How Gelatin for Horses Can Help Repair and Strengthen Hooves

Gelatin for horses is a viable technique to repair cracked horse hooves naturally and harmlessly. Equestrians have incorporated gelatin in their horse’s diets for ages as a way to boost the production of proteins like collagen and keratin, which aid in their health and appearance.

What are Hoof Cracks?

Horse hoof cracks are common problems for equestrians and veterinarians. They appear as dents, holes, and crevices in the horse hoof. Shallower ones are generally surface blemishes that will not cause pain. However, deeper ones can impair the horse’s movement and lead to infections.

Hooves can crack when they experience trauma. If the horse has balance problems from improper farrier work, they may place uneven pressure on one hoof wall that could lead to a break. Sometimes external traumas can create problems, like rough terrain or a heavy blow that can cause hoof cracks.

How Do You Fix A Separated Hoof Wall?

Whether the horse has thin soles or strong hooves often depends on genetics. Each horse’s hoof walls will vary in structural integrity depending on the breed and background.

Hoof walls consist of keratin that forms tubules that run vertically along the hoof’s length, and they contribute primarily to the hoof’s strength. Weaknesses can develop between these tubules and lead to vertical hoof cracks and separation.

The most problematic hoof cracks are vertical cracks that originate from the coronary band and extend down as they disrupt the production of the new horn. Ones that start at the bottom are generally of cosmetic concern.

As horse owners, you will want to make sure to keep an eye on the blemish to ensure it does not interfere with the coronary band. If the horse experiences lameness, pain, fluid drainage, or instability, you will need to call a farrier and treat the crack.

Horizontal hoof cracks are usually harmless, as long as they exist near the bottom of the hoof. Quarter cracks often appear on the side where the wall is more flexible and thinner. You will need to perform a quarter crack repair to prevent lameness.

How do you fix a horse’s broken hooves?

The typical treatment for cracked hoof repair involves stabilizing the hoof to allow the new horn to grow while trimming away the damaged section. The higher the crack propagates, the longer it will take.

Bar shoes can support cracked hooves. Farriers often put clips on shoes to keep the hoof wall still as the horse moves by holding the crack together. However, some toe cracks can overlap when the horse walks. In this case, the shoe will need to hold the edges apart, especially with toe cracks.

A more drastic horse hoof repair method involves lacing the crack with steel wires or metal plates. Severe cases may also call for replacing the hoof wall with acrylic, fiberglass, or polyurethane. As the hoof grows, this patching material will get trimmed away until only the organic material remains.

Old-fashioned treatment involved feeding the horse gelatin to promote collagen production. Many supplements today to prevent and repair horse hoof cracks utilize collagen as it helps heal wounds. Keratin and collagen are both proteins found in horse’s bodies, with collagen being a hydrolyzed form of gelatin used in food.

How to Treat Cracked Hooves in Horses with Gelatin

Gelatin and collagen are excellent horse hoof repair products to integrate into your horse’s hoof care routine. Gelatin is an edible form of gelatin that quickly absorbs into your horse’s bloodstream.

This supplement product can increase glycine and proline levels to aid in cartilage repair, which includes rebuilding your horse’s hoof. Glycine reduces inflammation, builds tissues, synthesizes amino acids, and absorbs nutrients while proline cushions joints. Boosting the lysine levels in the gelatin can help with collagen production and promote keratin growth.

What is the best hoof supplement for horses?

A hoof repair for horses strategy involves a gelatin and biotin supplement to give extra protein to your horse and help with hoof growth. These supplements can also aid in the joint health of your horse by reducing pain and improving the appearance of their coat and mane.

Custom Collagen’s Equine Support Gelatin Plus Biotin

Our Gelatin + Biotin For Horses supplement can strengthen thin soles and hooves while alleviating some of the symptoms caused by hoof cracks. Custom Collagen products have no fillers or additives, with about 28,350 mg of collagen in each 1-ounce scoop. One scoop has about 15 mg of biotin as well.

How Many Mgs Of Collagen Should You Give A Horse?

In terms of collagen, you can generally add 2 oz. for every 1,000 pounds your horse weighs. Our product is a pure collagen product. There are no additives or fillers. There are about 28,350mg of collagen per scoop. We offer an excellent high-quality equine joint supplement that you will want to include in your home horse care kit, in addition to the gelatin and biotin products.

This supplement is tasteless, so you can put it in your horse’s feed without them noticing. It does provide a large serving of collagen, so you may wish to increase the amount your horse consumes until they are adjusted to it.

You can incorporate the Equine Support Gelatin Plus Biotin supplement product into your horse’s diet to prevent hoof cracks from forming and propagating. We implore you to do this, especially if your horse has weaker hooves.