Horses - First Aid Kits

Always Be Prepared!

Being prepared is important in all aspects of our life. Whether it be carrying a spare tire and an extra can of oil in your car or truck to have the right things you may need in a horse emergency, being prepared is important.

Having a well stocked Animal First Aid Kit is essential when owning livestock.

As for horses, every horse owner needs a few basic first aid essentials. A good First Aid Kit will keep you from wasting time from having to search for needed items and supplies when your horse is sick or injured.

These items will help you dress wounds, reduce swelling and inflammation, and more.
Although some say the items in your First Aid Kit should only be used for emergencies, I use my First Aid Kit regularly. I just make sure I re-stock it after I use something in it.

The other thing that I do is check the items for expiration dates and replace them as needed. For me, since I stopped traveling with my horses, I don't worry about having a duplicate First Aid Kit in my horse trailer anymore.

Since a horse injury can occur at any time, in any location, keep at least a basic first aid kit in your barn, truck or travel trailer. Especially if you travel a lot, I suggest you do just that and keep a kit in your truck or trailer where it is easily accessible.

And yes, like the kit you keep in your barn or stable - update and re-stock it as needed.

Here are some suggestions of what to have on hand in your kits:

• Phone numbers: List your veterinarian, an emergency clinic. emergency contacts for assistance, and/or your shoer.
• Pocket knife
• Scissors
• Hoof Pick  
• Tweezers
• Wire cutters
• Pliers
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Epsom Salts
• Disposable syringes for flushing woulds
• Sterile non-stick gauze dressing pads
• Sterile non-stick gauze rolls
• Self-sticking wrap
• Self-sticking bandage
• Bandage pins
• Adhesive tape
• Duct tape
• Vetrap
• Antiseptic ointment
• Iodine
• SWAT® Fly Repellent (for use around wounds to help repel insects)
• Bute
• Betadine 
• Icthmmol
• Wound ointment
• Wound powder  
• Disposable shaving razors
• Petroleum jelly
• Clean towel

Helpful First Aid extras:

 

The best first aid kit holds a range of products to deal with a wide variety of injuries or accidents. In addition to the basics, however, having the following products accessible will help you further prepare for almost any mishap: 

• Buckets - soak hooves and more with a few buckets kept specifically for first aid use.
• Flashlight - view wounds and injuries in darkness or poor light conditions.
• Ice Packs - prevent and reduce swelling with Ice Cells.
• PVC Pipes - cut 6" diameter piping in half lengthwise and then into 1-1/2 to 2 foot sections for use as an emergency splint.
• Sheet or Roll Cotton - help apply pressure bandages or offer support to injured muscles or bones.
• Surgical Gloves - keep your hands clean and help prevent wound contamination.
• Thermometer - measure your horse's temperature (normal range is 99.0°F to 101°F) with a fast and accurate digital thermometer.
• Electrolytes - help hydrate your hard-working horse with an electrolyte paste.
• Eye Cleanser - flush away dirt and debris from sensitive eyes with Eye Clens® or Clear Eyes.
• Fly Mask - protect face wounds and eyes from insects.
• Hoof Boot - treat abscesses and sore feet with a convenient boot kit, such as the HOOFix Kit or HOOFix Emergency Trail Boot, or a Bell Boot.
• Medicated Shampoo - kill bacteria and fungi on your horse's skin and coat with a iodine-based shampoo.
• Twitch - keep your horse's attention while wounds are tended with a twitch.

First aid tips

 

Accidents and injuries can turn even the calmest horse owner into a frazzled mess.

What your horse needs most when he suffers any injury or wound is for you to remain calm and focused on getting your horse the help he needs.

Should you ever need to use your First Aid Kit, keep the following tips in mind: 

• Stay Calm - you can better help your horse when you're calm and collected.
• Call for Help - an additional pair of hands will get more done faster.
• Stay Safe - you won't be able to help your horse if you get hurt trying to help him.
• Wash Your Hands - avoid contaminating any wound by first washing your hands and then wearing latex or rubber gloves.

When any injury occurs, the key is to act quickly and smartly.

To best ensure your horse is on the road to recovery as fast as possible, know where your First Aid Kit is at all times.

In fact, show anyone who has access to your barn, or your trailer or truck where you keep your first aid kit.

If you are using a plastic tool box as your First Aid Kit, be sure to mark your First Aid Kit with a cross fashioned out of red tape or a bright red permanent marker - signaling its contents to everyone.

 

A First Aid Kit should be considered a necessity - not a luxury. The items listed should prepare you for most emergency situations until a veterinarian arrives.     

Horse Diagrams - Markings

Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse.

Facial markings:

Facial markings are usually described by shape and location. There may be more than one distinct facial marking and if so, will be named separately.

Occasionally, when a white marking extends over an eye, that eye may be blue instead of brown, though this is not consistently seen in all cases.

Common facial markings are:

• Blaze: a wide white stripe down the middle of the face.
• Strip, stripe, or race: a narrow white stripe down the middle of the face.
• Bald Face: a very wide blaze, extending to or past the eyes. Some, but not all, bald faced horses also have blue eyes.
• Star: a white marking between or above the eyes. If a stripe or blaze is present, a star must be significantly wider than the vertical marking to be designated separately.
• Snip: a white marking on the muzzle, between the nostrils.

Additional terms used to describe facial markings include the following: 

• Faint: A small, yet permanent marking that usually consists of white hairs without any underlying pink skin.
• Interrupted: A marking, usually a strip or blaze, that is broken and not solid for the entire length of the face.
• Connected: Occasionally used to describe distinctively different markings that happen to be joined to one another
• Irregular or crooked: A marking, usually a strip or blaze, that does not have a more or less straight path.
• Lip markings: have no specialized names, usually are described by location, such as "lower lip," "chin", etc. Lip markings may indicate presence of the sabino color pattern.

 

Top row, L-R: Blaze, Stripe, Stripe (or thin blaze) and snip, Irregular blaze, Interrupted stripe, bald face. Bottom row, L-R: Faint star, Star, Star and strip, irregular star, snip, lip marking

Leg markings:

Leg markings are usually described by the highest point of the horse's leg that is covered by white.

As a general rule, the horse's hoof beneath a white marking at the coronary line will also be light-colored ("white").

If a horse has a partial marking or ermine spots at the coronary band, the hoof may be both dark and light, corresponding with the hair coat immediately above.

Where the Leopard gene is present, the hoof may be striped even if markings are not visible at the coronary band.

From tallest to shortest, common leg markings are:

• Stocking: white marking that extends at least to the bottom of the knee or hock, sometimes higher.
• Sock: white marking that extends higher than the fetlock but not as high as the knee or hock. This marking is sometimes called a "boot."
• Fetlock or Sock: white marking that extends over the fetlock, occasionally called a "boot."
• Pastern: white marking that extends above the top of the hoof, but stops below the fetlock.
• Coronet: white just above the hoof, around coronary band, usually no more than 1 inch (2.5cm) above the hoof.

Additional terms used to describe white leg markings include: 

• Irregular: A marking within the broad confines of a given height, but with significantly uneven edges. Indicated by the highest point of the white. Most often used to describe certain types of stockings.
• Partial: An irregular marking that only extends up part of the leg to the height indicated, sometimes with the other side of the leg dark. Usually used to describe socks and other short markings.
• "High White:" White stockings that extend above the knee or hock, sometimes extending past the stifle onto the flank or belly, considered characteristic of the sabino color pattern. 

 

Top row, L-R: Stocking, Sock or Boot, Fetlock or Sock. Bottom row, L-R: Pastern, Coronet, Partial Pastern

On a gray horse, markings visible at birth may become hidden as the horse turns white with age, but markings can still be determined by trimming the horse's hair closely, then wetting down the coat to see where there is pink skin and black skin under the hair.


 

Horse Diagrams - The Hoof

Horse Diagram - Parts of Their Body