People often say it’s not buying a horse that’s expensive—it’s everything that comes after. From building fences to selecting a truck and trailer, horse ownership is a lifestyle choice for many of us. Estimating an average cost for that lifestyle is a bit tricky, because pricing for major horse care items (such as hay and feed) varies by region. Use this chart to create your own budget.

Read more about the current costs of horse ownership in this interactive feature.

Horses require regular hoof care to keep them sound and healthy. Veterinarians, farriers, and hoof trimmers recommend keeping the average horse on a four-to-six-week trim and/or shoeing schedule. Horses with certain foot conditions, such as navicular issues or laminitis, might need more frequent hoof care. For more information, visit TheHorse.com/topics/hoof-care.

Before any kind of trailer travel, it’s important to take steps to ensure the safety of yourself and your horses. Truck and trailer equipment must be in good working order, and the process of checking the equipment can be daunting without a clear, concise checklist.

This one-page fact sheet is a handy reference for safe trailer travel, including an equipment checklist to perform before and after horses are loaded, plus tips for driving while pulling a trailer. Keep copies of this safe-trailering guide in your trailer, tack box or towing vehicle for easy referencing on the road. Ensuring safe truck and trailer equipment before your leave can help minimize or even eliminate problems during your trip.

Print and use this checklist to ensure you have the basics for both humans and horses in case of an evacuation. Click the link above to download now! 

Additional Emergency Evacuation Resources/Forms:

• Emergency Horse Care Instructions
• Emergency Evacuation Contacts
• Special Interactive: Are You and Your Horse Ready for an Emergency Evacuation?

An essential identification tool for all horse owners, this one-page horse identification form organizes all of your horse’s important information in one convenient place. In case of trauma, theft, weather emergency, missing or loose horse, travel, etc., this free identification form will help you be prepared.

Vital information on your horse, from its name and breed to microchip number, medical conditions and distinguishing characteristics, can be life-saving in emergency situations. Keep copies of this form for each horse at the barn and with your alternate contact in case of emergency. Don’t spend valuable seconds during an emergency searching through paperwork for this information. This free horse identification form will help you be prepared should disaster strike.

Use this form to give your horses’ caretakers the info they need in case you have to evacuate without your horses. Click the link above to download now! 

Additional Emergency Evacuation Resources/Forms:

• Equine Emergency-Evacuation Kit Checklist
• Emergency Evacuation Contacts Form
• Special Interactive: Are You and Your Horse Ready for an Emergency Evacuation?

Use this form to document where you would take your horses and whom you’d get information from during an evacuation. Click the link above to download now! 

Additional Emergency Evacuation Resources/Forms:

• Emergency Horse Care Instructions
• Equine Emergency-Evacuation Kit Checklist
• Special Interactive: Are You and Your Horse Ready for an Emergency Evacuation?

Relocating a horse from one farm to another is rarely as simple as loading him onto the trailer and dropping him off at his new digs. A move requires time and preparation, taking into consideration everything from how the transition will affect your horse’s diet to smart biosecurity practices if he will be exposed to new horses. To help you stay organized and ensure no detail of your horse’s care is missed during a move, we’ve created a basic relocation checklist for before and after the big day. Download and print it and check all the boxes as you go.

Use this comprehensive form to evaluate your horse’s well-being from nose to tail prior to a vet visit. Record everything from body condition to lameness. Also covered in this form: vital signs, eyes, attitude, skin coat, gut sounds, and more.

Leaving home for the holidays or a vacation is often challenging when you have horses. We know, because we’ve been there. To help you out, The Horse’s editorial staff has created this easy-to-use form to help you communicate with your horse sitter and ensure your animals get the best of care when you’re away. From emergency contact information and feeding instructions to your horse’s normal-but-maybe-strange behaviors, we’ve got you covered. Print and fill out this form the next time you need to leave home, and feel confident that your horse sitter has all the information she needs.

In effort to reduce the transmission of viral and bacterial diseases, horse show or event managers might want to include an agreement in a stall packet or in online horse show/event information, requiring a signature on a compliance agreement. These agreements often educate show and event participants and increase compliance with safe practices.

Want to keep track of your horse’s medication history? Keep track of your horse’s medication history, including names of medicine, dosage and frequency.

Download and print this medication log and keep it by your horse’s stall with a pen, so it’s convenient to write down everything he gets. This log is an ideal place to store important contact information for the owner and veterinarian.