First Aid Kit Checklist

Use this handy checklist to stock up on must-have first aid kit items.

When a horse is injured, how quick and effective a horse owner reacts can play a huge role in healing. It’s why Pioneer Equine Hospital in Oakdale, California, compiled a list of must-haves in an equine first aid kit.

The best way to protect your horse from a dire situation is to be prepared, because it’s not a matter of “if” your horse gets injured, but “when,” says Maggie Pietzmeier, DVM, who works at Pioneer Equine Hospital. “Horses are clever, and in a rubber, padded stall they would find a way to hurt themselves. “

Use the list below to stock up on medical items. Most items can be ordered online or purchased from a tack store, however, some things, like phenylbutazone, will require a prescription from your local veterinarian.

 ABD pad, 5 pads 

 bandage scissors, 1 pair

 brown gauze, 2 rolls 

 cast padding, 2 rolls of 4-inch padding

 cotton roll, 1 roll 

 cotton sheet, 2 sheets 

 Elastikon, 2 rolls of 3-inch elastic tape

 Elastiant, 2 rolls of 2-inch elastic adhesive bandage 

 exam gloves, 3 pairs 

 flunixin meglumine paste (Banamine), 1 tube (prescription required)

 gauze sponges, 1 pack of 3-by-3-inch cotton gauze

 Magnapaste, 1 jar of epsom salt poultice

 needles: 18 x 1.5-inch and 20 x 1.5-inch, 2 each 

 Neo-Poly-Bac medicated eye ointment, 1 tube (prescription required)

 phenylbutazone (Bute) paste, 1 tube (prescription required) 

 povidone-iodine (Betadine) scrub, 8 oz bottle

 stethoscope 

 syringes: 60 ml catheter-tip syringe; 35 ml syringe; 12 ml syringe

 thermometer

 triple antibiotic wound ointment, 1 tube 

  VetRap, 2 rolls of 4-inch elastic wrap

 white tape, 1 roll