Now that the land has started drying out I want to give them a bit of a helping hand and feed both of them a good hoof supplement. Biotin (Post: Feeding biotin for healthy hooves and hair) is synonymous with restoring and promoting good quality hair and hoof growth so this is my first choice supplement to offer my two. In fact it has been proven to improve hoof growth and quality.
There are currently a huge range of biotin supplements on the market and I was a bit overwhelmed by the choice. I decided to dig a little deeper and explore their ingredients and find out just how good they are! The results were interesting if a little surprising! It is important to note that it takes approximately 6 months for an entire new hoof to grow but you should see changes around the coronary band after one month. Biotin has no recommended daily allowance and there are no adverse reactions from feeding too high a dose :)
Product sizes were chosen based on a 6 month supply - or as close as possible.
Horse First Hoof First
Instructions: 25g scoop in the feed every day until improvement is seen, and then cut back to half a scoop daily. Ponies and small horses can be given half a scoop.
200 day supply
Contains 40mg of biotin per 25g.
Cost: €0.78 per day.
TRM Biotin
Instructions: All Horses - feed 25g per day
40 day supply
Contains 15mg of biotin per 25g
Cost: €0.60 per day
TRM Hoofmaker Powder
Instructions: Adult horses: Feed 20g per day. Ponies and foals: Feed 20g every second day.
250 day supply
Contains 37.5mg of biotin per 20g
Cost: €0.94 per day
Instructions: All horses - feed 50g per day. Ponies and foals - feed 50g every second day.
200 day supply
Contains 37.5mg of biotin per 50g
Cost: €1.05 per day
Farriers Formula
Instructions: 475kg - 170g cup (bear in mind most grown horses are nearer the 650kg mark!)
29 day supply
Contains 20mg of biotin per 170g
Cost: €2.17 per day
Equine America Hoof Powder Plus
Instructions: For a 500kg horse, per day - 14g.
65 day supply
Contains 20mg per 14g
Cost: €0.83 per day
Forans Hoof Aid Powder
Instructions: 450-600kg feed 20g per day
100 day supply
Contains 32mg per 20g
Cost: €0.66 per day
Forans Hoof Aid Liquid
€50.25 / 2.5lInstructions: 450-600kg feed 45ml per day
56 day supply
Contains: 26.25mg biotin per 45ml
Cost: €0.90 per day
NAF Pro Feet Powder 5 Star
€40.95 / 1.3kgInstructions: 400-600kg feed 33g per day
39 day supply
Contains 23.5mg per 33g
Cost: €1.11 per day
NAF Pro Feet Liquid 5 Star
€40.95 / 1lInstructions: 400-600 feed 25ml per day
40 day supply
Contains 25mg per 25ml
Cost: €1.02 per day
Su-Per Biotin
Instructions: 1 ounce daily40 day supply
Contains 20mg per ounce (~28g)
Cost: €0.50 per day
It's interesting to see the varying biotin levels by supplement and brand. Horse First Hoof First delivers twice the biotin levels of Equine America Hoof Powder Plus and at a lower price! Strangely the TRM Hoofmaker Pellets were more expensive than the TRM Hoofmaker Powder despite containing the same biotin levels (The pellets did contain the amino acid DL-Methionine). The Su-Per Biotin seems like excellent value all round! I think Horse First Hoof First and the Forans Hoof Aid Powder are my favourites both in terms of biotin quantity whilst still remaining good value for money.
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