b'NUTRITION LUCILE VIGOUROUXTheHorse.com/NutritionHoof FirstHow to feed your horse for strong and healthy hoovescan appear following a period of systemic illness or reflect changes in nutritionfor example, when a horse consumes rich grass in the spring or suffers a bout of starvation. Monitoring the appearance of your horses hooves regularly will help you track progress and identify potential nutrition-related problems. Keep in mind that the hoof grows slowly (about one-third of an inch per month), from the coronary band down and from the inside out. This slow growth rate means months will pass before your horses current health and dietary status starts to manifest in his feet. Taylor, a professor of equine science at Cente-nary University, in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and the owner of a private equine nutrition consulting business, says that in some cases shes had to wait more than 18 months to see real changes. This extended interval is, in her experience as a consultant, the No. 1 issue horse own-ISTOCK.COMers face when adjusting diet to improve hoof quality. For example, they might add Your horses diet plays a crucial role in the quality and durability of the horn that makes up his hooves. a new supplement but give up before the product has had time to produce visible N utrition impacts everything fromfeet several other factors come intoresults. Patience and persistence are key.performance and temperament toplay. Management, exercise, metabolic growth and metabolic rate. Hoofrate, hoof care including trimming andFeeding the Feet: Ingredientsquality is no exception. It can take up to ashoeing, overall health, genetics, andThat Build Strong Hoovesyear for a full new hoof to grow, so whatclimate (moisture levels, in particular)Energy Starting on a very basic and your horse eats today could impact hiscan all affect the appearance and strengthfundamental level, horses grow strong soundness much further down the road.of horses feetand not always for theand healthy hooves by consuming enough In this article two equine nutritionists better. The bottom line is hoof healthenergy. Heres why this is so important: Lynn Taylor, PhD, and Ashley Wagner,requires a very holistic (whole horse)A horse that burns more calories than PhDshed light on the dos and donts ofapproach.he consumes will save these precious feeding for optimal hoof health. energy-packed calories for vital organs The Hoof Is a Living, Breathingand bodily functions, while external The Recipe for Healthy Hooves Organstructures such as hooves and hair get the Your horses diet plays a crucial roleYouve probably noticed those well- short end of the stick. Balance, however, in the quality and durability of the horndefined horizontal ridges that encircleis key. A horse that consumes an energy-that makes up his hooves. Horses requiresome horses feet, but do you knowrich diet that is too high in the nonstruc-certain nutrients in specific amountswhat they are or how they came to be?tural carbohydrates starch and sugar is at and ratios to grow and maintain strongGrowth rings, as theyre known, showan increased risk of developing laminitis hooves. However, even the perfect diethow the hooves have responded to the(a debilitating hoof disease that occurs is not enough by itself to grow goodhorses diet and health over time. Theywhen the laminae suspending the coffin 26August 2020The Horse|TheHorse.com'