Start With the Draft Horse Basics
Holiday cover instructions for a Clydesdale should begin by preparing your keeper for the horse's scale. State his height, his temperament, and the handling facts a person used to lighter horses needs to hear: he is gentle but enormous, his feet are very large, and he should always know where the keeper is standing, because a casual step sideways from a draft horse carries real weight behind it. Name his stable, his field companions, and his daily pattern of turnout and bringing in, including which gate and route are used, since a wide horse needs the wider gateway and the yard's narrow shortcuts may not suit him. Add where his oversized headcollar, lead rope, and rugs live, because standard spares will not fit him.
Write Feeding and Water for a Very Large Horse
Feeding instructions for a Clydesdale must be written in quantities, not habits. Specify hay by weight or by the number of clearly described sections from his own bales, any hard feed as exact scoops of his named feed per meal, and where each feed is made up so a keeper is not improvising for the biggest appetite in the yard. Water deserves its own lines: a draft horse drinks a great deal, troughs and buckets empty faster than a keeper used to ponies expects, and automatic drinkers should be checked working rather than assumed. Tell the keeper how often to check and refill, how to spot that he has not drunk as usual, and who to call if water intake drops, because for a horse of this size a missed day of drinking is a genuine concern.
Give the Feather and Leg Checks Their Own Section
A Clydesdale's feather is his signature and his main daily care job, so give it a dedicated section. Instruct the keeper to part the long hair on each lower leg daily and look and feel the skin beneath, noting any heat, swelling, scabs, or soreness and reporting changes to you the same day rather than at handover. Explain how his legs are washed or kept dry according to your routine, since heavy feather holds moisture and mud against the skin. Include hoof instructions too: pick out those very large feet daily, check each shoe is firm, and note the farrier's number alongside the vet's, because a cast shoe on a draft horse is not a problem to leave until you return.
Cover Turnout, Stabling, and Handling at Scale
The practical logistics of a Clydesdale need spelling out for holiday cover. Cover which field he uses, who he goes out with, and what condition ends turnout early, such as ground poached by huge feet around a gateway. In the stable, note the bedding depth and mucking-out routine, because a big horse produces a big stable to clean and a keeper planning pony-sized time will fall behind by day two. Add handling specifics: how he ties, how he loads if he ever must, how he behaves for the hose or in wind, and any places he is wary. Honest notes here protect both the keeper, who can plan movements calmly, and the horse, whose routine stays familiar.
Finish With Contacts, Records, and a Trial Round
Close the Clydesdale instructions with the safety net. List calls in order: you, your named backup who knows the horse, the vet, and the farrier, with numbers written in full and a note of what each should be called for. Ask the keeper to log each day's feeding, water, leg checks, and anything unusual, and to photograph and send anything they are unsure about rather than guessing. Before the holiday, walk one full round together at his pace, letting the keeper make a feed, part the feather, and lead him through his own gateway while you watch. Once the document passes that test, KinsLe's Care Pass passes your Clydesdale keeper temporary, clear access to the whole routine for the holiday.