If you spend any amount of time around horses, you learn fairly quickly that bumps, scrapes, and cuts are almost inevitable. Horses can find ways to injure themselves in well-maintained pastures, clean stalls, and even while standing quietly at the fence. While some wounds are minor and heal without much trouble, others can become serious if they are not handled correctly from the start. Knowing how to assess a wound and provide basic first aid can make a real difference in both healing time and long-term soundness.

The first step in dealing with any injury is evaluating where it is located and how severe it appears. Wounds on the legs deserve particular attention. Compared to the body, the lower limbs have very little muscle or fat between the skin and critical structures such as joints, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Because of this, even a small cut can turn into a major problem if it involves deeper tissues.

Certain areas are especially concerning. Cuts on the front of the knee (carpus), the front of the hock, the back of the pastern, or around the heel bulbs are more likely to involve joints or tendons. Large, gaping, or bleeding wounds are usually easy decisions—those warrant a call to your veterinarian. Smaller wounds can be more difficult to judge, particularly when it is hard to tell how deep they go. If you are unsure whether a wound penetrates beyond the skin, it is best to contact your veterinarian before attempting home treatment.

Lameness is another important factor to consider, but it can be misleading. Some horses with fresh joint wounds may not appear lame at first, even if a joint is involved. Over time, however, infection can set in, leading to severe or even non-weight-bearing lameness. On the other hand, injuries involving tendons, ligaments, bone, or extensive soft tissue damage often cause immediate and obvious lameness. When a horse is suddenly very sore or unwilling to bear weight, more serious injuries such as fractures must be ruled out.

Being prepared is one of the best things a horse owner can do. A basic first aid kit kept in the barn or trailer allows you to respond quickly when an injury is discovered. The goal of initial wound care is simple: clean the wound, protect it, and prevent further contamination until healing begins or veterinary care is provided.

Most wounds are dirty when first found. Flushing away debris is far more important than applying medication right away. Clean tap water or sterile saline works well for this purpose. A mild antiseptic solution can be used, but it should always be diluted. Strong solutions can damage healthy tissue and slow healing. A good rule of thumb is to dilute antiseptics until the solution is a light tea color. Gentle cleaning is key—scrubbing aggressively can do more harm than good.

Once the wound is clean, a topical treatment may be applied if appropriate. For minor cuts and scrapes, a simple triple antibiotic ointment is often sufficient. These products are widely available and effective when used correctly. In areas where bandaging is difficult or impossible, spray-on products designed to protect wounds can help keep dirt and insects out while the surface heals.

Bandaging can be extremely helpful for many leg wounds. A properly applied bandage helps keep the area clean, provides support, and protects the wound from additional trauma. Basic bandaging supplies include non-stick pads, gauze, cotton or combine rolls, and a secure outer wrap. Bandages should be snug but never tight enough to restrict circulation. They also need to be checked and changed regularly to prevent moisture buildup and skin irritation.

Even with good first aid, it is important to know when to step back and call the veterinarian. Wounds that are deep, involve joints, produce significant swelling, or do not improve over a few days should be professionally evaluated. Your veterinarian can also guide you if you are unsure whether a wound can be managed at home.

Horses may be accident-prone, but prompt and thoughtful wound care goes a long way. A calm assessment, proper cleaning, and knowing your limits as a caretaker can help ensure small injuries stay small and your horse stays on the road to recovery.

By Alex Haigood

It seems today that the ability to drive a standard transmission is becoming a lost art. In my younger days, if you couldn’t use a clutch, you couldn’t drive. My first three vehicles, two trucks and a car, were all standard transmissions. I would say many young people today have no idea how to drive a car unless it has an automatic transmission.

That probably has a lot to do with the fact that not many stick shifts are made anymore. Everything, even trucks, comes standard with automatic transmissions. There are some sports cars you can still get with a standard, but even those are few and far between.

I knew as a kid that if I wanted to drive and get my license as soon as I could, I would have to learn how to drive a standard. Fortunately, I had a lot of relatives who lived in the country, so I did most of my learning on dirt roads and in the pasture.

I suspect that not many young folks today have any idea what “three on the tree” even means. For the record, that means you had three forward gears, and the gearshift was on the steering column.

I have two memorable stories from my early days of learning to drive a standard. The first was when my dad let me drive a flatbed truck carrying some sheet metal. I popped the clutch a little too fast and almost completely unloaded the truck. We had to back into something to push the material back up on the bed.

The second story involved my uncle, who let me drive while I was on his ranch. I had pulled up to a stop sign on a gravel road that crossed a farm-to-market road. I was stopped on an incline, and my uncle pulled his truck right up behind me. I sat there thinking that when I let off the brake, I was going to start rolling backward into his truck. I sure didn’t want to do that.

So I overcompensated, hit the gas, spun the tires, and threw gravel and dirt all over his truck. All I could see in my rearview mirror was a cloud of dust and dirt. Fortunately for me, he was good-natured and laughed about it. To tell you how long ago that was, he radioed me on his CB and asked if I did that on purpose.

I was fortunate to get to drive early in life in the country and learn the lost art of the standard transmission. Those were fun times. Maybe I need to order me a sports car.

By Tony Dean

Tumble windmillgrass is a short, compact perennial bunch grass that is adapted to almost every corner of Texas.  It can grow on almost any soil, but prefers coarse textured soils. 

The most obvious characteristic about Tumble windmill is its large seed head sporting 10 to 16 laterally spreading branches, each approximately two to six inches long, arranged in one to three whorls.

When mature, the seed head will break off and be caught up in the wind, making Tumble windmill one of the great wanderers of the plains.  It can tumble great distances, spreading itself in the process.  This wanderer seems to like parking in your garage on windy days, as well as dancing around windy corners of buildings and any other place the wind decides to carry it.

Tumble windmill can also spread by short stolons.  The upper leaves are very short, while the lower leaves are often much longer. The leaves are light green with a purplish seed head that fades to pale reddish at maturity.

Tumble windmillgrass provides poor forage for livestock and wildlife, although most grazers will use the forage in early spring when tender.

Since Tumble windmill can grow in poor soil conditions, it is useful as a component for a prairie grass mix used on disturbed areas. This grass does not usually dominate a pasture but can often be found in smaller amounts.  Proper grazing use along with rotational grazing can cause the plant to be replaced with higher successional plants.