The long-term influence of biotin supplementation on hoof horn quality in horses.
Authors: Geyer, Schulze
Journal: Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde
Summary
Brittle and chipped hooves represent a significant welfare and performance concern in equine practice, yet evidence-based nutritional interventions remain limited. Geyer and Schulze conducted an extended longitudinal investigation spanning one to six years, administering 5 mg biotin per 100–150 kg body weight daily to 97 horses with compromised hoof horn whilst maintaining 11 unsupplemented controls, with macroscopic assessment every three to four months and histological and tensile strength analysis of proximal wall samples from a subset. Biotin-supplemented horses demonstrated substantial hoof horn improvement between 8 and 15 months, with histological alterations correlating directly to reduced tensile strength (ranging from 20 to 60 N/mm²), whereas control animals showed no progression; critically, seven of ten horses relapsed when supplementation was discontinued or reduced, despite identical coronary horn growth rates between groups. For practitioners managing horses with chronic hoof horn deterioration, these findings establish biotin as a disease-modifying supplement rather than a preventative, indicating that continuous dosing at therapeutic levels (rather than maintenance doses) is necessary to sustain improvement and that cessation will likely reverse gains.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Biotin supplementation improves hoof horn quality in horses with brittle hooves and chipping, but requires 8-15 months to show measurable improvement—set realistic client expectations
- •Continuous supplementation at full dosage is necessary; reducing or stopping biotin leads to rapid deterioration of hoof quality in previously supplemented horses
- •Biotin works by improving horn integrity and tensile strength, not by accelerating hoof growth, so farriery management remains essential during the supplementation period
Key Findings
- •Biotin supplementation at 5 mg per 100-150 kg body weight daily improved hoof horn condition in supplemented horses after 8-15 months, as determined by macroscopic and histological examination
- •Tensile strength of normal coronary horn was ≥60 N/mm² but reduced to as low as 20 N/mm² in areas with histological alterations
- •Hoof horn condition deteriorated in 7 of 10 horses after biotin supplementation was reduced or terminated
- •Growth rate of coronary horn was equivalent between biotin-supplemented and control horses, indicating biotin improves quality rather than growth rate