Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
19 Records
G
ood records will help you take better care of your horse and run a better horse operation.
They are necessary if you will be claiming your horse operation as a business. In order for
records to be useful, they need to be complete and accurate. Your record-keeping system
should be designed with your personal habits in mind. If you make your forms easy to use
and locate them in convenient places, you are more likely to make entries on a regular basis.
Your record forms should be simple, but this does not mean using a single sheet of paper to
record everything about your farm!
Categorize and organize the types of information you wish to record. You might want to
use a recipe box with file cards, a spiral or ring binder specially designed for horse records,
a computer software program, or a combination.
Management Records
Whether your horse venture is a hobby or business, you should keep accurate, complete re-
cords on health care, farrier work, training, and breeding.
Jotting everything on a calendar just doesn't work. Using a calendar to remind you of up-
coming appointments and events is fine, but you will also need a place to record the various
details related to horse ownership and care. A 5-inch by 8-inch card file works well. You can
make dividers for each horse and subdivide these further into categories (for example, vet,
training, farrier).
In the event of an emergency, you should always have a current set of feeding instructions
that are easy for anyone to understand. An erasable board in the feed room works well for
this.
In addition to daily records, you should keep a file folder on each horse to store documents
such as a breeding certificate or bill of sale, registration papers, brand inspection, tattoo,
freeze brands, permanent identification records (including photos and written description in-
dicating height, weight, scars, brands), pedigree, and insurance policies.
Financial Records
If you are pursuing your horse endeavor as a business with profit intent, you should work
closely with a tax counselor who has experience with farm accounts. You will have to keep
