First aid essentials

Keeping a well-stocked first aid kit available at all times, whether at home or at a show, is vital if you are to administer emergency first aid successfully.

The contents of your kit can be simple or elaborate, but the following are worth having:

• List of key phone numbers, eg vet, doctor, insurers
• Pen and paper
• Torch, ideally a small pen torch and a larger torch (plus spare batteries)
• Thermometer
• Curved, stainless steel scissors
• Small pair of tweezers or forceps
• Clean bucket or big bowl
• Antiseptic wound cleaner eg povidone-iodine (pevidine) or chlorhexidine (Hibiscrub)
• Surgical spirit
• Petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
• Wound gel (Dermagel, Intrasite gel, Nugel, Vetalintex)
• A range of dressings including cotton wool and Gamgee
• Ready-to-use poultice (Animalintex)
• Non-stick sterile dressing squares to go over wounds (Melonin)
• Cotton stretch bandages (K band)
• Adhesive bandages (Elastoplast)
• Self-adhesive bandages (Vetrap)
• Zinc oxide tape or electric insulating tape
• Exercise bandages
• Stable bandages

Useful extras

• shoe-removing kit
• Pliers and wire cutters
• Spare hoofpick
• Salt
• Sterile bag of saline to flush wounds
• Moist baby wipes to clean wounds
• Sterile antiseptic-impregnated nail brushes to clean wounds (E-Zscrub)
• Proprietary ice wrap or cooling bandage
• Clean, old towels
• Bailer twine and some rope
• Medications: to be discussed with your vet and prescribed as necessary
• Bandages: there are many modern bandaging materials available, ask your vet to advise on the best options for your individual situation.