And it is at this point the hoof wall integrity becomes very critical with the larger nails being used that more structural damage occurs. To keep from tearing up the hoof wall, nail placement is vital. Nails driven too low or to close together, put too much strain on the hoof wall and it will tear out. Hoof wall integrity, also involves nutrition. Without good nutrition the hoof does not grow properly.
Poor nutrition causes the hoof wall growth to be slow and brittle, thus loosing the strength.
Horses with hooves that are brittle, dry, slow growing are just generally hard to keep shoes on. There are nutritional supplements containing biotin, which can be fed to improve hoof growth and strength. One has to realize it will take at least eight months for the new healthy growth to reach ground surface. So, don t feed a supplement for a couple of months and say I don t see any improvement and quit feeding the supplement. It needs to be fed a year to make a difference you can tell when shoeing.