Chemical composition (dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, ash, calcium, phosphorus, copper and zinc and amino acid profile) in black and non-pigmented hooves from non-lactating five-to ten-year-old Pantaneira and Mangalarga Marchador mares raised in central and southeastern Brazil was studied. In the Pantaneira breed, phosphorus concentration was higher in non-pigmented than in black hooves, but hoof color did not affect any other composition variables. Likewise, black versus non-pigmented hooves did not differ for any composition variable in the Mangalarga Marchador mares.
equine; hoove; hoof color; protein; amino acid; biotin; mineral
