at the key ingredients in each product.

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What Is The Best Way To Use This Product?

Hoof supplements should be mixed in with a horse’s concentrates. They should be fed accordingly to a horse’s weight and needs. Be certain to carefully read the label on the supplement in order to ensure you are properly giving it to your horse.

Most hoof supplements come in pellet form. They may even be flavored to make them more palatable to horses. By mixing it into their concentrates, you can help ensure that your horse will eat it all if you have a picky eater.

Prerequisites To Using Hoof Supplements

Before using a hoof supplement, make sure your horse is receiving a balanced diet and regular hoof care. It is important to make sure your horse doesn’t have an underlying hoof problem that needs to be addressed. In addition, it is important to note that it can take several months after using a hoof supplement to notice improvement, so don’t give up on it easily.

Prerequisites To Using Hoof Supplements

What is the Best Hoof Supplement for Horses?

Farnam Horseshoer’s Secret Pelleted Hoof Supplement for Horses

This pelleted supplement works to improve hoof health from the inside out. It contains vital nutritional support to protect, support healthy growth, prevent cracks and maintain a strong hoof wall. It is a highly palatable formula that can easily be mixed into feed.

Pros:

  • Contains biotin, lysine, methionine, copper, zinc, and omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.
  • Helps improve damaged hooves and promotes healthy growth.
  • Improves the hoof from the inside out.

Con:

  • It can be a bit pricey.

Farrier’s Formula Pelleted Hoof and Coat Supplement For Horses

This pelleted supplement provides key nutrients for building strong hoof capsule connective tissue. It not only promotes healthy hoof structure but also healthy hoof growth. In addition, it even promotes a healthy coat and joints in horses.

Pros:

  • Promotes strong, fast growth of the hoof wall, sole,  frog, and heel.
  • Contains key nutrients vital to maintaining healthy hooves.
  • Helps provide a healthy coat and joints.

Con:

  • It is pricey.

Manna Pro Sho-Hoof Supplement for Horses

This supplement contains the optimal amount of biotin to promote healthy hoof growth. In addition, it also contains methionine and zinc for overall hoof soundness. The formula is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids to promote strong hooves, healthy skin, and glowing coats.

Pros:

  • Contains key ingredients such as biotin, methionine, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and amino acids.
  • Highly palatable and easy to feed.
  • In addition to supporting overall hoof health, it also promotes healthy skin and shiny coats.

Con:

  • It is a bit on the pricey side.

Vita-Biotin Crumbles for Horses Hoof Supplement

These easy-to-feed crumbles contain biotin to promote healthy hoof growth. It works to promote strong hoof walls to eliminate cracking and chipping. The main key nutrients help maintain sound hooves.

Pros:

  • Biotin promotes healthy and strong hooves.
  • Crumbles are easy-to-feed and palatable.
  • Helps support sound hooves.

Con:

  • It can get a bit pricey.

Biotin Daily Hoof Care Supplement

These easy-to-feed pellets are apple-flavored, making them palatable for even picky horses. With biotin, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins, it is formulated to promote healthy hoof growth. It also works to promote a healthy, shiny coat.

Pros:

  • Contains biotin, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins for strong, healthy hoof growth.
  • Contains flaxseed which has many benefits.
  • Promotes healthy digestion and healthy coat.

Con:

  • Some horses may not like the apple flavoring as it has a strong smell.

Conclusion

Though these horse hoof supplements reviews contain many happy horse owners, the one with the most positive feedback and best success is the Farnam Horseshoer’s Secret Pelleted Hoof Supplement for Horses. This supplement contains many key ingredients such as biotin, lysine, methionine, copper, zinc, and omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, which some of the other supplements did not have. It is the top overall choice among the best hoof supplements for barefoot horses.

The Farnam Horseshoer’s Secret Pelleted Hoof Supplement is the top choice among man farriers and veterinarians. It is highly palatable and works to fix weak walls, cracks, and chips to create a strong, healthy hoof.

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