• For animals that display such remarkable athleticism horses are remarkably accident-prone. So for obvious reasons, a well stocked First Aid kit containing items most likely to be needed to treat injury problems, etc, is vitally important for all horse premises and owners/managers.
  • First Aid kits should be well equipped but need not be elaborate.
  • Essentially it is an emergency box and should contain basic items to use on an injured horse while awaiting the veterinary sugeon, or until the horse is back home for further attention. These are primarily to help the handler to cope with any injury or emergency until the veterinary surgeon arrives
  • In addition to this, it also needs to have all the items to deal promptly with any minor scratches and abrasions. They should help prevent a small cut turning into a more complicated wound with possible infection, scars and extra expense.
  • The storage container for these emergency First Aid kit items should be in a clean sturdy box with a secure lid, preferably in a relatively dust-free area such as a closed press or cabinet.
  • The kit should be portable - not too heavy and equipped with good solid handles. This will enable the user to pick it up and move it to wherever it is needed, for example, an emergency in the corner of some field.
  • Also it is important to keep a good basic First Aid kit in the transport box when horses are travelling anywhere.
  • Having a list of emergency telephone numbers on the inside of the box is useful — such as the veterinary surgeon, a friend with horse knowledge – anyone who will help in an emergency. This list should also be posted on the tack room wall or office as well as on the mobile phone.
  • Also, remember tetanus is an ever-present risk with cuts, particularly deeper puncture wounds, so ensure that horses and handlers are fully vaccinated against tetanus, so there is not a major concern over every tiny wound (especially a puncture wound).

    • What is the best method of ensuring the First Aid kit is complete and fit for purpose?

  • The First Aid kit must be properly managed to ensure that everything that should be in it stays in it and is there when needed.
  • Allocate a designated person to manage the first aid box, using a dated check list for routine checking is helpful.
  • Labelling of each item and having them well laid out in the box has the advantage of making it easier to find what is really needed in an emergency, rather than searching through a confusing lot of items that have no function in an emergency kit.
  • Items should be replaced as they are used. This prevents the occasion where a key item is missing at a critical stage of completing a job, for example a missing scissors.
  • Keep a list of contents attached to the inside of the lid.
  • It is also a good idea to list the expiry date of key products, so they can be replaced at the appropriate time.
  • The quantities of dressings and other consumables in a kit should be gauged on having to attend to more than one nasty wound at once, as tangles with fences etc, can often yield multiple injuries to several horses in a group.
  • Many horse owners tend to gather a medicine chest full of various lotions and potions, from manuka honey to arnica cream etc, so the contents are forever expanding.
  • So it is essential to make the distinction between a medicine chest and the emergency First Aid kit. By all means have an industrial-size medicine chest, but do not treat it as your First Aid kit. Miscellaneous lotions and potions do not belong in a First Aid kit.

    • A First Aid Kit should contain the following: