2. Your horse should have a health check-up twice a year.
Semi-annual visits give your veterinarian a chance to detect, treat and prevent a problem before it becomes an emergency.
Spring and fall examinations allow your veterinarian to become familiar with you and your horse, and to design a wellness plan to help your horse live a longer, healthier life.

6. The phone number of a friend or neighbor that could assist you in an emergency.
Ask your veterinarian about a backup or referral veterinarian if he or she is not available.
Phone numbers for your equine insurance company.

7. The most important thing is your safety and the safety of those around you.
Horses can be very dangerous when injured or panicked.
You cannot help your horse if you are injured too.

8. Know the types of disasters likely to occur in your area such as:
Flooding
Wildfires
Earthquakes, etc.
Be sure to prepare and practice your plans.
This will help you act calmly and efficiently during times of an emergency.

9. If you do not own a horse trailer, make arrangements in advance for transportation in case of an emergency.
Know the most direct route to an equine hospital or clinic. Make sure to keep the truck and trailer maintained and the gas tank full.
Make sure your horse is accustomed to loading and riding in the trailer.
Keep a well maintained first-aid kit in the truck or trailer.

11. Help hold the horse
Perform a basic exam
Call the veterinarian
Administer first-aid

12. Prepare a first-aid kit and store it in a clean, dry and readily accessible space.
Be sure that family members and other barn users know where the kit is kept.
Also, keep a first-aid kit in your trailer or towing vehicle and a pared-down version to carry on the trail.

13. This is a short list of items that may be included in your first-aid kit.
Other Items to include
Fly spray
Shoe pullers
Permanent marker
Pliers

14. Practice the basic exam on a healthy horse several times before an emergency. This will make you more proficient and comfortable performing the exam.

16. Using a digital thermometer, gently lift the tail and place the thermometer in the rectum.
Fever is a temperature of greater than F. Typically, horses will stop eating if they have a fever.
Call your veterinarian if your horse’s temperature exceeds F.

17. Know your horse’s normal resting heart rate.
Using a stethoscope, take the heart rate on the left side of the chest just behind the elbow.

18. To record the respiratory rate, watch the chest rise or nostril flair.

19. Press a finger to the gums above the front teeth.
The pink color will blanch white.
When the pressure is released, color should return in less than two seconds.
Membrane color indicates blood pressure and tissue perfusion.
The color of the gums should be pink.
The gums should be moist to touch.

20. Pinch or fold a flap of skin (preferably on the face or leg) and release.
If the skin stays in a tented position, this indicates dehydration.

21. 4 Quadrants
You should hear some gurgling noises in each quadrant.
This sound is normal and indicates food and water moving through the intestines.
Very quiet or very loud gut sounds may indicate a problem.
** Know what is normal for your horse.**

23. Colic is a term used to describe abdominal pain in the horse.
It is a combination of symptoms that indicate a problem with the digestive system.
Colic can be life-threatening and every case of colic should be taken seriously.

24. Some colic symptoms may include:
Repeatedly lying down and getting up
Rolling
Looking at or biting the flanks
Stretching out as if to urinate
Curling the upper lip
Pawing at the ground
Kicking at the abdomen
Loss of appetite
Reduced or no gut sounds
Increased heart and respiratory rates
Depression

26. Keep Tetanus vaccinations up to date, and get a booster vaccination after a puncture wound or deep laceration.

27. Excessive bleeding
Puncture wounds
Deep lacerations
Wounds at or near joints or tendons
Foreign body penetrations
Severely contaminated wounds

28. Bleeding or hemorrhage
Trauma to a major blood vessel is the most common form of life threatening hemorrhage.
Bright red blood that is squirting from a wound indicates arterial bleeding.
Apply pressure to the area either by holding a clean towel over the wound or applying a pressure bandage.
Your veterinarian may advise you to apply a tourniquet.

29. Apply a non-stick pad and either a 4x4 gauze, sheet cotton or clean towel;
Wrap with an adhesive bandage, ace bandage or polo wrap;
Apply steady firm pressure;
Leave the bandage in place for 30 minutes;
If the bleeding soaks through the bandage, add more padding and apply more pressure;
When the blood flow has stopped, replace the bandage with a clean, less tight wrap.

30. If possible try to stabilize the penetrating object since movement may cause further damage.

31. If possible, leave the nail in place, if stepping on it will not drive it further into the foot.
Your veterinarian may want to x-ray the foot to assess possible damage to structures within the hoof.
Mark the exact location on the foot with a marker or tape. In addition, if nail is pulled, mark exact location of depth of penetration on the nail itself.
Clean the foot with antiseptic soap.
Bandage the foot to prevent further contamination.

33. Eye problems require immediate veterinary attention.
Try to prevent the horse from rubbing the eye.
Never put any medication in the eye unless specifically instructed by your veterinarian.

34. For any sudden non-weight bearing lameness injuries, notify your veterinarian.

35. If the horse:
Cannot place any weight on the affected limb;
The leg is being held at an abnormal angle;
Bone is protruding out of the skin.

36. Severe cases of laminitis can result in the detachment of the coffin bone from the hoof wall. Pulled by the tendons and gravity, the coffin bone rotates, resulting in a chronic condition called founder.

37. Signs of founder may include:
Usually occurs in more than one foot;
Increased digital pulse;
Heat in the hoof and coronary band;
Shifting weight from one foot to the other;
Usually seen in the front feet, but 1 to all 4 feet can be affected;
Abnormal “walking on eggshells” gait;
Sawhorse stance; leaning back in an attempt to take weight off the front feet;
Lying down more than usual, since the horse may be reluctant to stand.

38. A bee sting, medication or snake bite may cause swelling in the face or throat.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
Noisy and/or labored breathing
Swelling in the face, muzzle or throat
Hives
Contact your veterinarian immediately if any of these symptoms occur.

39. Choke
The signs of choke are sudden onset of retching and coughing, extending the neck and nasal discharge. There is usually a large amount of nasal discharge that may be the same color as the feed or bright green to brown. Many esophageal obstructions will resolve in a short time, but your veterinarian must be contacted. If left untreated, choke can lead to serious complications like pneumonia, or rupture of the esophagus.
If choke occurs:
Take away food and water and try to keep your horse calm;
Try to keep its head down;
Do not attempt to remove any item from your horse’s mouth and do not try to force anything down your horse’s throat.

42. All foals should be examined by a veterinarian 6 to 12 hours after birth and have a blood test to check IgG (Immunoglobulin) levels.
This exam can recognize potential health risks before they become life-threatening.

43. For more information see the presentation
THE FOALING MARE AND NEWBORN

44. Taking the time to evaluate your horse’s environment and removing potential hazards can prevent many accidents.
Compare the two photographs and point out the dangers in the top photo.
Sharp sheet metal
Loose wire
T-Post
Rocks