Wounds and first aid for horses

There are various types of wounds that all horse owners should be aware of and for which they should have a first aid plan.  

Horses can injure themselves in many ways. As horse owners, we need to be prepared, have the skills to identify different injuries and wounds, know when and how to administer basic first aid and know when to call the vet. Common wounds include lacerations, tears, abrasions, de-gloving injuries and penetrating wounds. Each can vary in severity and there are some areas where injuries are more high risk than others, such as near joints and around/in the eye.  

Vet, Chris Tufnell joined us for one of our Welfare Wednesday Webinars to discuss how to deal with various types of wounds, and when you need to call the vet. 

Your first aid kit should contain: 

• Thermometer
• Alcohol wipes (to clean your hands) 
• Examination gloves (to avoid contaminating the wound) 
• Torch and/or headlamp (keep batteries separate to avoid corrosion)  
• Saline solution  
• Cotton wool 
• Clean bowl  
• Non-adherent dressings of various sizes 
• Conforming bandages 
• Gauze  
• Adhesive bandages e.g., VetWrap^TM 
• Poultice e.g., Animalintex^TM  
• Gamgee 
• Blunt-ended scissors 
• Tweezers 
• Hoof pick 
• Wound ointment (only as recommended by your vet) 

It is important to replace the contents of your first aid kit quickly if they are used, just in case your horse has another accident. It is also important to regularly check the expiry dates of the items in your kit and replace them if necessary. We recommend having a first aid kit on the yard as well as in any vehicles used to transport horses, so remember to check the contents of both to keep them up to date.