Trimming rock hard hooves

I thought I'd try soaking Zenos' feet today before he was to be trimmed.  So I put on a pair of EasySoaker boots, filled them with water, and left him to stand in the shade of a tree for a few hours.  Zenos just stood patiently and waited.  I did walk him a few steps from the hitching post where I had put the boots on over to the shade -- the look on his face was priceless when he heard the 'squish' sound of the boots (already filled with water).   We trimmed his hooves a few hours later, and it definitely did help.  This time of year the horses hooves get really hard and dried out.  This is a great way to soak them without making a muddy mess somewhere!