Hoof Growth - Lack of

Question
Hi there

I have a seven year old chestnut mare, whom is refusing to grow hoof.   My farrier is struggling to fit shoes as her feet do not grow enough to ensure the nails are in a new place.  She is an extremely flat footed horse and in time i feel her heel will collapse and i will be unable to ride her.  She is currently having Grand Meadows Hoof Pelletts with MSM and Furlongs - Fitness plus in her feed and although the hoof looks stronger and healthier they are not growing.

My farrier has suggested i add yet another supplement to her feed but he cannot recommend one as all horses are different.  The Gand Hoof Pellets contain a yeast which should be forcing her to absorb the biotin.

Can you help please with a suggestion to grow some foot.

Thank you

Answer
Hello Mrs T Bean,
while supplements do help in the quality of horn produced by the horse, the quality of protein and overall nutrition but most importantly, the correct STIMULUS to the hoof are responsible for hoof growth. Sometimes things as simple as taking the shoes off for the winter or riding in hoof boots with the horse kept barefoot all year long result in much improved hoof growth.
If your mare already has such weak hooves that shoes won't stay on, every time to try to re-nail a shoe creates more holes and injuries to the hoof and using glue-on shoes will certainly keep the shoes on but do nothing to inprove your mare's overall hoof quality.
In a situation like yours, I would highly recommend getting hoof boots to use when you ride and taking the shoes off for now. Even very flat footed horses can be comfortable being riden without shoes, especially when using hoof boots or working on soft ground.
Can you send me pictures of her feet from the side and the bottom (jnksize@comcast.net)?

There is really not much you can do re: supplements to make a hoof grow stronger. Proper overall nutrition to support proper stimulation of the hoof usually do the trick quite well and without shoes you should see improvement within months....I hope!
Christine