Contacts who understand a gaited horse
Begin the plan with you and a backup who can decide on your behalf, then your regular veterinarian and the after-hours equine hospital you would use overnight or on a weekend. Add a farrier who genuinely knows Tennessee Walking Horses, because a stand-in unfamiliar with how a gaited horse is shod and balanced can create problems while trying to help. Follow with the barn manager, a nearby neighbour, and a hauler the horse knows. Every entry needs a phone number and a short role note. If he is regularly ridden out on trails, add the contact routine for rides away from home: who knows the route, when he is expected back, and whom they call first if a rider returns without him or he comes back riderless.
Identification for the yard and the trail
Give his registered and barn names, age, sex, colour, and markings, backed by recent photos from both sides, the front, and the head. Record his microchip number if he has one and where his registration papers are stored. Trail riders should also note what tack and blanket he usually wears out, since a found horse is often described by his gear before anyone checks papers. At home, say which stall and field are his, which horses he turns out with, and how he behaves in a herd, so a covering helper can catch, separate, or stable him safely without experimenting during an already stressful evening.
Shoeing, feeding and handling notes
Write his shoeing cycle into the plan, including when he was last shod, what he wears, and any instruction his farrier has left about loose shoes or a foot being watched. A helper who knows a shoe came off yesterday will ring the farrier first; one who does not may turn him out regardless. Set out his feed, hay, supplements, and feeding times, plus the exercise pattern that keeps a Walking Horse settled, since a horse used to daily work or regular trail miles can fret in a stall. Add handling specifics: how he loads, whether he backs off a trailer quietly, how he stands for grooming, and any trailering companion he settles beside.
Permission and transport decisions
Decide now who may authorise emergency veterinary care if you are unreachable, and put that permission in writing with the plan. Note insurance information and where the documents are kept if he is insured. For transport, name the hauler and trailer in advance and record his loading preferences in detail, because a gaited pleasure horse who loads sweetly at home may still need an unhurried ramp and a familiar voice when he is hurt or frightened. Include the barn's address in full, gate arrangements, and the location of his first-aid supplies and halters, so the first person on scene is not searching in the dark.
Refreshing the Walking Horse plan
Revisit the plan when his farrier, vet, yard, or workload changes, and before any long trail trip or stay at another barn, adding the temporary contacts for that venue and removing them afterwards. Check that phone numbers still connect and that your backup still holds a current copy and understands the shoeing note. Ask whether a stranger could identify him, feed him, and summon the right help from the sheet alone, and fix any gap you find. Keeping the live version on KinsLe in his Pet Passport bundles contacts, shoeing dates, and permissions into one record that can be handed over wherever he is kept.