SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Horse Care
Teach Me Horse Care Tips
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Horse First Aid Kit
You may be asking yourself, “Why
am I creating a horse first aid kit-what goes in it?” Many new horse owners
wonder the same thing. Do not wait until your horse has a near-fatal
accident or injury to decide on putting together a first aid
kid. Wherever you go with your horse, take a first aid kit
along. Putting together a first aid kit for a horse isn’t as
daunting a challenge as you may think. Here is a complete,
vet-approved list of essential items, and some of their uses,
for your kit.
First
thing you will need is a container, whether it is a
five-gallon pail with a lid, or a small travel suitcase, be
sure you mark it clearly as a first aid kit for easy recognition
in the event of an emergency.
Among the items for your kit should be as follows:
- A first aid book for horses, (any bookstore will have one).
- Antiseptic ointment, (any brand will do).
- 4" vetrap
- A tourniquet
- Alcohol prep pads
- Paper towels
- Iodine
- Saline (pharmacy grade)
- A thermometer
- Scissors
- Several pairs of latex exam gloves
- 10cc Syringes
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Sterile Gauze Pads
- 4x8 or larger cold packs
- Polo Wraps
These items will run right around thirty dollars to purchase
and get you set up with your first, first aid kit. Think of
this in terms of calling your vet. Most vets charge a farm
charge, and if you’re like most horse owners, your horse never
gets hurt during normal business hours. It’s always seems to
be after the vet has closed for regular office hours.
The products listed here are for your first aid kit, and are
not the only things you can put in it. Feel free to
add or remove items that you deem necessary. Creating a horse first
aid kit-what goes inside can be challenging in itself. Everyone
you will talk to will have a different opinion. Think of some
of the events you have attended where a horse has lost a shoe,
and could have used an Easy Boot. Or what about the time your
stall neighbors horse got colic, but no one had Banamine? Remember
the horse that tore his shoe off going around the ring, and
ripped a chunk of hoof wall away from his hoof, and not a soul
had a rasp to file the rough edge to prevent him from injuring
himself on his own hoof? What good is a cold pack if you don’t
have a way to keep it secured to your horse’s injured leg?
Duct tape or electrical tape will do the trick, and will also
help bandages stay in place. Flashlights are splendid inventions
to see what may be stuck in your horse’s hoof in that dark,
drab stall. Maybe you need to look under his belly, and the
light doesn’t shine up. These are a few things to think about.
You can never really add too much to your first aid kit. It
is always better to be over indulgent, than to not have enough
in times of crisis.
This is a good thing to get kids started on, too. You can
take an article like this to your local 4-H club and pose the
same question to them. When it comes to creating a horse first
aid kit-what goes in it? Make it fun for them and educational
at the same time. Do it in a scavenger hunt type way, hiding
the goods, and as they find them, have them describe the items,
and their use.
It is always best err on the side of caution when you’re around
horses. When creating a horse first aid kit, what goes in it
could be as important as what is not in it. If you have the
gauze pads to cover a wound, and nothing to hold them onto
the area, such as tape, bandages or vetrap, then the gauze
won’t do you much good. If you can stand there and hold those
bandages on, that’s great, but most times, you won’t have that
luxury, as fate has it, you’ll be by yourself when disaster
strikes.
If you still have questions regarding your first aid kit,
it’s best to consult your vet. He or she can make recommendations
and maybe even give you some more ideas on what would be practical
for your kit. #
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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