Let’s Discuss: Abscesses

‘Tis the season for abscesses. Frozen pastures are ripe for bruising soft feet, and it doesn’t take much for those bruises to turn into pockets of festering nastiness.

When it comes to treating abscesses, however, everyone seems to have a different strategy. Leave them up or kick them out; antibiotics or no antibiotics; magnapaste, ickthamol or some home-brewed concoction and–my favorite question–how do I convince my horse to keep his foot in the epsom salt soak for more than 15 seconds? Now’s your turn to sound off, HN.

Top photo: Esprit enjoying dinner and a footbath when he got an abscess last year.