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 2 of the latest question and answer installment that you can share with your footcare clients.
Q: How important are having proteins in the diet for hoof strength?
By Connie Larson
A: Numerous components of the hoof rely on protein to provide structural strength and function to the hoof. This includes such materials as collagen in the dermal tissue and keratins and cell envelope proteins in the hoof wall.
The epidermal cells found in the hoof wall produce three types of protein groups: keratin, keratin-associated proteins and cell envelope proteins. Adequate amino acid levels need to be supplied to the cells producing these proteins because they are essential to the integrity of fully cornified epidermal cells.
Connie Larson is an equine nutritionist and researcher with Zinpro Corp. in Eden Prairie, Minn. She has been a contributor to American Farriers Journal and a speaker at the International Hoof-Care Summit.
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 1 of the April 15, 2016 installment: What kind of hoof concerns are most often caused by poor nutrition?
Click here to read more installments of Hoof Nutrition Intelligence.