First aid kit for horses

From: Jim Thornton

My wife and I are new to horse ownership and want to be ready for the eventual cut, scrape etc. (minor) that our horses will get. Understanding that we will call the vet at the first sign anything major, can you recommend items that we should have on hand for first aid and/or maintain (example; we have been told to apply a drop or 2 of bleach to each hoof, each week to prevent thrush) Jim & Sue Thornton

Hi Jim and Sue! Congratulations on becoming horse-owners, and congratulations again for being the kind of people who think ahead. Every barn, and every horse-owner, should have a first-aid kit for horses. You should also have a small one for humans, and both of them should be in the barn and easy to reach.

Depending on where you live, what your situation is, and what your horses' living conditions are, you'll want some different items, your vet may have specific suggestions, and you will no doubt develop your own favourites over the years, but here, from my book, are some good basics for a first-aid kit:

Thermometer (with string and clip)
Watch (with second hand) -- 
       if you don't have a barn clock Vaseline (tubes are most convenient)
Cleansing towels (Wet Wipes or similar) Antiseptic cleaning solution
Wound powders, ointments, and sprays
Saline solution (this, NOT PEROXIDE, is to clean open wounds) 
Opthalmic antibiotic ointment
Bandage materials (Vetrap, CoFlex or similar) 6-inch gauze rolls
4 x 4 gauze squares
Sheet cottons
Duct tape
Bandage cutter or blunt-tipped scissors Stethoscope

When you fill your equine first-aid box, tape two pieces of paper 
to the inside of the lid. One piece will have a list of everything 
that's in the box, so that you can mark items that are used up or 
lost and must be replaced. The second piece of paper will be 
A record of your horse's normal TPR, and  of the normal range
     temp: 99 - 100.5
     resting pulse: 32 - 44
     respiration: 8-20
     CRT: 1-2 seconds at most (if longer, the horse is low on body fluids)
   
Telephone numbers of local veterinarians and the nearest veterinary hospital

A more elaborate box might contain everything listed above, plus the following:

Adhesive tape
Betadine
7% iodine
Icthammol
Rubbing alcohol
Hydrogen peroxide
Bute
Aspirin
Banamine injectable
Antibiotic injectable
Syringes and needles (narrow for banamine, wider for penicillin) 
Barn towels
Twitch
Stick for tourniquet
Clippers
Flourescein strips
Ziploc plastic bags (when filled with ice, can be used as cold packs)

It's a good idea to make the box a sturdy one and paint a red cross on 
it so that it will be instantly identifiable. If you want to keep the box 
locked, use a combination lock rather than one that requires a key -- 
when you're in a hurry, it's easier to line up three numbers than it 
is to remember who had the key last and where it is now.

Jessica