Horses seem to follow one law, Murphy’s. If it can go wrong, it will! Horses are always finding ways to hurt themselves whether it be a minor scrape, or a more serious life-threatening injury. It is our responsibility as horse owners and caretakers to be prepared for these events in a multitude of situations and scenarios. Preparing an equine first aid or emergency kit is a crucial way to insure your preparedness. Below you will find lists for putting together a first aid kit dependent on your situation.
First and foremost, its important to know how to perform a physical exam on your horse (temperature, pulse, and respiration) and what the normal ranges are for each. The temperature of a horse is always taken rectally and can be done using a digital or mercury thermometer. There are multiple locations to take a horse’s pulse the most common being at the heart girth, right behind the horse’s left elbow. Respiration can be measured correctly by starting a timer for 15 seconds and watching their rib cage to count how many breathes are taken in those 15 seconds. This result can be multiplied by 4 to calculate the total breathes per minute. See the following chart for the average range of TPR in horses.
|
Adult |
Newborn/Foal |
|
| Temperature |
99-101.5 F (37.2-38.3 C) |
99.5-102 |
| Pulse |
28-44 beats per minute |
80-100 beats per minute |
| Respiration |
10-24 breaths per minute |
20-40 breaths per minute |
| Mucous Membranes (gums) |
Moist, healthy pink color |
|
| Capillary Refill Time* |
Two seconds or less |
|
| Gut sounds |
“Rolling thunder”, gurgling, should be active!! |
|
*Time it takes for the gums to return to pink after being pressed with a finger
In addition to understanding basic horse health and physical exams, it is important to know basic first aid (for horses and humans) and how to use the equipment in your kit (such as giving IM or IV injections if required). Using a piece of tape to write the expiration date of the medication in your kit and replacing items as they are used can help keep your first aid kit up to date and ready to go!
Let’s start with Barn Basics:
Posting your contact information, as well as your veterinarians contact information on your horse’s stall door can help barn staff know who to contact in the case of an emergency! The following list are basic first aid tools that should be kept in an easy to access location at your bar
- Self-Adhesive bandage-such as vet wrap
- Wound cleaning supplies-a Chlorhexidine cleaning solution or betadine
- Stethoscope-for taking vitals and listing for gut sounds
- Thermometer– Digital or mercury, keep in mind that digital thermometers are faster but may need batteries replaced or kept in a temperature-controlled environment. Mercury thermometers tend to take longer to read and are easy to misread or miss use.
- Bandage Scissors— designed with a rounded tip to not accidentally cut the horse while in use.
- Gauze, cotton, etc.– Useful for packing hooves, wounds, or cleaning a wound.
- Standing wraps – to wrap legs or use as a sling if a person becomes injured.
- Topical ointment such as Neosporin, ExcelRescue -for both people and horse superficial wounds!
- Epsom salt– For soaking hooves or drawing out swelling
- Notebook with pen or pencil– for times when tracking temperature, defecation, and urination is crucial i.e.; colic episodes.
- Medication– basic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as banamine or bute
- Syringes– 60-cc dose syringes with a catheter tip for administering oral medications as well as 10-cc syringes and hypodermic needles for injections.
- Gloves
- Duct tape– duct tape fixes everything! (& its good for holding a hoof pack on)
- Electrolyte paste– especially crucial in the summer months when horses lose a lot of their electrolytes through sweat.
On the Road Again… Truck/Trailer Kit:
You’ll notice that many of the supplies for your barn kit should also be in your trailer. However, it is important to remember that most trailers experience high fluctuations in temperature throughout the year and things can get tossed around when in motion. So, keeping your trailer kit up to date and secure requires checking it before you hit the road, every time! I personally like to keep my trailer first aid kit in a plastic tote with a lid, for the smaller items (meds, syringes, etc.) I have a Tupperware inside the kit!
- Wound cleaning supplies
- Gauze, cotton, etc.
- Bandage Scissors & sharp knife– Keeping a sharp pocketknife on hand while traveling with your horses is extremely important. We never want to think about a situation where our horse gets caught in the trailer, but if they should happen to fall while tied or get a foot stuck in their hay net, you’ll be forever grateful for that pocketknife in your kit.
- Duct tape
- Vet wrap
- Topical antibiotic
- Bute/banamine– Keep in mind that these medications may be temperature sensitive and moving them to and from the temperature-controlled tack room and the trailer, each time you travel, is a wise choice.
- Syringes– 60-cc dose syringes with a catheter tip for administering oral medications as well as 10-cc syringes and hypodermic needles for injections.
- Flashlight/ headlamp– even when you don’t think you’ll be traveling after dark!
- Gloves
- Clean set of pillow wraps and standing wraps
- Electrolyte paste– even if your horse usually doesn’t have issues with traveling, it can get extremely hot in trailers and replacing those electrolytes quickly can save a life!
Pack Light! Saddle Bag/Trail Ride Kit:
Since you have a fully stocked kit in your trailer, you should be able to pack light for the trail! Slipping these few things in a saddle bag or backpack while out on a trail ride should only take a few seconds.
- Quick clot– bleed stop for both horses and humans in case of serious injury
- Vet wrap– a small roll should be fine!
- Scissors or a knife– I am more inclined to bring a pocketknife with me out into the wilderness, because has many uses, but use caution if you need to cut bandage that is on yourself or your horse.
- Sunscreen, bug spray, etc. – I like to pack a little travel size of each for myself and will pour some fly spray into a smaller bottle for my equine travelling partner!
Sources
https://www.thesprucepets.com/essential-items-for-equine-first-aid-kit-1886037
https://www.irongateequine.com/education/stocking-your-equine-first-aid-kit
https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health-archive/equine-first-aid-essentials
chart: https://thehorse.com/133159/normal-horse-vitals-signs-and-health-indicators/