What should be in a first aid kit for horses?
It is useful to put together a horses first aid kit to keep in the yard. A basic first aid kit should contain the items most likely to treat an injury or ailment, along with contact numbers for your vet, insurance company, and transporters (if relevant).
We wrote a post about “how to take care and manage horses daily needs“. Which you can read here, where we mention “horses first aid kit” as part of it.
Horses First-aid kit
A well-stocked horses first aid kit should be kept in a place where it is easily accessed. Any used or out-of-date items should be replaced as soon as possible. However, other than for minor injuries, a veterinarian should be consulted before treating a sick or injured animal.
The basic items any horses first aid kit hould include are:
Tools & Diagnostic Equipment
- Rectal thermometer
- A stethoscope (for listening to the heartbeat, respiration, and, in the case of suspected colic, gut sounds) Pulse and respiration can be determined without a stethoscope. Gut sounds can be heard by putting one’s ear to the horse’s side, but doing so increases the risk of being kicked by the horse.
- Sharp, clean scissors, reserved for first aid kit only
- Wire cutters (for freeing a tangled horse) or equivalents such as a fencing tool or lineman’s pliers; though these objects are often kept in a well-organized barn, an extra set in a first-aid kit is helpful for major emergencies.
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Twitch, a device for holding the animal still during minor treatment
Cleaning supplies
- Clean bucket, reserved for the first-aid kit only, for washing out wounds
- Clean sponge, reserved for the first-aid kit only
- Gauze (for cleaning wounds)
- Cotton balls or sheet cotton for absorbing liquids are particularly good for dipping into liquid products and then squeezing or dabbing the liquid onto a wound.
- Hypodermic syringe (without needle), for cleaning wounds. (Using the syringe to wash out a wound is preferable to cleaning it with cotton or gauze.) An old syringe, if cleaned first, works fine for this.
- Sterile saline solution to clean wounds.
- Latex/medical gloves, unused
- Clean towels and rags
- Disposable rags or paper towels
Bandages and other forms of protection
- Absorbent paddings, such as roll cotton or a set of cotton leg wraps (keep a clean set sealed in a plastic bag)
- Gauze to be used as wound dressing underneath bandages
- Sterile wound dressing, such as telfa pads; large sizes of those intended for humans work well.
- Leg Bandages – stable bandages or rolls of self-adhering vet wrap
- Adhesive tape for keeping bandages in place
- Poultice boot, for hoof injuries. (A hoof boot can be used for this purpose, though a medical boot is usually easier to put on and take off)
Over-the-counter medications
- Medical grade antibacterial soap
- Wound ointment for minor scrapes.
- Antiseptic/Disinfectant, such as Betadine, diluted iodine solution, or hydrogen peroxide
- Epsom salts for drawing out infection & treating pain
- Poultice dressing.
Veterinary medications – in most locations, these are prescription medications
- Phenylbutazone (“Bute”) paste for pain relief
- Flunixin Meglumine (“Banamine”, “Finadyne”) granules or paste for colic treatment
- Acepromazine (“Ace”) or similar tranquilizer pill, paste, or pre-filled injector
- Epinephrine (adrenaline) auto-injectors for emergency treatment of a horse that goes into anaphylactic shock when stung by a bee, wasp, or other insects
Other
Veterinarian’s and farrier’s telephone and emergency numbers.
A paper and pencil, for recording symptoms, pulse, respiration, and veterinary instructions.
A Veterinary Emergency Handbook, for basic instructions, in the event you cant reach a veterinarian immediately.
Suitable box/container for all of the above, to keep materials and equipment clean and tidy.
Conclution
A well-stocked horses first-aid kit should be in a place where it is easily access. You should replace any used or out-of-date items as soon as possible. However, other than for minor injuries, you should consult a veterinarian before treating a sick or injured horse. If you wanna read more about how to take care about horses, check out this article on our blog
Keep an eye on your first aid kit with equerry
With the equerry horse management app, you can create a simple first aid kit checklist to mark all the items you have or need to organize your horse’s first aid kit.
