What To Put in a Horse First Aid Kit

There are lots of pre-assembled equine first aid kits that you can buy to keep in your tack trunk or your barn but some people prefer to assemble their own kits because it’s usually cheaper to make your own horse first aid kit and you can put in the products you know you’ll need and leave out the ones you probably won’t use.

A good way to keep your horse (and rider) first aid kit stocked is to keep a checklist of what is in the kit taped to the inside lid of the box. Then if you use something that’s in the box, put a checkmark or initial next to that item on the list so you’ll know what you need to replace. When you replace it take the old list out and put a new one in. You can even print this list off and use it as a shopping list or an inventory list in your own horse (and rider) first aid kit. Here are the things that every equine first aid kit should have:

Vet wrap – at least 4 rolls.

Non stick gauze – keep various sizes around but the most often used are 4 x 4 so keep twice as many 4 x 4 gauze pads as other gauze pads.

Band aids – a variety of sizes.

Cotton bandage tape – at least 3 rolls.

Sanitary Napkins or Diapers (great for stopping the bleeding of a severe wound).

A small hose, with a diameter of about 1-2 inches (great if your horse has an allergic reaction and the airways close up).

Duct tape

Adhesive tape

Electrical tape

Tweezers

Scissors

Wire cutters

Large knife

Pliers

Betadine or another iodine solution

Hydrogen peroxide

Dial fragrance free and dye free anti bacterial soap

Hand sanitizer

Styptic powder

Saline

Bottled water for cleaning a wound

Bottled water to drink

Eye wash or eye ointment

Black salve for drawing out foreign objects

Fly spray

Sports drink

Electrolytes (for the horse)

Power Bars

Cold packs – at least 4

Hot packs – at least 4

Ace bandages – at least 2

Hoof picks – at least 2

Latex or Rubber gloves – an entire box

Cords or leather straps

Towels – at least 4

Bache’s Rescue Remedy – available at any health food store or natural food store or co-op. Great for calming a horse down instantly.

Antibiotics (get some from your vet to keep on hand).

Anti-inflammatory medicine or muscle relaxants ( get some from your vet to keep on hand).

Acepromazine – Tranquilizer (get some from your vet to keep on hand).

Halter and lead rope

Thermometer

Stethoscope

Pen and Paper

Pre-paid cell phone and charger – it’s a great idea to program the number of your vet, the emergency vet, your emergency contact, your horse’s blacksmith, Animal Poison Control, and any other numbers that might be useful into the phone. Spend a little extra and get a camera phone so you can send pictures of an injury to the vet if you have to. Get an extra battery too.

Laminated sheet with the phone numbers of an emergency contact, the emergency vet, your horse’s vet, the blacksmith and Animal Poison Control.

You can’t always prevent an injury or a wound from happening to your horse but you can be ready to handle whatever comes up if you have a well-equipped equine first aid kit near by. Make sure that your first aid kit is in a spot that is easy to find and make sure that you don’t lock the first aid kit or if you do lock it, make sure the key is readily accessible.

Put a mini version of this first aid kit with smaller amounts of the same supplies in your tack trunk, your horse trailer, and anywhere else that you take your horse on a regular basis.

Being prepared can be the difference between losing your horse to a freak injury or saving your horse from a freak injury. There should also be enough items in the kit to help you save yourself or another rider that is injured while out riding or in the barn.