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Creating a Horse First Aid Kit – What Goes in it?

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

4×8 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.