First Aid for Trail and Home, Part 1 Wounds and Their Treatment

saline solution. Hibitane chlorhexidine can also be used. If you are at home hose the wound but for no longer than several minutes. If the exposed tissue begins to turn white you have killed it with excessive hosing. Out on the trail use a spray bottle or splash water onto the wound. Clean stream or lake water may be used if nothing else is available.
Make your own saline solution by stirring two tablespoons of salt into one gallon of water. Add Betadine to the water until it is the colour of light tea. If you do not have Betadine or salt then use water only.
A sanitary cloth or sterile gauze can be used to lightly clean debris from the wound.
Now that the wound has stopped bleeding and is clean you can apply a topical. For upper body wounds that are soft and weep a spray or dry spray is often used as an ointment will slough and not stick as well.
The wound is now ready to be bandaged. Bandaging a wound keeps it clean and free of debris which can help prevent infection. The wound should remain bandaged until signs of healing firming and scabbing over appear.

Different Types of Wounds and Their Treatment
All puncture wounds should be considered serious as they can result in tetanus lockjaw which is virtually a death sentence for the horse that has not been vaccinated against it. Tetanus bacteria is commonly found in soil and dead debris. I once saw a horse contract tetanus from a small stick that had jabbed and stuck between the foreleg and chest. Unnoticed it took only a week for the horse to go into shock and die.
An iodine solution is often recommended to clean and treat punctures. Due to the aggressive nature of iodine it may be more effective for deep punctures however it is not recommended for use on wounds in general due to its tendency to kill healthy tissue.
Peroxide is also commonly used to clean wounds particularly punctures however some vets claim that peroxide can drive contaminants deeper into the wound and that it kills healthy cells.
Lower leg wounds require a different approach altogether. They often look less serious but can take longer to heal and are more likely to require a bandage or stitching since if exposed they are more prone to collecting dirt. Lower leg wounds are also more likely to grow proud flesh and a bandage will inhibit proud flesh as well as keep the wound clean and reduce inflammation.