Handing a Tennessee Walking Horse to a sitter means handing over a gaited horse's particular routine, not a generic feeding list. The log that works is dated, follows the day in order, and includes the two checks specific to this breed — the state of the shoes and the quality of the gait — because both change what a sitter should do next.
Feeding, forage, and the easy-keeper warning
Write each meal exactly as it is made up: feed type and measured amount, forage quantity, and feeding times. Many Walking Horses gain condition readily, so the log should state grazing hours plainly, note if a grazing muzzle is used, and instruct the sitter not to add treats or extra handfuls from other horses' bins. Supplements are listed against the feed they go into. If the horse is shod for showing or kept on a particular shoeing cycle, note the farrier's next due date on the log so a sitter who spots a problem knows whether the farrier is expected soon anyway.
Turnout, water, and daily checks
The daily entries run morning to night: breakfast eaten or left, rug on or off for the forecast, turnout field and time out, water buckets cleaned and refilled or drinker checked, evening feed, and the horse settled for the night. Water gets a recorded check rather than a tick of faith, since a drop in drinking across two written days is a pattern a memory misses. Add a feet line — all four picked out, shoes checked by hand for movement or a raised clinch — because a Walking Horse with a loose shoe should be kept in or walked only in hand, never ridden out, until the farrier comes.
The gait note after exercise
If the sitter is exercising the horse, the log asks for one short sentence afterwards about how the horse moved: the running walk smooth and even, or a change — pacing instead of walking, forging, stumbling, or reluctance on a familiar trail. A sitter does not need to diagnose anything; they need to write the change down the day it happens and phone you if the horse feels wrong, shortens stride, or comes back sweating unevenly or breathing hard for the work done. If the horse is not to be ridden while you are away, the log says so in plain words, with in-hand walking and turnout as the stated exercise instead.
Observations, thresholds, and contacts
Daily lines for appetite, droppings, and manner sit alongside the routine: a Walking Horse who leaves feed, produces far fewer droppings, or stands dull and apart is telling the sitter something worth a phone call. The call-the-vet thresholds are printed on the log — not eating, repeated pawing or rolling, no droppings, a hot swollen leg, or a shoe torn half off — with the vet's and farrier's numbers beside them and your own number at the top. Sharing that complete routine through KinsLe's Care Pass gives the sitter temporary clear access to the Tennessee Walking Horse's care details while you are away, and the dated log they keep becomes the record you read on your return.