Biotin vs farriers formula

[c0608524]

Hey guys!

Looking for some personal experiences regarding using straight up biotin premix vs farriers formula.

I have a thoroughbred with kinda crappy feet - we get away with just front shoes on, but occasionally his back feet look crummy (no soundness issues with current set up). His feet look about 100x better after using a tub of farriers formula. My farrier was actually at a barn I went to a clinic at yesterday and he commented on how awesome they were looking.

He’s told me previously that he suggests biotin to customers with horses feet like mine.

So part of me doesn’t want to switch up a good thing, but the other part of me wants to try it to see if biotin is better. Does anyone here have any experience in situations like this?

By the way, I haven’t bought the biotin yet because the feed store didn’t have feeding instructions. So I plan on calling the company to see how much this is going to cost me before I take the plunge.

[atlatl]

Isn’t biotin an ingredient on farrier’s formula?

[JB]

farrier’s formula has 20mg biotin per serving. That’s about the top end of what a horse can use at a time, IIRC.

Biotin is worthless without enough menthionine for it to be used. Most good hoof supplements take that into account.

If you had any desire to do the math, you could look at the horse’s entire diet and see if he has enough methionine to use the biotin he gets and makes, and if he has enough lysine to use the methionine (and so one) he gets.

Sometimes it’s cheaper to just make sure there’s enough lysine and methionine in the diet.

[Hermein]

Farriers Formula was like dried bats’ blood for my horses’ feet. Total waste of my money.

What did work, but no longer available, was Foundation. :mad:

I think that your effective hoof supp depends on where you live. For example: Our hay in central CA is watered with snow melt from the Sierra Mountains. The melt brings down lots of iron, which interferes with uptake of essential copper, among other minerals. IIRC, FF doesn’t include copper in its product.

Bottom line: Biotin is essential, but it isn’t the Be All for hooves.

[DancingArabian]

I thought supplements only work of the problem is actually caused by a deficiency of whatever you’re supplementing.

Biotin is an ingredient in farriers formula. Lots of horses just have bad feet.

[Ghazzu]

Biotin, methionine, and zinc are what I look for in any supplement that is alleged to help improve hoof quality.

And at least 15-20 mg biotin per dose.

[JB]

@Hermein;8808392

IIRC, FF doesn’t include copper in its product.

92mg Cu and 250mg Zn per 1c serving

[cutter99]

This is what I use. It was one The Horse Journal’s Products of the Year in 2009. Is comparable to Farrier’s Formula Double Strength, but costs less and ships for free from the manufacturer. I had a horse blow two abscesses out the coronet band this spring and the holes should be trimmed out in the next eight weeks.

http://ka-hi.com/integri-hoof.html

[BellaMia]

I know this wasn’t asked, but my tbs horrible feet improved when I added plain gelatin. Cheap in comparison to.

[Gestalt]

I use Farriers Formula, it works for my horse. OP, if it’s helping why change?

[c0608524]

[QUOTE=Gestalt;8809263]
I use Farriers Formula, it works for my horse. OP, if it’s helping why change?[/QUOTE]

Price and it’s a 40-45 minute drive to the closest distributor to me. $70 plus tax (13%). If I can find something just as good at a cheaper price I’d like to switch

[Encourage]

Could you possibly have it shipped to you? There may be cheaper but it might not work as well, which is more of a pain IME.

[MissAriel]

[QUOTE=BellaMia;8809262]
I know this wasn’t asked, but my tbs horrible feet improved when I added plain gelatin. Cheap in comparison to.[/QUOTE]

BellaMia,
How much gelatin did you feed?

[chicamux]

For a very low price you can feed Animed’s Remission. Excellent for feet, have been using it for years. And it has a good quantity of Magnesium in it which is deficient in many equine diets.
Each oz of Remission contains:

6000 mg magnesium
14 mg chromium
20 mg biotin
3000 mg methionine
2150 mg lysine
1200 mg vitamin C
250 mg zinc
40 mg niacin

2 month supply is around $18.

[Dani]

I’ve used both. Happy with results from both, however, after a while my mare started refusing to eat biotin. Another mare won’t eat anything with a lot of biotin either. They both seem to like Farrier’s Formula. So if you have you have a picky eater you might want to look at a supplements instead of just the powder.

[BellaMia]

[QUOTE=MissAriel;8810064]
BellaMia,
How much gelatin did you feed?[/QUOTE]

They are in individual packets in the box and I am currently doing two packets a day but plan to drop to one after a while and see if she holds. Each box has 32 packets in it and is under $10 at Walmart. Everything else is balanced with her feed wise which was done first. Well worth it to do on my humble opinion.

[3rottenponies]

BellaMia,

How long has your mare been on it? Do you have any before & after pictures? Looking to maybe start my gelding on gelatin but don’t know anyone personally who has used it for their horses.

[BellaMia]

[QUOTE=3rottenponies;8812316]
BellaMia,

How long has your mare been on it? Do you have any before & after pictures? Looking to maybe start my gelding on gelatin but don’t know anyone personally who has used it for their horses.[/QUOTE]

I don’t have any before and after. I started after it was recommended by several old time horse owners with large herds. She has been on it about 3 months, give or take, now. She grows hoof fast, 3-4 weeks Farrier, but it is thin and poor. Fixing her nutrition helped but didn’t toss her over into good. The new growth with the gelatin is growing in solid looking and her tendency for vertical cracks aren’t passing into the gelatin growth which is a huge positive sign to me. Once her whole hoof turns over I will have a really good idea where we sit, but I am super thrilled with the results I am seeing so far. It is pretty hoof growing.

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

You beat me to it! I use this too as a general supplement for all my horses. Has lots of other goodies in it.

[QUOTE=chicamux;8811649]
For a very low price you can feed Animed’s Remission. Excellent for feet, have been using it for years. And it has a good quantity of Magnesium in it which is deficient in many equine diets.
Each oz of Remission contains:

6000 mg magnesium
14 mg chromium
20 mg biotin
3000 mg methionine
2150 mg lysine
1200 mg vitamin C
250 mg zinc
40 mg niacin

2 month supply is around $18.[/QUOTE]

[Scarlet_Gilia]

[QUOTE=c0608524;8809345]
Price and it’s a 40-45 minute drive to the closest distributor to me. $70 plus tax (13%). If I can find something just as good at a cheaper price I’d like to switch[/QUOTE]

If you need some Farrier’s Formula while you make up your mind about a different supplement, Valley Vet has free shipping on it this week.