Cavallo – Proudly Canadian, family owned
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“Ooh, I didn’t know my Cavallos could do that!”
Your Cavallo Boots Have a Summer Side Hustle as Soaking Boots!
Cavallo Hoof Boots are best known for riding, rehab, and full-time protection, but you can also use them for hoof soaking. Soaking hooves helps with summer hydration, easing the shock of hard hooves on dry, hard ground, pre-trim softening, abscess care, or when a hoof needs a veterinarian- or farrier-recommended targeted treatment soak.
Using a Cavallo boot for soaking is often MUCH easier than asking a horse to stand in a bucket! The boot stays with the hoof, giving the horse more freedom to stand naturally or move if needed.
Soaking Made Simple… Two Ways to Use Your Cavallos as Soaking Boots:
Option One: Seal & Soak
This method is quick, simple, and ideal for softening or hydrating dry hooves!
Cavallo Boots have 4 main drainage points, which are useful during regular riding, rehab, or turnout. For soaking, these openings need to be covered. Place strong duct tape over the drainage holes from the inside of the boot. Be sure to cover the two side holes and the two smaller holes near the back of the boot.
Not sure where the rear drainage holes are? These holes are located at the back corners of your boot, below the padded heel bulb area. For easy covering, run a single piece of tape across the back of the boot, splitting it 50/50 on the sole and the leather bulb area!
Once the holes are sealed, place the boot on the clean hoof and add water. For even more water retention, you can place a cut piece of an old towel inside the boot before putting it on. This helps hold extra moisture against the hoof and can be useful when the goal is hydration.
This option works well for hard summer feet, dry hoof walls, tough soles, or hooves that need softening before a trim. Even a short soak can make the hoof easier to work with, especially during dry weather!
Want to Try this Method? Carole Will Show You How:
Option Two: The Easy ‘Bag-in-a-Boot’ Soak!
For a deeper soak, place a sturdy plastic bag over the hoof first, then put your Cavallo Boot on over the bag. Once the boot is fastened, pour warm water, hose water or your treatment solution into the bag and let your horse hang out while his hooves soak it up!
This method holds moisture very well and is usually the better choice for treatment soaks. It can also allow the soak to reach higher on the hoof, including up to or slightly above the coronary band, depending on the bag height and how it is secured.
This option can be useful for abscess care, vet-recommended soaking solutions, or cases where the hoof needs more complete coverage than water sitting only in the bottom of the boot.
Choosing the Right Soaking Method for Your Horse’s Needs:
Both methods can work well, but they serve slightly different needs.
The duct tape method is fast, easy, and practical for everyday hoof hydration or pre-trim softening. It is a good choice when you want to add moisture to the hoof without setting up a full treatment soak.
The plastic bag method is better when you need to hold a solution around the hoof for a more targeted treatment. It is also helpful when the soak needs to reach higher than the sole and lower hoof wall.
Hydration Accomplished — Now What?
Once your horse’s hoof soak is finished, remove the boot, bag, towel or tape, and rinse your boot out if needed (such as treatment/medicated soaks).
The best part? Once you are finished soaking, your Cavallo Hoof Boot is ready for your next adventure! No need to spend money on a dedicated soaking or care boot when Cavallo can do it all ;)
Her Horse HATED the Soaking Tub. Her Cavallos Solved That:
“I moved my horse to Costa Rica from Canada when he was 17, and his normally rock-hard, healthy barefoot hooves turned out to be no match for the tough dry lastre (sharp white rock road material) roads in the Costa Rica dry season and the endless mud and fungus of the rainy season.
I tried shoeing him, and that worked for the dry season, but the shoes just peeled off like butter when the rains came. All the softness of his hooves allowed so may small stones to migrate through to his inner hoof, and he became riddled with abscesses.
Two nights of stall rest wearing his Cavallo Sport hoof boots packed with poultice pads helped the abscesses to burst, and sealing the drain holes with duct tape allowed for a sanitary and dry hand-walking experience. I also found the boots useful for ensuring he got a good Epsom salt hoof soak (again sealing the drainage holes with duct tape), as he does NOT enjoy standing still in a tub of water.
I was worried about the state of the boot leather after such treatments, but I’m going on year three now with this pair of boots for both riding and abscess treatment and am just now seeing some teeny holes developing at the toe of the sole. I ride this horse 14 km each way down to the beach into the salt water in the ocean and on the sharp, rough mountain roads to get there. Absolutely no damage to the leather caused by all the soaking. A little dish soap and a soft scrub brush, a hose rinse and a dry in the shade…and the boots are still in fantastic condition.”
– Angie Bishop
After 20 wonderful years with horses at the heart of Cavallo, wishing you and yours many happy trails ahead,
Carole Herder
President and Founder of Cavallo Horse & Rider Inc
Founder of Cavallo Hoof Boots, and a lifelong advocate for better, kinder hoof care.
For over two decades, I’ve worked to challenge traditional thinking and create solutions that support both performance and well-being—helping horses move freely and comfortably around the world.
This journey continues to be shaped by the horses themselves.
