I'm looking to make a hoof soaking station along the track for Stella, Jewel, and Ally to walk though. They have moved from damp clay soil with deep thick grass which they were turned out on in the morning dew, and now live on sparse bahia grass and sand. Our new place drains *very* well, and there is no naturally occurring water to cross. Their hooves are starting to dry out, and need some daily contact with water.

One idea I have is to use a sheet of 3/4" plywood with a 2x4 border around the edge, caulked and grit painted, to hold a couple inches of water. It should be shallow enough for me to be able to dump it out every couple of days to prevent mosquitos. I would put it lengthwise across a section of the track, which would leave only two feet between it and the electric fence on either side. They could either walk through the water or do a short long jump to get across. What do you think?

Another idea is to dig a shallow wide water holding area in front of their water trough, and line it with pond liner. I'm concerned that they might not want to step into it, though, so could dehydrate -- so I don't want to start with that one. Also, I don't think it would be possible to drain it against mosquito larvae. And I wonder if pond liner would even hold up to use by sandy hooves.

Then there's an elaborate setup involving a hay tree in the center of a pond, like an island gazebo! LOL -- Well, we don't have a pond or room for one, so that's out.

Anyway, there's got to be a simple effective way to give them a place to walk through some shallow water, and I'm hoping you can help me figure it out. :-)

JoAnn

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