Keeping records on your horse or horses is a responsible thing to do. Knowing his baseline temperature and heart rate will help you determine if he is under stress, ill or an problem developing. We recommend keeping a logbook on each horse. The records should include injuries, illnesses, vaccinations and any tests and their results. You can record the dates of worming, trims and Coggins. It can be helpful if you change vets, are on the road or sell the horse. These records should be passed along to new owners so that they have a complete set of records for their new vet as well as helping them determine if a problem is in the making.

Every horse owner should have a first aide kit that they can access at any time. We have an excellent article on first aide kits on this site and we recommend printing it out and building a comprehensive kit for your use, because horses can come in from the pasture with cuts and wounds from just being with other horses. There are a lot of different reasons for horses to get hurt and when they do most owners panic. By panicking it causes the horse to get nervous and that can make matters worse.

Accidents do happen, but stay calm and evaluate the situation calmly and carefully. The following are some incidents and what you can do to handle them.

Accidents when traveling can be one of the scariest feelings. But remember, if you panic the horse will panic. The first thing to do is to move the horse to a safe and quiet area. If the horse cannot move and you are on the road or near traffic make sure that someone is available to wave traffic around and call the police. Cover the horse in a blanket and wait for the police to arrive. If you can move the horse, check him all over for cuts and abrasions. Take care of these wounds as described above. Even though you might not see an injury there maybe internal injuries, have the horse taken to a vet ASAP.

If a horse goes into shock it can be fatal if not treated immediately. Do not take this lightly, but remain calm. Talk to the horse calmly and in a tone he is familiar with, call the vet ASAP.

Symptoms of Shock
• Dazed and Confused, depressed low pulse
• Anxious with a rapid pulse
• Pale mucous membranes

A horse can go into shock from an illness it doesn’t have to be an accident to trigger this. This can come from a circulatory problem. Take no chances and call a vet ASAP.

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