Basics 101 - Equine Emergency Preparedness

Lockdown is a great time to get "Back to Basics" with your horse to desensitize and reinforce behaviour that will help them through those unpredictable and unavoidable situations before they're actually a necessity.

It's a good time to get your horse used to:

Sprayers - whether it's fly spray or topical dressings, teach your horse to stand quietly for being sprayed with an aerosol, pump or hand sprayer. Practice with a spray bottle of water, working from the feet upward. It's typically NOT a good idea to directly spray a horse's face... instead apply the spray to your hands and then to those areas like ears, nose, cheeks, etc.

Paste Deworming - Applesauce or a touch of molasses can be your friend. Try coating the outside of your syringe with applesauce ( or a touch of molasses) to help with accepting the wormer tube. You can also rinse an old wormer syringe fill with applesauce, peanut butter, canned pumpkin or even cream cheese cake frosting and then offer as an occasional "treat" to let them become more comfortable with the syringe, the texture and the sensation of the application.

Bath & Curry, Spray Downs - While horses don't always require a bath, getting them comfortable with being misted, rinsed or sprayed with a hose never hurts, and often is welcome relief in warmer weather.

Clippers - desensitizing your horse to the sound, feel and vibration of clippers will help in teaching them to stand quietly for this basic in grooming and first aid.

Wraps & Bandages - If you don't normally use them, this is a great time to get your horse used to standing quietly for application of leg wraps or bandaging. The basic rule of thumb is start the wrap on the inside of the leg and wrap from the inside of the leg around the front of the leg and towards the back of the leg . Check out this video ( How to Wrap a Horse's Leg ) by MSU's Taylor Fabus for a visual "how to" with some great tips!

Yield & Stretch - It's a great time to teach your horse to move off or yield away from you on cue or change in direction, and to permit manipulation/stretches of legs, neck and lowering their head to halter or bridle.

Loading Practice - This is not the battle you want to deal with when loading is a necessity, so even if your horse loads well, practice won't hurt. Patience is the name of the game .. don't make it a contest of force. Get help if you're uncomfortable or unsure and turn that trailer into the place they'd prefer to be rather than run from!

Yielding or picking up feet - Develop & teach your horse a cue to pick up their foot by pointing at the hoof, touching a spot on the leg, tapping the hoof, a voice command or sound cue.

Foot baths or soaks - Get your horse used to standing quietly with their foot in a bucket of water. This may not be as easy as it sounds, so be prepared for several tries and a few mangled buckets. Start with short intervals, working your way up to 15-20 minutes in the bucket if you can... and don't forget those wither scratches and treats for a job well done!

Predictability with basic procedures provides less anxiety for you and your horse in a possibly stressful emergency situation. Practice to prepare! And you have plenty of time to practice... at least for now!