The interaction that the equine foot constantly has with the en­vironment naturally makes it sus­ceptible to injury or trauma.

Hoof poultices and soaks are used for hoof injuries, abscesses, puncture wounds, thrush, white line disease and other foot problems. Not a recent discovery, poultices of various types of clay and mud have been used for human afflictions for thousands of years, and eventually for their animals as well.

If you have been around horses for long, you have probably had to deal with an abscess. For farriers, treating abscesses is part and parcel of what we do for a living. An abscess is simply an infection in the sensitive structures of the foot. Often it is from a puncture in the sole that allows bacteria into the solar corium. However, they can occur from a bruise that becomes infected or from the introduction of bacteria from other situations, such as severe wet or environmental changes.