A Thoroughbred's emergency sheet needs to do something the other breeds' sheets do less of: it has to keep him calm. Thoroughbreds are sensitive, quick to fret, and inclined to go off their feed when a routine shifts, which means the carer's first emergency tool is information: what he eats, who he goes out with, what spooks him, what settles him. Alongside that, the sheet carries the standard chain: who to call, what his normal readings are, which signs mean the vet now, and what the carer is authorised to do alone. Written well, it protects both the horse and the person standing in for you.
Contacts, with the order made obvious
Your own number first, with unreachable times noted, then a named local backup who knows the horse and can attend and decide. The equine vet practice next, with the out-of-hours number written separately and in full. Then the farrier: Thoroughbred feet can be thin-walled and quick to suffer from a lost shoe, so the carer should know who shoes him, when he was last done, and that a cast shoe is a prompt call rather than an end-of-stay problem. Add the transporter who can move him, the referral hospital your vet uses, and a helper who can hold him for the vet or farrier, because a wound-up Thoroughbred is not a one-person job.
The routine details that prevent emergencies
Write out his ration exactly, including forage type and amounts, his feed times, and his water arrangements, because a Thoroughbred taken off his feed by a changed menu can slide towards the gut problems his breed is known to worry owners about. Name his turnout companion and field, his rug routine and what weather changes it, and his handling notes: how he likes to be led, whether he weaves or box-walks when stressed, and what calms him. If your vet has discussed stomach ulcers, tying-up, or any previous episode with you, summarise what was found and what management it led to, so the carer recognises the early shape of a repeat.
Readings, triggers, and honest thresholds
Record his normal resting temperature, pulse, and respiration, taken on a quiet day, so the carer can give the vet figures. Then list the triggers for an immediate call: colic signs including pawing, rolling, flank-watching, or sweating without work; feed refused at two consecutive meals in a horse who normally eats up; a leg hot, filled, or lame at walk; a wound near a joint; or distress that does not settle, such as repeated box-walking and calling. Thoroughbreds can deteriorate fast once they stop eating and start stressing, so tell the carer explicitly that an early vet call is what you want, not a failure of their care.
Authorisation that matches the horse
State in writing that the carer may call the vet, approve emergency first response and transport, and call the farrier, without reaching you first, and confirm with the practice beforehand that the named carer can instruct them. Specify what the backup may decide if you are off-grid, and sign and date the sheet. Note where his records and any insurance details are kept. With a reactive horse, hesitation compounds: a carer certain of their authority handles the first ten minutes decisively, which is when outcomes are often decided.
Temporary access, tailored to this horse
The sheet for a Thoroughbred is personal: another horse's contacts and routine would be worse than useless to his carer. KinsLe's Care Pass gives your Thoroughbred's sitter temporary, clear access to his contacts, vet details, and the routine that keeps him settled, for exactly the period you are away and no longer.