Passport, studbook and identity records
Records for a Friesian horse start with the paperwork that proves who he is. Check the passport and any studbook or registration documents against the horse in front of you: name, age, sex, microchip number and description, remembering that Friesians are uniformly black with few markings, so photographs carry extra weight. Take clear images of his face, both sides, feather, mane and any small star or scar, and file seller, import or transport paperwork with the arrival date where it applies. Record height, weight-tape measurement and body condition by hand. Note his previous yard routine as the seller described it, labelled as reported, so later changes in behaviour or condition can be judged against his former life rather than guessed at.
Feeding, turnout and exercise log
Daily management records for a Friesian should capture a routine built around steady forage and measured work. Log hay or haylage amounts, grazing hours, hard feed type and measure, and any supplements already on his record, with dates for every change. Friesians are good doers with elegant movement that invites overfeeding and overworking in the first enthusiastic weeks, so record body condition beside the feed entries. Keep an exercise log from day one: in-hand work, lungeing, riding or driving, duration and footing, plus recovery and any stiffness the next day. Note turnout companions and stable routine. That combined log becomes the evidence base for adjusting his workload as fitness builds, instead of relying on how impressive he looks in the school.
Mane, feather and hoof care records
Coat and hoof records matter early for a Friesian because his presentation hides problems. Keep a mane and tail log: washing, conditioning or plaiting routines you use, products only as generic types, and hair breakage or rubbing noted with dates. Log feather checks on the lower legs, recording skin condition beneath the hair, any scabs, swelling or itching in plain words. Enter farrier visits with dates, shoeing or barefoot status, and hoof comments on growth, cracks or balance. Friesian hooves and legs carry a lot of horse at expressive gaits, so small dated notes on action changes, tripping or uneven wear are worth keeping. Photograph legs and feet at arrival to anchor those later comparisons.
Health file and professional contacts
Health records for a Friesian from day one should be registered, dated and honest about gaps. Register him with an equine vet, transfer or file vaccination, worming, dental and previous treatment history from the seller, and mark any period with no records as unknown. Keep a signs log for appetite, droppings, coughing, skin trouble, lameness or behaviour change, each dated with action taken and professional advice in the vet's own wording. Record routine dentist, vet and physiotherapy-type visits only as they happen. Put emergency contacts, yard directions and out-of-hours numbers at the front of the file. A calm, complete health file is what a new vet, insurer or future keeper needs, and it starts with these first entries.
Handling, tack and the file that follows him
Handling records finish a Friesian file begun on arrival day. Note how he leads, ties, loads, stands for grooming around his mane and feather, and behaves with other horses, traffic and unfamiliar people, updating entries as you learn him rather than copying the seller's description as fact. File tack sizes, rug weights, harness details if he drives, and storage locations. List regular handlers, emergency helpers, farrier, dentist and supplier contacts. Review the whole file after the first month and write a one-page summary of the horse you actually have. Stored in KinsLe, Pet Passport keeps this Friesian's studbook, care and health records in one packet that can follow him to shows, vets and new yards.