A loan goes well when both sides can prove what he looked like, what went with him, and what was agreed, without relying on memory months later. Build the pack in a set order — condition photographs labeled by entry, a tack and equipment list, the agreed terms settled in writing, and a copy of his health history — and assemble it from his records before he leaves, not the night before he travels. Assemble it from the Pet Passport records you already keep, so the photographs, list and terms join his existing history rather than starting from loose paper.
Condition Photographs That Can Settle an Argument
Photograph him standing square on level ground in good light, from his left side, his right side, the front and the back. Add close views of each leg and hoof, his teeth if he will allow it, and any marks, scars, lumps or old injuries, with a hand or a familiar object in one frame for scale where a mark is small. Take a short video of him walking and trotting in a straight line so his movement on loan day is on record. Label every entry plainly, such as Loan day, left side, or Loan day, near fore hoof, so nobody has to guess which photograph belongs to which moment. Photograph him again the same way on the day he comes home, and compare the two sets side by side before anyone argues about a new mark.
Walk around him together with the borrower before he leaves, point to the marks the photographs show, and have both of you note them on the pack. A mark both sides have seen and acknowledged cannot become a dispute later.
The Tack and Equipment List
List every item that travels with him: his saddle with its girth, stirrups and leathers, his bridle with its bit, any boots, his headcollar and lead rope, and every blanket, sheet and cooler he will need. Beside each item, note its condition in plain words — scuffs on a saddle flap, a repaired strap, a blanket with one patched tear — and note the fit details that matter, such as which hole his girth usually fastens on and which bit he goes in. Mark what must not be changed without asking you: a different bit, a tighter noseband, or another rider using his saddle on a different horse. Photograph the valuable items beside him. When he returns, unpack against the list, item by item, while the borrower is still there.
The Terms, Settled in Writing
A friendly loan still needs the hard points in writing, signed by both of you, covering the loan duration with its start and end, who pays which costs — feed, bedding, shoeing, routine vet visits and emergency care — and how a big emergency bill gets decided and divided. The writing must also cover insurance: whether he is insured, who keeps the policy running, and what happens if he is injured, becomes ill or dies during the loan. State the condition he should be in when he returns, what work he may and may not do, where he will be kept, whether he may be moved, and how either side ends the loan early, including how much notice is given and who arranges his transport home.
Add a copy of his health history to the pack: his vaccinations, dental work, worming, shoeing pattern, known conditions, past injuries and how they were treated, and his usual vet and farrier contacts. The borrower should read the whole pack before the loan is final, because a history that surfaces after he has moved helps nobody.
Keep the signed loan terms inside the Pet Passport file on KinsLe, where his photographs and equipment notes stay beside the agreement after he leaves.