New Horse Onboarding Checklist for Boarding Facilities

First Impressions Are Set at Intake

The way you handle a new horse's arrival tells the owner a great deal about how you'll handle everything else. A smooth, organized intake process builds confidence. A chaotic one, where paperwork is missing, stall assignments aren't ready, or staff don't know the horse is coming, signals to the owner that their horse may not be in the best-managed place.

A standardized new horse onboarding checklist ensures that nothing is missed regardless of who handles the intake, and that every horse starts at your facility with a complete, accurate record from day one.

Before the Horse Arrives

Confirm the arrival date, time, and any hauling arrangements. Prepare the stall: clean and bedded, water bucket full and hung, any required feeding equipment in place. Review the horse's basic information provided during the booking process and enter it into your management system so the profile exists before the horse arrives.

Send the owner a list of documentation to bring: current Coggins test (most facilities require a negative test within 12 months, some require 6), current vaccination records, a completed health history form, the signed boarding agreement, and the deposit. Don't wait until the horse is already in the stall to discover that any of these are missing.

Intake Paperwork Checklist

Signed boarding agreement with effective date
Deposit received and receipted
Negative Coggins test, dated and verified
Current vaccination records reviewed and entered into health record
Health history form: past illnesses, injuries, surgeries, chronic conditions
Current medications list with prescribing vet information
Feed and supplement program as specified by owner
Farrier information and last appointment date
Primary veterinarian name and contact
Emergency contact 1 and 2 with name, relationship, and phone numbers
Authorization for emergency veterinary care
Any special handling notes (horses that are difficult to catch, needle-shy, require a specific halter)

The Horse's Care Card

The care card is a concise one-page summary of everything a staff member needs to know to care for that horse on any given day. It's distinct from the full health record, which is detailed and comprehensive. The care card is what you read at 6 a.m. to feed and turn out the horse correctly.

A care card includes: horse name, stall number, owner, primary contacts, feeding program (exact hay and grain), supplements by name and dose, turnout group or individual turnout, blanket program, any standing medications, any veterinary restrictions currently in effect, handling notes, and anything else operationally relevant to daily care.

The care card should be complete before the horse's first morning at the facility. It should be accessible from the management system on a staff member's phone, not handwritten on a card tucked in the stall that gets wet, damaged, or lost.

First-Week Monitoring

New horses in a new environment are stressed. Transport, unfamiliar surroundings, new herd dynamics, different water, and different hay can all contribute to physiological changes that put the horse at elevated risk for colic, respiratory illness, and behavioral issues in the first week.

Assign a staff member to monitor the new horse specifically during the first week. Daily observations should note: appetite (is the horse eating both feeds fully?), water intake, manure output and consistency, vital signs if any concern arises, social behavior in the paddock, and overall demeanor. Log these observations in the horse's health record every day for the first seven days.

Alert the owner to any observation outside of normal, even if it's minor. Owners of new horses are anxious during the transition. Proactive communication, even a simple "Ranger ate well and settled into the south paddock today," builds trust far more than silence.

Trial Period Management

Many facilities operate with a formal or informal trial period for new horses, typically 30 days. The trial period serves two purposes: it lets you assess whether the horse integrates well with your herd and facility, and it lets the owner assess whether the facility meets their expectations.

Define the trial period terms in the boarding agreement: duration, what happens if either party ends the agreement during the trial, whether any refund of deposit applies, and what the notice requirement is. A clearly defined trial period prevents ambiguity about what the first month's commitment actually means.

At the end of the trial period, do a brief check-in with the owner. Ask how the transition has gone from their perspective. Share any observations from the first month that are relevant to the horse's ongoing care. This conversation sets the tone for a long-term boarding relationship and gives you early warning if the owner has unresolved concerns before they escalate.

Setting Up Owner Portal Access

Within the first 24 to 48 hours of arrival, set up the owner's portal access in your management system. Send them login credentials and a brief orientation on how to view their horse's care record, daily updates, and invoices. The sooner owners are in the portal, the sooner they start getting value from it, which reduces the volume of status calls and reinforces your facility's professional image.