Thursday Video from Nupafeed: Hoof Soaking 101 with Elisa Wallace

‘Tis the season for abscesses! A stretch of soggy weather created an epidemic of the buggers at our barn. You know the drill by heart — soak, wrap, and send up a little prayer to Eventing Jesus that the goo-festation resolves itself ASAP. “It’s draining out three holes at once!” our long-suffering barn manager Julie was heard to exclaim with regard to her own horse’s abscess, in either victory or defeat, awe or disgust. With these sorts of things, it’s sometimes hard to discern.

When it comes to soaking, method is key, as anyone who’s spent half an hour begging and pleading a 1,200-lb. animal to keep its darn foot in the darn bucket can attest. In Wallace Eventing’s latest tutorial, Elisa walks us through her no-muss, no-fuss system. Elisa is methodical about everything and makes every interaction count, even the task of fetching a horse from its stall, as you’ll see in the opening bit of this video.

EN BONUS TUTORIAL! How to make stress about your horse’s abscess disappear: Draw up a warm bath after you get in from the barn, add two cups of epsom salts, pour a glass of wine (in a glass, not the tub), and hop in. Epsom salts have many health benefits, from promoting better digestion and sounder sleep to soothing sore muscles and drawing out swelling. #ProTip — Save the Kroger brand for your horse; after putting up with all his nasty foot crap, you’ve earned some Dr. Teal’s — Amazon Prime has a 9-lb. three-pack of the good doctor’s scented salts (lavender, eucalyptus & spearmint, rosemary & mint) for $26.95. Trust me, it will change your life. “Abscess … what abscess?”