HOME REMEDIES
Please Note:
This page is our personal collection of home remedies. These are home remedies not necessarily tested or tried by us. They have been gathered to provide alternative methods of treatment and therefore should always be used with some degree of caution. Dusty Hat Ranch, Brandy Auseth and Adrien Gauthier are not responsible for any loss or damage from use of alternatives provided within this site. Use at your own risk.
Abscesses
Hoof Dressing
This page is our personal collection of home remedies. These are home remedies not necessarily tested or tried by us. They have been gathered to provide alternative methods of treatment and therefore should always be used with some degree of caution. Dusty Hat Ranch, Brandy Auseth and Adrien Gauthier are not responsible for any loss or damage from use of alternatives provided within this site. Use at your own risk.
Abscesses
- Tea Tree Oil
- A wadded-up bunch of cobwebs will stop bleeding. Not very sanitary in a wound but you will keep your horse from bleeding to death. Your vet can always clean the wound later.
- Pack sugar into a severe cut to slow or stop blood loss and help a wound heal scar less.
- Preparation H - Wait until the wound is healing cleanly on the inside, then treat with PH to close the skin back up.
- Flour
- 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.
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda in the horses feed a day.
- Listerine (or any basic mouthwash
- Baby oil - Mixture of 12 oz water mixed with 2 oz of disinfectant mouth wash and 3 oz of baby oil and a few drops of iodine.
- Sprinkle baking soda
- Sprinkle Lyme powder
- Equal parts athletes foot salve, triple antibiotic cream, petroleum jelly. Mix and apply to affected areas. Wash with prepodine let set 20 min (wash around area). Then apply Tea Tree Oil to area around. Tea Tree oil can be cut with Olive oil to make one bottle last longer.
- Rose flower anti-fungal powder (for roses only) - Can be used in powder form or mixed with petroleum jelly to make a cream.
- Betadine scrub and a topical iodine solution.
- Zinc oxide cream
- Sea breeze - Found in the cosmetic section at most major drug stores. Be sure to get original formula.
- Keep a container full of cotton balls and 1/2 water and bleach. Rubbing a cotton ball on the spots once will do it. Does not sting, feels oily going on.
Hoof Dressing
- 1 cup salt, 1 cup castor oil, 1/2 cup wheat germ oil, mix well.
- For bulb cracks - apply zinc oxide cream over bulb, this will allow them to heal.
- Conditioner - mix equal parts pine tar and corn oil together.
- 1 head of garlic/cloves, 3 cups of olive oil, a few tablespoons of cayenne pepper, mix well and store in a jar.
- Jello - mixed in with the feed, encourages hoof growth.
- 2 pints clear alcohol, 2 pints wintergreen alcohol, 2 pints witch hazel, 1/2 bottle store bought equine liniment. Pour all ingredients into clean gallon container, top off with white vinegar.
- Witch hazel, Listerine, aloe juice (optional), mix in equal parts and apply with spray bottle.
- 1 ounce Golden seal powder, 1 ounce Myrrh powder, 1 ounce Echinacea, 1/4 ounce cayenne pepper, 1 pint rubbing alcohol, Place herbs in a bottle and add rubbing alcohol. Shake and use daily for 3-10 days. Strain and store in a bottle.
- Vanilla and water
- Mix 1 part Calgon bath oil beads (dry) to 3 parts water in a spray bottle.
- 2 scoops cattle mineral (comes in a bag at feed store), 1 scoop of salt, 1 1/2 scoops of dry molasses. Mix ingredients and then mix in enough hot water to make pasty. Let harden overnight. Serve.
- 1/2 cup epsom salts, 4 cups millers wheat bran, warm water as needed. Mix well add enough water to form a good paste.
- Kaopectate, flour or millers bran, mix to a paste
- Baking soda, witch hazel, mix to paste
- Sugar, betadine solution mix to paste.
- Preparation H - Aids in the reduction of proud flesh and encourages hair growth to wound site
- Listerine, Hydrogen Peroxide, Vinegar, Betadine. Mix a fairly weak solution with water in a bucket and sponge over the area, let stand in sun to dry then wash off. Do not pick scabs off or do anything else, clears up within a week or so if you do once or twice daily.
- 1:10 solution of bleach and water. Treat area liberally with olive oil, it makes the hair grow back with its natural color.
- One teaspoon of Rose Dust Powder to one gallon of water.
- 1/2 oz iodine, 16 oz mineral oil/baby oil, 16 oz 3% hydrogen peroxide, dab onto affected area, leave on overnight to loosen and disinfect. Mix only what you need. Store rest in a loosely covered bucket, NOT enclosed bottle - IT WILL EXPLODE.
- 1 liter Listerine, 7 oz baby oil, 2 cups 2% chlorhexidine, Tea tree oil - mix in spray bottle. Lasts 4 days, spray on, next day wipe off and reapply.
- Rose flower anti-fungal powder (for roses only), can be used in powder or mixed with petroleum jelly to make cream.
Repellent
Scratches
- Brewers Yeast in the feed
- Garlic Powder in feed. The addition of garlic to a horse's feed causes the skin to secrete garlic-scented oils that deter flies.
- Adding a little vinegar or cider vinegar to a horses water raises the pH of the horses blood sufficiently to put flies off from biting.
- Shaklee's Basic H
- Braid Bounce or another brand of scented dryer sheets into the horse's mane and tail, and rub them over the horse.
- Meat tenderizer - moistened into a paste takes the sting out of bug bites and stinging nettles.
- 2 cups white vinegar, 1 Cup Avon Skin So Soft bath oil (original), 1 Cup water and if you can get it 1 Tablespoon eucalyptus oil. Mix in a spray bottle.
- Mix one part citronella to four parts water. Put in spray bottle shake before spraying.
- Mix 1 oz of citronella, to 7 oz water, 7 oz of apple cider vinegar. Shake well while spraying.
- Mix 1/3 apple cider vinegar, 1/3 listerine mouth wash, 1/3 vegetable oil ( or Citronella ) Shake can be sprayed or rubbed on generously
- White wine vinegar, water and any combination of citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, sandalwood or tea tree oils Mix a few drops of each essential oil into a little washing-up liquid and add to the vinegar and water. Put the resultant mixture into a spray bottle and shake well before using. Variations include the addition of strong, cold tea instead of water, crushed garlic (although this can clogs the 'spray' mechanism of the bottle), meths, and Dettol.
- Take a large lemon with a thick rind and slice thinly. Place in a bowl with a few sprigs of rosemary and cover both in boiling water. Allow to steep overnight and strain the mixture the following morning. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake before applying. A similar response seems to be had by doing the same with leaves, stems and flowers from Elder bushes. (Slipping flowering elder twigs through your horses browband can also act as a fly repellent.)
- Mix one part crushed garlic to five parts water. Shake the mixture and leave overnight. Strain and pour liquid into a spray bottle.
- Bag Balm in ears In a quart sprayer mix: 1 inch white vinegar, 1 inch blue Dawn dish liquid (Can dry skin) Fill with water.
- Shaving the area to let sunlight get to the fungus faster
- Tooth Paste
- Nail Polish(preferable clear) - Brush nail polish directly over and around ringworm this will suffocate it and it'll be gone within 2 days(may burn slightly @ 1st )
- Athlete's foot medications
- Vinegar
- One Teaspoon of Rose Dust Powder to one Gallon of Water.
- 1/2 oz Tincture of Iodine, 16 oz Mineral Oil or Baby Oil, 16 oz 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, Dab onto affected areas or individual scraps with sponge or wad of cotton, then leave on overnight to loosen and disinfect. Mix only what you need. Store the rest in a loosely covered bucket. Not in an enclosed bottle! Warning! It will explode!
- Keep a little container full of cotton balls and 1/2 water/bleach. Rubbing a cotton ball on the spots once, sometimes twice, will do it.Does NOT sting, feels oily going on.
Scratches
- Shaklee's Basic H and Basic N
- Yeast Inhibitor such as Beer
- Clorox dilute
- Frontline spray (the dog stuff)
- A Panacur/Furisan/DMSO mixture
- A sulphur powder mixed with Desitin. 1/2 oz Tincture of Iodine, 16 oz Mineral Oil or Baby Oil, 16 oz 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, Dab onto affected areas or individual scraps with sponge or wad of cotton, then leave on overnight to loosen and disinfect. Mix only what you need. Store the rest in a loosely covered bucket. Not in an enclosed bottle! Warning! It will explode!
- 1 liter Listerine, 1/2 bottle(7 oz) Baby Oil, 2 cup 2% Chlorhexidine Gluconate Solution, Tea Tree Oil, Mix in spray bottle. Lasts 4 days. Spray on, next day wipe off with towel and reapply.
- 4 oz Desitin Baby Ointment (Zinc Oxide for sunscreen), 3 oz Furacin of Nitrofurazone Ointment (Bacterial Agent), 1 oz Desenex Athletes Foot Ointment or Powder (Fungicide), 1 oz 0.5% Hydrocortisone Cream (to remove irritation and allow skin to heal itself), -Mix all together and apply to affected area being sure to rub well into the skin. Wear gloves! Do not substitute brands.
- Listerine, or any mouth wash
- Shaklee's Basic H
- Vanilla
- Apple Cider Vinegar in feed
- WD40 - use to put a shine on manes/tails in show ring, also good for getting out burrs and pine sap.
- After wash rinse body with 1/4 cup baby oil and 5 gallons of water
- 1/4 cup Hair Conditioner (Suave works best), 1/4 cup Baby Oil, 2 tablespoons Vinegar (to keep flies away, this is optional), 1/4 cup Water -Mix in spray bottle
- 1 oz Rose Oil, 1 quart Water - Mix. Spray in and brush with stiff bristle brush.
- Blue Clay(found in creek beds) wet and packed into hoof
- Milk and Bread Poultice - 6 Slices of Bread, Milk enough to soak up the bread. 2 to 3 Tablespoons of Salt. - Mix together and pack into the bottom of the foot, put pads on. Maximum 4 hours. Pulls out infection in foot, cut, or wounds.
- Fistula Remedy - 1/2 gallon milk of magnesia, 1 bottle of mercurochrome (Betadine can substitute mercurochrome) Mix and add to injured area to help drain and reduce pain
- Witches Brew Warning! Do not use on open wounds will burn -
- Put a little bit of REGULAR mayonnaise on nicks and scratches on your saddle.
- Use glycerin to clean your saddle, put a little bit in a spray bottle and let dissolve. Then you have leather new for free
- If you have silver on your saddle that needs polishing, use a regular eraser on it.
- 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.
- Plain Crest toothpaste - shines up silver on saddles and bridles beautifully.
- Bleach
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Betadine
- Sugar
- Clean your horse's hooves with a hoof pick and hydrogen peroxide. Then rinse them with water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Next, mix Betadine scrub with sugar until it forms a thick paste. Betadine and sugar inhibit bacterial growth. Pack the clefts and all decayed pockets with the paste. If you like bandage or boot his hooves to help keep them clean and hold in the paste. Repeat once or twice daily until the thrush is gone.
- 1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda in the horses feed. The idea about helping prevent tying up has its roots on the racetrack. By giving baking soda, which is very basic, in theory you can counter lactic acid production by the muscles. Again, in THEORY, countering the lactic acid keeps the horse fresh longer and will help prevent muscle fatigue.
- Tooth Paste (I recommend Crest or Colgate)
- Iodine
- AD&E Vitamins in water
- Rub a couple of drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract Oil(or Lotion) on the outside of the hoof twice daily.
- Wisk(laundry detergent) makes white spots whiter than the expensive whitening shampoos
- Simply Green - use to remove those stubborn grass stains.
- Old fashioned 'Bluing' - a few drops in water to whiten coats and tails.
- Vinegar
- Put Witch Hazel in a spray bottle and spray area.; Then wipe it off with a rag to remove grass and manure stains.
- Sprinkle cornstarch in hair.; Let absorb for a couple minutes and then brush out.
- Paint used oil on boards, they don't like the taste.
- Mix the hottest pepper mix you can find, along with very hot sauce and paint this on all the boards your horse is chewing on. Warning Make sure your horse has lots of water available.
- Pure unpasteurized honey in wound dressing
- To heal a bad wound or one that is hard to treat and bandage, and you are worried about proud flesh building, use slack or pickle lime! It can be purchased at the lumberyard for a very reasonable price. Just throw or pat on the wound and leave open to air. This works great for a pasture horse, one that is hard to catch, or hard to keep bandaged on a daily basis.
- Another great wound healer is using sugar and betadine solution mixing in enough sugar to make a paste-like consistency. It is reported that the glucose in the sugar speeds up cellular mitosis by supplying energy, in conjunction with the betadine, it acts as a anti-bacterial agent.