First Time Horse Owner-What I Need to Buy-UPATED PICTURES 9/6/09

I bought my first horse this past Saturday so I am very excited. His name is Stanley. He is an 8 year old registered Quarter Horse gelding. He is 16.1 hands. He is a dark bay with black mane and tail and two white socks on his hind legs and he has a white blaze on his face. He is still green but he has a good brain and he learns fast. I plan on showing him in equitation and hunters.

I need a list of things that I would need in case he were to get hurt, etc.

So far I am thinking I need to have:

Epsom Salt
Betadine
Ointment for cuts
Duct Tape
Vet wrap
Peroxide-stupid question but when would you use peroxide?
Rubbing alcohol
Disposable rubber gloves

Please let me know what other things I need to have as I am planning to buy stuff this weekend.

Thanks :)


Here are the pictures of Stanley:

http://community.webshots.com/album/...host=community

Gratz on acquiring Stanley. I'm sure he has found a good home and a good owner.

Peroxide is like Betadine Light - it cleans out a fresh wound, but like Betadine should not be used excessively. Both end up killing off good tissue along with the bad stuff.

you should invest in a digital thermometer (the people type is fine, available at any drug store) and get a base resting body temp (I guess some KY jelly is a good idea, too LOL)
and a stethoscope.
Learn how to use it, before you HAVE to.
It's also good to get a baseline pulse.

Otherwise - some Furazone ointment (wear gloves when applying - it's a known carcinogen), some Wonder Dust (a quick stop-the-bleeding medication for minor cuts) ... SWAT - depending on your location and the time of year, it's indispensable for keeping flies away from wounds.
Furazone is also good for sweating a leg - so keep a roll of Saran wrap in your med kit, as well!

I also keep several single-use 4-oz bottles of saline solution, sold as contact lens cleaner for first-aid, sterile flush for wounds. A soft toothbrush is also handy for the same purpose.

... if you're wondering - my first horse was a self-destructive, 4-legged vet bill of a dumass Thoroughbred. If there was ONE protruding nail on a fencepost in his paddock - he would find it and carve his chest open!

I have found that you always need..

a low rubber feed pan to use as a soak tub

baby diapers make excellent bandages and fit the bottom of a hoof perfectly

and don't forget the human first aid box too

k

In addition to what the others have said:

duct tape
iodine solution
something like Fungasol (something for fungus, rain rot, etc)
baby oil (helps block moisture out)
DMSO
Bute
Ace

A lot of the stuff can be picked up at the dollar store:

Rubbing alcohol
Hydrogen peroxide
Maxipads & diapers (for wounds, etc.)
Generic betadine
Pill crushers
Toilet brush (for cleaning out buckets if you do self-care)
Big spoon for stirring mashes, etc.
Measuring cups and spoons
Thermometer
Washcloths, towels, sponges
Dish soap
Cheap shampoo and conditioner

Once you go there, you'll see lots of other stuff!

Kim

I'm partial to Novolsan myself (it's an antiseptic ointment to put on cuts and scrapes). I get it from my vet.

If you are in a tick-infested area with the attendant tick-borne diseases, then spray on Frontline to keep the ticks away.

You could also add ichthemol (sp?) for abcesses or other times you need a drawing salve.

Fly spray. I use War Paint on the insides of their ears to keep the biting gnats away. And on their bellies for the same reason.

Have fun and good luck! When I first brought my horses home I got a laundry list of things I needed from the barn manager and I have to say luckily I haven't needed all of them, but the list you have and what others have said is pretty comprehensive. Have fun!!

The book _Emergency!_ by Dr. Karen Hayes. It's got really easy step by step assessment and treatment while waiting for the vet instructions in it. I got it for my non-horse housemates since the equines are in the back yard and if I am not home, no one will know what to do.

Telfa Pads (non-stick gauze pads)
Wonder Dust (or similar product that is good for slow healing cuts to avoid proud flesh)
good bandage scissors
M-T-G (little bottle is fine)
Baby oil

hmmm, can't think of other things I use on a regular basis...I also don't recommend you get Bute as it shouldn't be used casually, it also does expire and you'll probably not use hardly any of it.

Quilts and bandages for standing wraps (and lots of practice too!).

So exciting :) Have fun!

Bute and Banamine
Lots of vetwrap
Lots of fly spray
Gauze wrap, to hold on the gauze pad while you're getting the sheet cotton on
A one-man twitch

Good luck and have fun with your new horse.

Corona ointment - great when eihter of you gets a scratch or scrape.
Hoof dressing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AHorseSomeDay

Please let me know what other things I need to have as I am planning to buy stuff this weekend.

Thanks :)

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I suggest a winning lottery ticket. :)

Just kidding. Congrats on your new horse. Have fun.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mswillie

I suggest a winning lottery ticket. :)

Just kidding. Congrats on your new horse. Have fun.

---

DINGDINGDING! We have a winner!
Ditto the gratz. You never ferget your first! :winkgrin:

KY Jelly for sheath cleaning.

Triple antibiotic ointment

Fly mask

Cooler

Sole freeze

Keratex hoof hardener

I also HIGHLY reccomend "Hands on Horse Care" book. I keep this book on hand at my place. It is very easy to follow when you are in an excitable state and a good pre-read
"Breaks it down Barney style" on how to do ALOT of things like bandages, taking temps and heart and respitory rates, etc. It also has base line charts, discusses toxic plants (with pictures and where they grow), and on and on. Great for a beginner. And like I said I keep it around for me to always double check myself!

http://www.amazon.com/Hands-Horse-Ca.../dp/0865738610

I couldn't make it around here with my "miracle ointment," I use it for almost any type of wound, bite, infection, or minor "ouchie;" and I NEVER let myself run out of it. It cures what ails 'em!

1 tube baby Desitin (or zinc oxide)
1 tube Neosporin
1 tube hydrocortisone ointment

Squeeze all three tubes into a small tupperware-type container with a tight-fitting lid. Mix them up together into a paste. Apply liberally to rashes, cuts, bites, mild infections and other minor ouchies. Works wonders!

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but get a pair of bandage scissors - you can pick them up at any tack store (or Tractor Supply, etc.). You don't think of them UNTIL you're trying to get vetrap off a horse's leg...then you realize that regular scissors are crazy dangerous near all those tendons. I actually didn't have anything but bandage scissors in my barn, and I used them for everything.

And congratulations on your new boy!!! I know you and Stanley will have a lot of fun together.

Get a small coffee grinder, it works perfectly for grinding pills. Mix with light corn syrup and pour in an old wormer tube. I learned this at a ranch this summer and it works for all the horses there - I mean they have to accept wormer anyway.

I don't think anyone's mentioned:

Vaseline
A knife/penknife - Swiss Army does a cool Equestrian Knife w/ a hoof pick!
Surpass - have to get from vet, obviously not something you'd use on a daily basis but good to have around. It's like icy hot.
Desitin
Muck Itch *or anything w/ tea tree oil* works great for fungus/scratches. Can order from Valley Vet
Regular table salt
A few rags
Old Towel
Venice Turpentine Hoof Oil

Congratulations! (:

Are you boarding or keeping him at home? If you are boarding, you might be able to cut down on stuff to buy right away, depending on what your barn has readily available. I have basics, for example, like ointment, vetrap, Swat, and so on--stuff I would either use regularly on small wounds, or would need to have right away without having to look for it. But if you're boarding, you may not need stuff like Ace, bute, banamine, etc.--if I need a gram of bute, I know my BO has it and I'll just pay her a buck or two for it rather than get some myself, and anything more than a one- or two-time thing my vet will prescribe anyway. Those are things that might be nice to have down the road but with one horse at the moment, if you board, you can start building your first aid kid up gradually. (:

Also, check out the dollar store for some of the really basic things. And for totes to keep them in. They always have nice little tote containers that are perfect for first aid kits, and some even have little mini human first aid kits (not much beyond a gauze pad or two and a couple of bandaids, but good for the first couple times you smash your finger in a stall door or scrape up your arm in the arena gravel... not that any of that will ever happen... d; )

I have a bunch of horses who, thankfully, rarely hurt themselves.

In the past couple of years I've used (generic) Betadine scrub, betadine, and betadine ointment as well as DMSO gel, ichthamol, furacin ointment, red-kote and blue-kote and original recipe Swat. It takes me years before I ever have to re-stock ointments and such. My bottle of Kopertox is probably 10 years old, as is my tub of hoof dressing and the vaseline that I use for thermometer lube. I have on hand gauze pads, gauze rolls (like Kerlix) and vetwrap. I have standing bandages (not polos) and quilts, but have used them about twice in the past 15 years. I've tried diapers and maxi-pads before as wound dressings- but didn't have much luck- I just stick with the regular bandage materials. A thermometer is a must- mine is a standard critter thermometer with a string on the end. I also try to keep on hand Banamine (along with needles and syringes), Bute and SMZs - but generally those aren't recommended to new owners.

I don't usually use peroxide, and the only thing I use alcohol for is to dilute liniments for a body wash. Rubber gloves? Nah, I can't be bothered. If I buy epsom salts I end up using them on me.

Two things I consider essential as far as first aid is a chain shank and a twitch - 99% of the horses I've handled will tolerate almost anything with either a lip chain or a twitch.

Another good thing to have around is a cheap rasp and shoe pullers- you can get a twisted shoe off with ordinary tools, but it ain't easy. Once you rasp the clinches off the nails, pulling the shoe is easy. Then rasp any rough edges off, duct tape and wait for the farrier to show up.

Good Luck and happy shopping!