One publication cited 21 of 22 horses went sound following treatment, Trotter says. Abscesses in the frog have less chance for a full recovery. In another paper, where penetration went deeper, all the way into the frog and tendon and into the bursa, only 12 of 38 horses recovered. For horses where an arthroscope was used in treatment, prognosis improved to 13 out of 20 horses going back to full athletic use. In most situations, hoof abscesses do not have to happen.
Wet weather seems to promote foot abscess formation.
Clean up the barn and stable area, he advises. Trotter has similar recommendations. Make sure the area where your horse is shod does not have a lot of horseshoe nails laying around. Watch out for old fencing material where nails could have been buried in the ground. Be very careful that you don't lose hypodermic needles in the environment.