First Aid Kit for the Barn

As every horse owner knows, we are not engaged in a low-cost hobby or business. Over the lifetime of a horse, you will spend many times over what you originally paid in purchase price. I know that any cheap horse won't be that way for long. If you've owned a horse for any length of time, you soon learn that successful management of your horse and equipment is the easiest way to assure that you have a healthy, sound horse to ride and enjoy.

But no matter what management techniques you have in place, no matter how careful you are in dealing with every aspect of your horse's daily life, accidents do happen. Accidents can happen simply because we can not have absolute control over our horses every move, thought or action.

So now, your beloved horse has had an accident; tangled in a fence, tangled with a pasture-mate, or just plain tangled its own stable blanket. It is at that moment that you will wish you had been more prepared for an equine emergency. No matter what your horse-keeping situation is, whether you board at a public or private facility, or whether you keep a horse or two in your own backyard, the best thing you can do for your horse is to keep an equine first aid kit handy. Yes, even if you keep your horse on your own property and think that you can just run into the house for whatever wrap or paste you might need, having it all together in kit form will make your run that much quicker. We don’t want to be searching, and losing precious time, for an ointment that could be in either of two medicine cabinets, or in one of three tack boxes.

Having your first aid supplies and emergency phone numbers in a well-marked rubber or plastic box with a lid, tucked handily in the barn, and trailer, makes a whole lot more sense.

Along with good advise, we have included a list of some items that should be in every equine first aid kit. However, in an emergency situation, when you are waiting for the vet’s arrival, please keep a couple of things in mind. While waiting for the vet, you may want to withhold anti-inflammatory drugs and/or painkillers. Both of these drugs may mask any underlying problems. During your initial call to the vet, ask before administering these drugs. In the case of an open wound or laceration, while waiting for the vet, the wound can be rinsed well with water; do not introduce anything except water or KY Jelly into the wound. If the wound requires stitching, it must be clean of ointment and any foreign substance. Some substances can also be very irritating or hard to clean off. Refrain from using iodine, including betadine, hydrogen peroxide and oily ointments until the injury is seen by the vet.

Prior to your call to the vet, in the case of an illness, you may want to take your horse’s temperature. Even if your vet does not ask for your horse’s temperature, you can certainly volunteer the information. More times than not, though, this will be a question that the vet will use to begin his/her evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of your horse’s condition.

Use a good thermometer, and if possible, practice taking your horse’s temperature rectally when he or she is feeling well. You can learn on the fly, but remember that anxieties, both yours and the horse’s, will be high in the midst of an emergency. You will feel surer of yourself with practice, and that feeling will transfer to your horse.

A bit of KY Jelly can be used on the tip of the thermometer for easier use. Have someone hold the horse’s halter or lead, as you move to the rear and stand to the side, out of the line of a kick. Reach over, grasp and move the tail slightly to the far side, and insert the thermometer, while keeping a grasp on it. If using a digital thermometer, you can watch until the highest reading is reached. Remove the thermometer and clean well before and after each use. It is not recommended that you use a glass and mercury thermometer.

A horse’s normal temperature (rectally) should be 99 - 100.8 degrees. Listlessness, depression, heavy breathing with nostrils flaring, and refusing feed can also be signs of fever in a horse.

Let’s have a look at a few of the other items that should be in our equine first aid kit.