Start with who this Quarter Horse is
The first handover for a Quarter Horse should start with identity a new carer can verify at the stable door. Give the horse's name, age, sex, colour, height, brands or markings, and a recent photograph showing face and body, plus where his passport and yard paperwork are kept. Say plainly where he lives on the yard, which stable and field he uses, and which other horses he is turned out with. Quarter Horses are often calm and people-oriented, but a stranger should not rely on breed reputation; note whether this individual is head-shy, protective over feed, or uneasy with clippers, sprays or unfamiliar dogs. That opening page prevents the most basic first-day error, which is confident care given to the wrong horse.
Feed, water and the shape of his day
Feeding information for a Quarter Horse on a first stay must be exact enough to follow without interpretation. Write the type and amount of hard feed by the scoop or measure you actually use, hay or haylage quantity and timing, supplements only as already listed on his record, and any grazing muzzle or restricted grazing arrangement. Lay out the day in order: morning check, feed, turnout, mucking out, exercise if agreed, evening feed and final check. Note water preferences such as buckets that must be scrubbed daily and automatic drinkers he ignores. If he is prone to gaining weight easily, say so directly and forbid extra treats except those you list, because a kind new carer with a pocket of carrots can undo a careful ration in a weekend.
Handling, exercise and yard rules
Handling notes for a Quarter Horse should describe how he actually behaves, not how a well-schooled horse ought to behave. Explain how he ties, leads through gateways, stands for grooming and tacking up, and whether he pulls back, barges or naps at the field gate. State the exercise you are authorising for this first period: in-hand walks, lunge work, ridden work in the school, or rest only, and name who may ride him if anyone. Cover rugging by weather and stable condition rather than by habit, and list yard rules on dogs, children, arena use and locking up. A boarder also needs the emergency gate and key arrangements written down, not demonstrated once and forgotten.
Health record and when to call
Health information for a first-time Quarter Horse carer should be a concise record, not a life story. Provide vaccination, worming, dental and farrier dates, the name of the vet practice and farrier, and any ongoing management such as soaked hay, dust-free bedding or limited turnout after rain. Describe his normal vital picture in words a layperson can use: how he usually eats, drinks, passes droppings and rests. Then set clear call thresholds: call you and the vet for refusal to eat, repeated rolling, laboured breathing, a hot swollen leg, a wound, or behaviour sharply unlike him. Make clear the carer should not wait until morning to report those signs.
A short trial and a written check-back
A first handover for a Quarter Horse works best with a brief overlap where the carer does the routine while you watch and correct small misunderstandings. Leave the written handover in the stable and ask for a daily message covering appetite, droppings, turnout and anything unusual, with a photo if something looks off. On your return, note what the carer found confusing and fix the sheet before the next stay rather than blaming the reader. When that handover lives in KinsLe, Care Pass lets the sitter see the current routine and essential contacts for the stay itself, so nothing depends on a scattered message thread.