Must Have Essentials in the First Aid Kit of your Horse Barn
December 21st, 2023
You should be well prepared to deal with accidents and unforeseen situations with horses around. Horses are active animals and tend to get hurt occasionally while moving around or during intense activities. Thus, storing the horse stall kits with an operative first aid kit becomes a prerequisite. A first aid kit with emergency essentials can come in handy to offer primary aid during distress. This post will discuss the essentials you must not miss out on in your barn first aid kit.
Top items that your barn’s first aid kit deserves:
Being a barn or horse owner, you must be prepared to deal with the emergency health conditions of your horses. You must know that an emergency can come unannounced, anytime from midnight to the wee hours of the day. The only things that help are your calm approach and a functional first-aid kit. Check out the items that are a must for the first aid kit:
A headlamp rather than a flashlight:
Believe it or not, a headlamp is a far better option than flashlights, and having one in your emergency kit can greatly help. A headlamp is instrumental in offering the illumination you need and having both hands free to attend to your equine friend. However, you need to be picky when choosing the headlamp. Choose not to settle for anything average and opt for the one with a rechargeable battery for a quality experience.
A vet wrap and duct tape:
You cannot fathom the importance of a vet wrap in your horse barns until there’s a requirement. It is too useful to miss a place in the first aid kit. They can be widely used to hold together the medications and gauge pads in the horse’s legs or hooves. Similarly, duct tape can be of various use in a horse barn, or run-in shed stalls for emergency purposes.
A thermometer:
A horse safe thermometer that can be used rectally is yet another must-have in your barn’s first aid kit. It is recommended that you are experienced in using it and your horse is well-accustomed to it to make things helpful when your horse is ill. The thermometer allows you to check on the horse’s temperature to offer them the required medicine. For your reference, the normal temperature of horses lies between 99.5 F and 101.5 F, and anything beyond this indicates that your horse is not in the best of health.
Contusion ointment or sprays:
This is something very basic without which you cannot function the horse stall kits. A wound ointment or spray is a lifesaver while running a horse barn. It can be useful in an accident where your horse might have hurt itself or is struggling with an open wound. You can consult your vet for an effective ointment and must know the appropriate dosage and amount.
Epsom Salts to prepare a soak:
It is incredible how useful an Epsom salt soak is for your horses. This soak is instrumental in treating hoof abscesses or eliminating the build-up of viruses or fungus in the horse’s hooves. Epsom salt also helps relieve and reduce inflammation and swelling in their muscles, hooves, or joints.
Final Word
In addition to the items mentioned above, you can customize your barn first aid kit with things that you find useful. Many barn owners prefer to add a stethoscope, bandage scissors, and some popular equine medicines for emergency use. Although it might sound like an additional expense in your barn operations, you will thank us later after looking at the prospects of adding a first aid kit. However, parallel to designing an effective first aid kit, check out the popular barn models like run-in shed stalls on the Ulrich website. Ulrich barns are high in quality and durability and can be customized as per requirement.
