My Horse Farm Daily Care & First Aid Checklist
I’ve been perfecting this list over the last 25 years of riding and working with horses. From starting babies to training performance horses and managing farms to working as a vet tech, I have had lots of different opportunities to learn.
And my mare has perhaps been my greatest teacher.
Atti (named for her “attitude”) is 20 years old now and just as much of a clown as the day she was born. She has finally calmed down, but she still throws me for some loops every once in a while. I swear she just loves to keep me on my toes.
All of that to say, here’s a few things I can’t live without at the barn:
1) Different types of boots. Dear God, my mare has always been rough on boots. With her klutzy behavior, I like to have inexpensive options on hand if she bangs up her legs to help protect any small wounds from becoming large wounds.
The fact that these are relatively inexpensive makes me happy because horses are always breaking things, so having something that only cost me $15-20 that lasts for a couple of months does not give me any bad feelings.
*Note: If you are using boots for protection during training and showing, investing in high-quality, more expensive ones are often worthwhile. This list below is for the everyday uses.*
My go-to’s include:
Scalping boots (my new favorites!)
2) Non-stick pads. You can buy a box of these at the grocery or drug store for $3-5. You can cut them up for the correct size and use as you need to, but they are super helpful for putting over a wound that you are going to wrap up.
Don’t feel like you need veterinary-grade non-stick pads; those will cost more money. The ones at the grocery store work just as well for minor cuts and scrapes. This way when you put a wrap over it, it won’t stick to the wound and peel off any scabs or healing juices.
3) Cleaning solution. Kind of a no-brainer. If you need to clean out a wound, betadine is my favorite. Just be sure to read the labels as there is both surgical scrub and a solution version of betadine (povidone iodine) and both have different instructions for use (in terms of whether or not they need to be rinsed off and ideal use scenarios). P.S. there are other cleaning solutions out there and everyone has a preference, this just happens to be mine!
4) Vet wrap. I mean, do I need to explain this one? I always try to have at least 2 rolls on hand. It’s kind of like duct tape. Just have some.
5) Bute and Banamine. It’s a very good idea to have both of these NSAIDs in your barn for emergency use. Your vet can help you make the determination between which one should be used, but having both will save your vet a trip to the barn in the short-term while you are watching to see if your horse gets better on their own.
6) Different types of wraps. Similar to the boots discussion above, having a variety for different purposes is important. I like to have polo wraps, thick and puffy quilt wraps, as well as thinner, more flannel-like standing wraps.
7) “Silver spray.” I love this stuff. I first started using it in Texas where horses live on many acres and sometimes get funky little scrapes that need to be covered, but are not practical to be wrapped. I call it silver spray, but it doesn’t include silver, it just usually comes out that color! It acts like a liquid bandage and is amazing, especially for hard-to-bandage areas.
8) At least 2 kinds of wound care ointments. I think it is ideal to have a few different ointment options for wounds. Fura-Zone is a trusted favorite of many. I have really been loving Silver Honey by Absorbine lately. Mix it up and have a few options. Some work better than others in certain situations. Each individual horse may respond to ointments differently too. Kind of like shoes, you can’t have just one ointment.
9) Diapers and liquid dish soap. This is an odd one, but if your horse ever gets a hoof abscess, this is an inexpensive way to keep the hoof moist and draw out the nastiness! I use plain Dawn dish soap on the hoof, cover the whole hoof in a children’s diaper, use vet wrap around the top edge to seal it in, and then wrap the entire hoof in duct-tape so that the diaper doesn’t get all ripped up. Kind of a hack, but I have used this trick more than a few times and it always works!
The dish soap seems to come in handy for washing random things at the barn too!
*Disclaimer: I’m not a veterinarian. Please talk to your vet about treating your horse for any kind of issue.*
10) Probiotic paste and/or pellets. Having a fast-acting gut health supplement on hand is key for those urgent care situations – during weather stress, travel, feed changes or when your horse is displaying colicky symptoms. The strain I find most effective and compelling based on scientific research is Saccharomyces boulardii. FullBucket Health makes my favorite equine probiotic paste (for urgent care) and probiotic pellets (for daily maintenance and health) for horses.
And there is my list! While it is not meant to be comprehensive, I hope this list gives you a head start and reminds you to repurchase anything you may have run out of before you really need it next!
What else do you keep in your barn? Send me a note here; I’m always taking suggestions for happy, healthy horses! And let me know if this is helpful, maybe I’ll do more!
Xoxo,
Em
