Hoof horn abnormalities in Lipizzaner horses and the effect of dietary biotin on macroscopic aspects of hoof horn quality.

This research paper examines the abnormal hoof conditions in Lipizzaner horses and how biotin, a dietary supplement, can impact the quality and growth of hoof horn. The observation was carried out on 152 Lipizzaner horses over the course of 19 months. The results indicate that dietary supplementation of 20 mg of biotin daily improves and maintains hoof horn quality in the horses.

Study Design

• The study was conducted on 152 Lipizzaner horses, with 130 from Austria and 22 from other nations.
• The evaluation was done on a macro level and took into account various aspects of the hoof such as the horn wall, the white line, the sole, and the frog.
• A trial was also conducted, using a double-blind method, on 42 stallions from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna to test the effects of biotin on hoof horn growth.

Findings

• The results of the evaluation revealed that 90% of the Austrian Lipizzaners had soft white lines and their hoof horn was crumbling and fissured at the bearing border of the walls.
• The trial exhibited that 20 mg of biotin administered daily resulted in significant improvements in hoof horn quality after 9 months, as compared to the start of the trial and the placebo group.
• The horses that received the biotin supplement continued to show improved hoof condition for the following 5 months and the same level of hoof condition was maintained over the subsequent 3 years.

Growth Rate

• There was no difference in the growth rate of the hoof horn wall between the two groups—those that received biotin and those that did not.
• The growth rate was measured to be 7mm per 28 days, which gives a wall renewal period of 11 months.

Biotin Levels

• The mean plasma biotin level of untreated horses was 350 ng/l.
• The plasma levels of horses that received the biotin supplement were greater than 1000 ng/l.

Conclusion

• The study concludes that continual dietary supplementation with biotin at a daily dose of 20 mg improves and maintains hoof horn quality in horses that have less-than-optimal hoof quality.