Finally, a clean, safe, efficient, veterinarian-approved alternative to treating the #1 cause of lameness in horses.
You love your horse. He’s a friend like no other. You would do anything for him. When he sets his soft brown eyes on you, nickering as you enter the barn, you know that the feeling is mutual. So when your horse develops a painful hoof abscess, you need to find the safest, most comfortable way to treat it.
An abscess is a defined as ‘a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue’, caused by a bacterial infection. In the case of a hoof abscess, the bacteria usually enter through the bottom of the hoof and migrate underneath the hard protective lamina. Once inside the warm, nutrient-rich environment, the bacteria grow, releasing toxins that eat away at healthy tissue, allowing room for more bacteria to grow. At the same time, the body is producing white blood cells to fight the infection. This mixture of dead and dying tissue, decomposing body cells, and white blood cells causes pressure to sensitive tissues and forms the inflammation and pus known as an abscess. Abscesses can form along the coronary band, heels and soles, or on the tip of the frog. Signs of an abscess are sudden lameness, pounding pulse at the fetlock, and an unusually warm hoof. Common causes of the infection that leads to an abscess are:
1)Foreign matter, such as gravel, entering the hoof through the sole wall and migrating to the lamina
2)Bruises (pockets of blood that develop when blood vessels are broken) due to an impact that could become infected at a later stage
3)A crack in the hoof wall
4)Penetration of the sole or frog by a sharp object
Now, Giddyap Girls, Inc. has developed the Soaking Boot™, the latest in the Smart Soaking System. No more mess and inconvenience of the soaking bucket. What makes the Giddyap Girl Soaking Boot the perfect healing solution for your horse and you?
Efficiency It’s the answer to the mess and inconvenience of the soaking bucket. With a waterproof seal, you won’t need to worry about leaks and spillage. The Velcro closure and front-entry design make it easy to put on and take off, and the boot collapses down for easy storage.
High-quality workmanship This sturdy American-made boot, made of durable Ballistic nylon, stands upright while your horse’s hoof soaks. A Comfort Disc at the bottom enhances stability
Comfort The ergonomic design moves with your horse, so he can eat blissfully from his feed bin while soaking in comfort. There is ample opening for multiple-sized hooves.
How do I use it?
Simply prepare the hoof according to your veterinarian’s instructions, mix the soaking solution, fill the Soaking Boot with the solution, insert the hoof, and soak! The boot can be used for a warm soak or a cold soak, adding crushed ice and cold water. A high water level ensures coverage up to the coronary band, a common “explosion site” for an abcess.
Testimonials “The Soaking Boot is the horseman’s answer to warm water or ice therapy soaking needs. The ease of use is perfect for those of us who must work alone when soaking and healing are necessary”. Wendy W. Claiser Founder Heartlight Foundation Owner of Virgil Mountain Equestrian Center, New York
“The Giddyap Girl Soaking Boot was a lifesaver for my horse, Sundance. I have used the Soaking Boot for a while, and it is awesome. So easy, no mess. I’ll never be without it”. Equine Day Care Marie Keller, Hcpec
“The Soaking Boot is one of the best new products that has come out for the horse owner in the past few years. I recently had the opportunity to treat my own horse that had a hoof abscess, and boy did the Soaking Boot make it a lot easier than before. No more standing there with my horse’s foot in a bucket. I also got one for a friend whose horse had a hoof puncture and the foot needed to be soaked twice a day. The Soaking Boot worked again making the job clean, simple, and easy. Every horse owner should have the Soaking Boot on hand”. Jim Campbell The Horseman’s Radio Weekly
To order your Soaking Boot by Giddyap Girls, Inc., Contact: Giddyap Girls P.O. Box 1246 Costa Mesa, California 92626 Phone: 1-888-Giddyap (443-3927) Email: info@giddyap.com Website: www.giddyap.com
Sponsored Content — Contact information provided by the sponsor
💡Key Article Takeaways
Testimonials “The Soaking Boot is the horseman’s answer to warm water or ice therapy soaking needs.
Finally, a clean, safe, efficient, veterinarian-approved alternative to treating the #1 cause of lameness in horses.
Box 1246 Costa Mesa, California 92626 Phone: 1-888-Giddyap (443-3927) Email: info@giddyap.com Website: www.giddyap.com
When he sets his soft brown eyes on you, nickering as you enter the barn, you know that the feeling is mutual.
So when your horse develops a painful hoof abscess, you need to find the safest, most comfortable way to treat it.
Questions readers commonly ask:
What should I do if my horse develops a hoof abscess?
Per the Giddyap Girls article: prepare the hoof per your veterinarian's instructions, mix the soaking solution your vet specifies, fill the soaking container, insert the hoof, and soak. The mechanism is straightforward — soaking softens debris and draws out infection at the abscess explosion site (commonly the coronary band, heel, sole, or tip of the frog).
Per the article: ensure the water level reaches up to the coronary band, since that's a common explosion site for an abscess. The soak can be warm or cold (warm with crushed ice and cold water for a cold soak). Don't skip the vet consult — abscess location, severity, and any underlying foot pathology determine whether soaking alone is enough or whether trimming, poulticing, or systemic anti-inflammatory care is also needed. Repeat soaks per vet protocol; an abscess that doesn't respond to several days of soaking warrants a follow-up visit.
How do I know my horse has a hoof abscess and not some other lameness?
Per the Giddyap Girls article: three signs together suggest a hoof abscess.
Sudden lameness — abscesses typically appear acutely rather than building up gradually. A horse sound yesterday and three-legged this morning is often abscessing.
Pounding pulse at the fetlock — the digital pulse becomes prominent when there's pressure or infection in the hoof.
Unusually warm hoof — local inflammation raises hoof temperature noticeably above the others.
Per the article: an abscess is defined as a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue, caused by bacterial infection. The bacteria grow in the warm, nutrient-rich environment under the hoof's protective lamina, releasing toxins and pulling in white blood cells. The pressure of that buildup is what hurts. Confirm with your vet before assuming abscess — laminitis, deep bruising, and other conditions can mimic some of these signs.
Should I use a soaking bucket or a soaking boot for my horse's abscess?
Per the Giddyap Girls article: both work, with practical tradeoffs that depend on your barn setup.
Soaking bucket: the traditional method. Cheap, available everywhere. Drawbacks include mess (spillage, splash), requiring someone to hold the horse's foot in position, instability if the horse shifts weight, and limited duration before the horse loses patience.
Soaking boot: waterproof seal, Velcro closure, front-entry design, stands upright while the hoof soaks. The horse can eat from his feed bin while soaking, reducing handler time. Collapses for storage between uses.
Per the article's testimonials, owners who switched from buckets cite the freedom to work alone (no second person needed to steady the horse) and reduced cleanup. If you're treating an abscess that needs twice-daily soaking for several days, the boot pays for itself fast in handler time saved. One-off occasional use can stay with a bucket.
What causes hoof abscesses in the first place, and which causes are most common?
Per the Giddyap Girls article: four common causes of the infection that leads to an abscess.
Foreign matter (such as gravel) entering the hoof through the sole wall and migrating to the lamina.
Bruises — pockets of blood from impact that develop into infection at a later stage.
A crack in the hoof wall letting bacteria into the protected layers.
Penetration of the sole or frog by a sharp object.
Per the article: bacteria typically enter through the bottom of the hoof and migrate underneath the hard protective lamina, where the warm nutrient-rich environment lets them grow rapidly. The dead tissue, white blood cells, and bacterial debris build pressure that produces the lameness. Per Bloodroot Paste (a current InfoHorse advertiser): topical products formulated for deep-tissue hoof infection are part of the broader hoof-care toolkit alongside soaking; coordinate with your farrier and vet on which combination fits your horse's case.
How long should I soak my horse's hoof for an abscess?
Per the Giddyap Girls article: follow your veterinarian's specific protocol for duration, frequency, and solution. The article presents the soaking boot as the delivery mechanism but does not prescribe a universal soaking schedule — abscess severity, location, and your horse's response all factor in.
Per the article: practical patterns common in horse care include 15-20 minute soaks once or twice daily until the abscess resolves (typically days to a week), with the abscess often draining once the surrounding tissue softens enough. Watch for the abscess to point and rupture, after which lameness usually resolves within 24-48 hours. If lameness doesn't improve after several days of soaking, the abscess hasn't drained, or it returns repeatedly, escalate to your vet — deeper or chronic abscesses sometimes need farrier work to open a drainage path. Per Equine Physiotherapy by Balanced Equus (a current InfoHorse advertiser): post-acute lameness recovery often benefits from targeted physiotherapy alongside the resolved abscess care.
