365 Days in Horse Country – Organizing Your Horse’s Records
Horse owners are among the busiest people around. Not only do they have the same obligations as
most other people, but they also have the added responsibility of riding and
caring for their horses, too, which can take up hours a day depending on
whether the horse is kept at home or at a boarding stable.
This is why it is so essential to be organized when it comes to your horse’s records. Keep vaccination records, farrier receipts, and training details in one central location. That way, you can find them easily when you need t and keep better track of what your horse needs and when.
Take a few hours to organize your hors records. Here are a few options how to do it.
File drawer – Gather all of the receipts you have from your veterinarian, trainer, farrier, and anyone else who has performed a service related to your horse. Create a series of folders labeled for each subject and file the receipts in these folders. Place them in alphabetical order in a file drawer, along with your horse’s registration certificate (if she has one), show records, and other paperwork.
Notebook – Get loose-leaf notebook paper and create a page for each of the different areas of your horse’s care. Set aside several pages for vaccinations, another for veterinary procedures, another for teeth floating, another for deworming, another for farrier care, and so on. Using your receipts, write down the dates and details of each procedure in chronological order.
Record book or software – You can buy a record book specifically designed to keep track of a horse’s heath and training, or purchase a software program created for this. If you have several horses, a software program might be a good investment since these are usually designed for owners of multiple horses.
It’s also a good idea to have a tickler file or another kind of reminder system to let you know when your horse is due for vaccinations, deworming, farrier work, and other procedures. Free reminder services are available on the internet. Once you sign on, they will send you emails reminding you when it’s time to tend to youor horse’s regular needs.
Michael