The school horse work card

The horse and the job he holds

• Write his barn name, age and years in the programAge drives almost every other line on this card. Note the year he joined the string too, because horses that have taught for eight seasons need reading differently than a horse in his second.
• State his job in one sentenceSomething like steady first year rider horse, walk trot and quiet canter, or confident intermediate horse for flatwork and cross rails. If two people in your barn would describe the job differently, that is the argument to settle now.
• Name the work he is not forBe explicit. No lunge lessons, no riders over one hundred and eighty pounds, not for nervous adults, no jumping over two feet. The exclusions prevent more trouble than the job description does.
• Record his usual tack and any fitting quirksBridle, bit, saddle and pad, plus anything that goes wrong when it is guessed at, such as the girth he needs or the bit he leans on. This is the line that saves a substitute twenty minutes.
• Note who owns himSchool owned, leased in, or a boarder horse loaned for lessons, with the terms in one line. Loaned horses often carry limits set by their owner, and those limits belong on this card, not in an email.

His weekly work ceiling

• Set a maximum number of lesson hours per weekPick a number you would defend to a vet: often ten to fourteen hours for a sound horse in his prime, less for a horse over eighteen or one carrying heavier riders. Write the number, not a range.
• Set a maximum for one dayThree hours in a day is a common ceiling and four is a hard stop for most school horses. A horse can be under his weekly number and still be wrecked by a Saturday where he goes out five times.
• Name his fixed days offAt least one full day off a week, written down, in the same place every week. Days off that float get eaten by makeup lessons, and the horse who never gets a Monday is the horse who is dull by August.
• Write his hot weather ruleState the temperature or heat index above which he drops to lighter or no work, and who makes that call by what time in the morning. Older and heavier horses need a lower trigger than the fit ones.
• Add any current restriction with an end dateHalf hours for four weeks after a rest, no jumping until the recheck, flat only on hard ground. A restriction with no end date turns into a permanent rumor nobody remembers the reason for.

Rider match rules

• Write the rider level band he takesUse your own barn levels, and give the top and the bottom. A horse can be wrong for a rider who is too advanced as easily as one who is too green, especially the honest ones who get dull under strong riders.
• Set a rider weight guidelineGive a number rather than a hint, based on his build, age and soundness. Having it written on the card lets an instructor say it is the horse's limit rather than making it about the rider standing in front of her.
• List the riders he is currently assigned toThree to six named riders who ride him most weeks. This is how you see at a glance that four of your beginners all want the same horse, which is a scheduling problem waiting for a hot Saturday.
• Note the handling he needs on the groundHard to catch in the far field, cranky at the girth, does not tie by the wash rack. Ground behavior is what surprises a new instructor, and it belongs next to the ridden notes.
• Say who is allowed to school himName the instructors or working students who can tune him up, and whether he needs a schooling ride weekly. Horses in a lesson string go backwards without one, and it is easier to protect that ride when it is on the card.

Watch list, rest and the exit plan

• List his three early warning signsThe specific things this horse does before he is properly sore or sour: short on the right at the trot, pinning ears at the mounting block, refusing to go forward for beginners. Every horse has a tell and the barn should know his.
• Record his soundness history in three linesOld injuries, chronic issues, and what makes them flare. Hard ground, deep footing, and small circles are the usual culprits. This is the line that keeps someone from lunging a horse with hocks that cannot take it.
• Set the review date for his ceilingTwice a year is enough for most horses, and quarterly once a horse passes eighteen. Put the actual date on the card so it happens rather than waiting until something goes wrong.
• Write the plan for stepping him downWhat lighter work looks like for him: fewer hours, beginners only, walk trot only, then lead line. Knowing the next step down makes the decision far easier when his body starts asking for it.
• Name his retirement plan and who is responsibleWhere he goes, who pays for him and who decides. A school horse who has taught your riders for a decade deserves that answered on paper before the day you need the answer.