Making Your Own Soaking Bath
By C. Scott Kroeger

Water is vital for the health of your horse. Not only does it have to drink it to survive, but the horse has to also stand in it daily to have healthy feet. Hoof wall is like your fingernail, in that if it does not have enough moisture, it becomes brittle and will crack and chip at the least little pressure...just ask any woman who broke a fingernail. Supple nails with adequate exposure to water, bend under pressure and less damage is incurred.

The same for horses. The hoof capsule needs a daily soaking to take in moisture. In the wild this is done with the herd going to water holes, streams, etc. for drinks. Standing in water while the horse takes on water is part of the natural care a hoof receives each day. Not soaking feet daily in these dry times will lead to hoof contraction. You may not have access to ponds, lakes, streams etc. So what do you do?

You can make your own...

Here is a list of the things you will need:

• 8 railway sleepers
• Garden implements to make the ground smooth
• Plastic dam liner from the hardware store
• Old piece of carpet (get it from the bins of any carpet company)

1. Layout your design near a hose tap, with the ground angling away just slightly at one end. You will use this end to drain the bath when the water needs changing. IMPORTANT! Leave room at head of the bath to put hay down on the ground or other feed bins.
2. Level out the ground so that it is reasonably flat.
3. Set four sleepers so that they form a square or a rectangle if you prefer. Making the bath large enough for two or more horses will help the more recalcitrant horse stay put.
4. Lay the plastic pond liner over the four sleepers on the ground and push to the ground.
5. Overlay the sleepers with excess liner.
6. Lay a second layer of sleepers over the first layer and on top of the excess liner.
7. Trim any excess liner exposed.
8. Fit old carpet into the bath up to the edges. If you have enough, you may flop it over the edge of the sleepers.
9. Construct a post or two at the head of the bath to tie up to.
10. Fill the bath to cover the coronet.
11. Soak daily for 20-30 minutes.
12. To clean the pool from time to time, just dismantle the low end (see #1 above) and let the water drain. Restack and refill.
13. If you horse is a little skittish about going into the bath...take it across one of the corners first--away from it. Repeat until you can slow down and stand in it. Alternatively, put the feed at the head of the bath in such a way as the only way to get to it is by standing in the bath.

[Photo by Julie Leitl SHP - used by permission]

E-MAIL THIS LINK TO A FRIEND
Enter recipient's e-mail:

---

WWW www.thenakedhoof.com.au

© 2002 - 2007 by The Naked Hoof Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of these publications may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher and/or authors. The information and products contained within these webpages and articles are intended for educational purposes only, and not for diagnosing or medicinally prescribing in any way. Readers are cautioned to seek expert advice from a qualified health professional before pursuing any form of treatment on their animals. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Last edited: 30 June, 2007
Webmaster: Email Us!