A care log is the difference between a sitter guessing at a Quarter Horse's routine and following it. Quarter Horses thrive on consistency, and their risks while an owner is away — a feed change made casually, early colic signs missed by someone who does not know the horse — are exactly what a dated, written log prevents.
Feeding and forage, written as amounts
Log each feed as the sitter will measure it: which feed, how many scoops or what weight, soaked or dry, and at what times. Quarter Horses are frequently easy keepers, so write the forage instruction just as precisely — how many hay nets or what weight of hay, whether grazing is limited, and an explicit note if the horse wears a muzzle in the field. Add the rule that protects this breed most while you are away: no extra treats, no borrowed feed from a neighbouring horse's supply, and no changes if the horse looks well. Supplements go on the log with their amounts and which feed they belong in, so nothing is doubled or skipped.
Turnout, water, rugs, and exercise in daily order
Structure the log as the day runs. Morning: feed given and eaten, rug adjusted for the day's weather, turnout time and which field or pen. Midday where applicable: water checked and topped up, hay checked for a stabled horse. Evening: horse brought in, legs and feet checked, evening feed, stable skipped out and bedded. Water deserves its own line rather than an assumption — buckets or drinkers cleaned, level noted — because a horse quietly drinking less is one of the earliest signs something is wrong, and only a written daily note reveals the trend.
Exercise instructions should be explicit about what the sitter is and is not being asked to do: in-hand walking, turnout only, or ridden work if the sitter is an experienced rider you trust, with the tack and the route described. If the Quarter Horse is resting an injury or on box rest, the log carries the current stage of that plan in bold terms.
The observation lines that catch problems early
Ask the sitter to record, each day, appetite, droppings, and general manner in a line or two. A Quarter Horse who normally finishes every scrap leaving half a bucket, droppings notably fewer or looser than yesterday, or a horse standing apart from field companions should be written down and phoned through the same day, not saved for your return. Note any new lump, scuff, heat in a leg, or a lost shoe on the day it appears. Include the thresholds plainly: the signs that mean call the vet first and you second — not eating, pawing or rolling repeatedly, no droppings, or obvious lameness — with the vet's number printed on the log itself.
Contacts and the return handover
The log's front page holds the contacts: your mobile, the vet, the farrier, and a local horse person who can help in person. When you return, the completed log is the handover — you read the week as it actually happened, spot the day the appetite dipped, and file it with the horse's records. Handing the whole routine over through KinsLe's Care Pass gives the sitter temporary, clear access to the Quarter Horse's feeding, turnout, and contact details for exactly the days you are away, and the log they keep completes the picture when you are home.