Building Your Horse First Aid Kit

If you have horses, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be needing quick access to a horse first aid kit. Having all of the needed items on hand will at least offer some peace of mind during the midst of a horse emergency. Before getting into our equine first aid kit checklist, here are some best practices to consider, should time be of the essence.

Always have your veterinarian’s current contact information handy.

Know your after-hours emergency clinic options for your area.

Have a working truck that’s equipped with a trailer hitch, and a horse trailer, at all times.

Implement a designated location to store all of your horse first aid supplies.

Building Your Horse First Aid Kit

Understanding that at some point your horse may experience injury, you may consider buying an already-made equine first aid kit or building your own. Veterinarian-founded Valley Vet Supply carries a selection of horse first aid kits for horse owners to choose from, including:

The large equine first aid kit, which includes 64 different products and 300 items total

The small equine first aid kit, which is equipped with 48 different products and 211 items

The basic equine first aid kit, which includes 31 different products, with a total of more than 101 items

The small trailering equine first aid kit, which includes 43 different products and 153 items.

If building your own horse first aid kit, there are a number of horse first aid kit essentials you will want to have on hand.

____ Eye wash solution
____ Cotton rolls
____ Cling wrap
____ Standing or no-bow wraps
____ Gauze pads
____ Highly Absorbent Padding
____ Bandages
____ Bandage scissors
____ Thermometer
____ Stethoscope
____ Surgical gloves
____ Surgical scrub
____ Disinfectant solution
____ Alcohol
____ Wound care solution
____ Electrolytes
____ Cold packs
____ Blood clotting agent
____ Topical wound dressing
____ Clippers
____ Soaking boots
____ Epsom Salt

Building an Equine Medicine Cabinet

In addition to having an equine first aid kit at the ready, it’s good practice to have a basic equine pharmacy built up, if needed, especially in emergency cases.

Colic in horses is dreaded by all horse owners. Prescription medications for colic help ease abdominal pain and reduce inflammation. Banamine and Buscopan are the industry go-tos for providing mild pain relief.

Phenylbutazone, available also as a Bute paste, can reduce inflammation and relieve some pain from colic. Bute also offers comfort to horses when experiencing general soreness, such as with hoof abscesses.

For parasite control, look to guidance from the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Parasite Control Guidelines to administer timely equine dewormers.

For prevention of ulcers in horses, Omeprazole is recommended, as well as for treatment of equine ulcers. Succeed is also a trusted solution for digestive wellness.

Equine vaccinations are important in order to prevent your horse from both core and risk-based equine diseases.

Speak with your veterinarian about building an equine medicine cabinet and additional considerations specific to your horse and their risks. Shop horse care at ValleyVet.com.