In the “olden days” veteran horsemen had their own patented methods for caring for the horses in their stables. Today’s horsemen and women have adapted these time-honored remedies and added some new ones of their own. The remedies and ideas shown below are taken from the Horses Discussion forum and thanks go to Karice, Carrie, Deborah, GiddyUpGo and DVietz for sharing them with us all.
Caring for Wounds
Preparation H – aids in the reduction of proud flesh and also encourages hair growth on wound sites.Meat tenderizer – moistened into a paste takes the sting out of bug bites and stinging nettles.
Turpentine -For sores that won’t heal – turpentine on a white cloth wrapped around the sore.
Sugar and Iodine – mix into a paste for use on scrapes and burns – the sugar keeps the flesh from dying and the Iodine fights the infection.
Sugar Water – For a blister or scrape make a poultice of sugar water mixed with some aloe (from the plant) and wrap in place over the wound.
Caring for Tack
Murphy’s Oil Soap – works great to clean leather, very mild.Kerosene – Soak rusty tools (hoof nippers, fence tools, pliers, etc.) over night a bucket of kerosene to remove rust. Really bad rust may need to be soaked longer.
Oats – Put 2 or 3 cups of whole oats in a 5 gallon bucket, bury the bit in the oats, and rub the oats all over the bit. It gets off dried grass & shines the bit back up.
Plain Crest toothpaste – shines up silver on saddles & bridles beautifully.
Caring for The Coat
Wisk – really gets white/grey horses/markings white, but make sure and rinse thoroughlySimple Green – use to remove those stubborn grass stains.
WD40 – use to put a shine on manes/tails in show ring, also good for getting out burrs and pine sap.
Old fashioned ‘Blueing’ – a few drops in water to whiten coats and tails.
Vinegar – put in horses feed for natural fly repellant/shiny coat.
Fly Spray: – 2 cups white vinegar, 1 Cup Avon Skin So Soft bath oil (original), 1 Cup water and if you can get it 1 Tablespoon eucaliptus oil. Mix in a spray bottle.
Mane and Tail Detangler: – Mix 1part calgon bath oil beads (dry) to 3 parts water in a spray bottle.
Listerine – Douse the whole tail from top to bottom twice a day. Works great for itchy tails and it helps repel bugs and soothes itchy, irritated skin. Works on manes too!
Liniment: – 2 pints clear alcohol, 2 pints wintergreen alcohol, 2 pints witch hazel, 1/2 bottle store-bought equine liniment. Pour all ingredients into a clean gallon container, top off with white vinegar.
Caring for Hooves and Teeth
Chlorox – use in a spray bottle to spray underside of hooves to treat thrush.Diapers – place on the underside of the hoof and wrap with duct tape – great for holding poultices in place and for keeping abcesses clean between treatments. Can also be used as “Easy Boots”.
Baking soda – sprinkle in the feed to help horses with teeth that need floating often.
Jello – mixed in with the feed, encourages hoof growth.
Miscellaneous
PVC plumbing pipes -, buy these at home improvement centers and use them as jump poles.Gallon size plastic Milk jugs – can be filled with water or sand for stability. Make great dressage ring markers.
Old car mats – great for putting under hoof at show for applying hoofshine – keeps hoof clean and dry. Also good for kneelling on, etc.
Clear plastic zipper bags – use for organizing things so you can see them, but won’t lose them – like braiding materials (precut yarn, clips, threads, needles, pullthru, etc.) and any small items. Label bags, and do a pre-show check to make sure all items are there, and ready to go.
Rubber (or plastic) tote boxes – use for everything from First Aid kit to the tack accessories for shows. No more hunting for things. Choose size and colors to fit your needs.
Pillowcases – use to keep rags, one for clean other for dirty, and toss the whole bag into wash (commercial machine – with soap and bleach)
