Hay and water: keeping your arrangements clear

Identify the supply

Keep enough detail to identify the forage being used and contact the supplier about it. Record missing information as unknown.

• Supplier name and contact details.
• Forage type, delivery date and quantity received, with its unit.
• Batch, field or cutting reference, where supplied.
• Storage location and how this delivery can be distinguished from other stock.
• Any analysis report, with the sample date and the supply it relates to.

University of Minnesota Extension explains that a hay analysis depends on the sample submitted. Keep that connection clear when discussing a report; do not silently apply an older report to a different supply. University of Minnesota Extension: Selecting and storing hay

Keep the feeding arrangements with the supply

Copy the existing amount, unit, timing, feeding location and preparation instructions. Keep the name of the person who advised you and the date of their advice.

If soaking, steaming or another preparation method is part of those instructions, retain the exact directions you were given. Check missing details with the source instead of supplying your own duration or method.

Keep any agreed change with its starting date and any stated end or review date. A new delivery does not itself establish a new feeding amount.

Keep stock counts understandable

Record what is in storage, the unit used and when it was counted. Keep orders and expected deliveries separate from stock already received.

If you record a weight, say whether it was measured or supplied by the seller. Do not convert a bale count into kilograms using an assumed bale weight.

Multiplying an existing daily amount by a chosen number of days gives a stock total for that plan. It does not decide the feeding amount or account for changes and wastage unless those are separately recorded.

Make the water arrangements clear

The British Horse Society recommends a continuous supply of fresh, clean water. Keep the practical arrangements for providing it clear to everyone responsible. British Horse Society: Feeding horses

• The water source and drinking points available to the horse.
• Who is responsible for the agreed checks, cleaning and refilling.
• Where equipment is kept and how to report a problem.
• The agreed alternative supply if the usual source is unavailable.

When recording a check, describe what was observed and what was done, with the time and person. Finding a fault and repairing it are separate events.

Water available, water added and water seen being drunk are different observations. A refill record does not establish how much an individual horse drank.