Hoof Nutrition Intelligence is a twice-a-month web segment that is designed to add to the education of footcare professionals when it comes to effectively feeding the hoof. The goal of this web-exclusive feature is to zero in on specific areas of hoof nutrition and avoid broad-based articles that simply look at the overall equine feeding situation.
Below you will find Part 1 of the latest question and answer installment that you can share with your footcare clients.
Q: What are the most common concerns in providing key nutrients for improved hoof quality and growth?
By Eleanor Kellon, VMD
The most common nutritional deficiencies that can impact the hooves include crude protein, sulphur containing amino acids (primarily methionine and cysteine), zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin E, biotin and pyridoxine.
The reason that equine nutritional deficiencies often show up in the hoof is simply because it is a very metabolically active tissue. As an example, the horn is always being worn away and must constantly be replaced.
If your horse is lacking one or more of the critical nutrients it needs to do the job, hoof quality will suffer. All key nutrients must be present in the correct amounts for quality hoof growth.
Dr. Eleanor Kellon, a staff veterinary specialist for Uckele Health & Nutrition, has been an established authority in the field of equine nutrition for over 30 years. The owner of Equine Nutritional Solutions in Robesonia, Pa., she is a founding member and leader of the Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance (ECIR) group, whose mission is to improve the welfare of horses with metabolic disorders via integration of research and real-life clinical experience. Prevention of laminitis is the ultimate goal.
Hoof Nutrition Intelligence is brought to you by W.F. Young Co. (Absorbine). 
Like many significant achievements, Absorbine® grew out of humble beginnings—and through the tenacity of someone willing to question the status quo. In this case, it was a young woman in late 19th-century Massachusetts: Mary Ida Young. Her husband, Wilbur Fenelon Young, was an enterprising piano deliveryman who relied on the couple’s team of horses to make deliveries throughout the Northeast. Inspired by Mary Ida and Wilbur’s vision, Absorbine® has continued to add innovative products throughout the years — products used every day by horse owners around the world. Which is why, since 1892, we’ve been The Horse World’s Most Trusted Name®.
Click here to read Part 2 of the Aug. 1, 2018 installment: Can feeding supplements help overcome the pasture dermatitis concerns with my mare?
Click here to read more installments of Hoof Nutrition Intelligence.