1. Basic Information

This is your starting point, and it is simpler than it sounds. Gather clear, recent photos of each animal along with their name, age, breed, gender, and any microchip number, tattoo, or other identification information.

If you have never done anything else on this list, start here today. It takes less than an hour and it matters more than you might think. When someone is trying to help your animals in a hurry, knowing exactly who they are dealing with makes all the difference.

2. Medical Records

Collect your veterinary history, including vaccinations, dental and hoof care records, current medications and dosages, known conditions, supplements, special dietary needs, and contact information for your veterinarian, farrier, dentist, shearer, and any other important care providers.

You do not want your animals to miss medications or care because no one knew they were needed. If your records are scattered or incomplete, your veterinarian's office can often help you pull together a summary. Do not hesitate to ask.

Once you have identified your emergency or permanent caretaker, ask your veterinarian to add a written authorization to your file allowing them to access your animals' records and communicate directly with your care team. See Section 8 for more on this.

3. Daily Care Details

Write down your feeding schedule including the type and quantity of hay, grain, and supplements, turnout and pasture arrangements, housing preferences, seasonal care needs such as blanketing or fly protection, and any behavioral notes related to daily handling.

Do not assume anyone else knows your routine. Write it as if explaining it to someone who has never met your animals. Every detail you include is another layer of protection for the animals you love.

This section is important for both emergency caretakers and permanent new homes. Consider printing it separately and keeping a copy somewhere accessible and safe in your
barn.

4. Temperament, Training & Skills

Note whether each animal leads and halters well, their comfort level with grooming and veterinary care, herd dynamics and bonded companions, whether they trailer willingly, and any special handling notes. If applicable, include whether they are trained to ride, drive, pack, or perform other work, and at what level.

This section will look different for every guardian depending on your animals' species and the life they lead, and that is exactly as it should be. A horse person and a goat person will fill this out very differently. What matters is that whoever steps in has a clear and honest picture of who your animals are and what they know.

5. History

Note how long each animal has been in your care, where they came from, and any significant life events such as illness, injury, or major transitions. Include any bonded companions they should remain with if at all possible.

This section is especially important if you have multiple animals and no single person would be able to take them all. A thorough history can ensure that bonded pairs and trios are not split up, and it can also keep everyone safe. If you know an animal does not trailer well, or has had significant medical challenges, saying so here protects both your animals and the people trying to help them.

An animal's history is part of who they are. Even a few sentences per animal can be an extraordinary gift to the person stepping in to care for them.

6. Your Animal's Introduction Document

Think of this as your animal's introduction to the world, a short, ready to share profile for each animal that can go out in an email or be handed to someone at a moment's notice.

For each animal include their name, age, species, breed, a recent photo, a brief description of their personality and needs, any bonded companions, and any special considerations a new caretaker would need to know immediately.

Keep it simple, keep it honest, and keep it current. This is the document that travels ahead of them. Make it count.

If you do not yet have family, friends, or an organization identified to help, this document becomes your most important tool. It tells your animals' story clearly and compassionately to someone who wants to help but needs to understand who they are taking on.

Review and update this document at least once a year or any time there are meaningful changes in your animals' health, care, or living situation.

7. Legal & Ownership Documentation

Gather registration papers, proof of ownership, and any transfer or surrender paperwork that can be prepared in advance. Having a written authorization in place that allows a trusted person to make decisions about your animals in an emergency is equally important and often overlooked.

While you are gathering these documents, contact your veterinarian and ask them to add a written authorization to your file allowing your designated emergency or permanent caretaker to access your animals' records and communicate directly with your care team. This small step is one of the most practical things you can do and is often forgotten until it is too late.

Keep all of these documents somewhere accessible, make sure at least one trusted person knows exactly where they are stored, and consider giving a copy to any organizations or individuals who may one day be involved in your animals' care.

Consider keeping a digital copy in a secure, accessible location such as a shared folder,
cloud storage, or email to a trusted contact, so your documents are never lost when they are
needed most.

8. Emergency & Permanent Caretakers

This is an important distinction. The person who can step in immediately in a crisis is not always the same person who would care for your animals long term, and that is completely okay. Both roles need to be named, prepared, and willing before you need them.

For your emergency caretaker, make sure they have access to your Daily Care Details. A printed copy posted and ready to go in your barn before it is ever needed is ideal. Add them to your veterinary account so they can communicate directly with your care team, and make sure your veterinarian has written permission on file to treat your animals if you cannot be reached. Consider also setting aside a small designated fund your emergency caretaker can access immediately, without waiting on legal or estate processes, so care never has to pause while logistics are sorted out.

For your permanent caretaker, share your animal's Introduction Document in advance so they know exactly who they are welcoming. The more they know before the moment arrives, the smoother the transition will be for everyone, most of all your animals.

For both roles, always name at least one backup. Life changes in ways none of us can predict, and the people we count on today may not always be available when they are needed most. A plan with a backup is a plan that can hold.

Please note that your emergency caretaker and your trusted contact may be two different people, each playing a critical and distinct role. See Section 11 for more on this important
distinction.

9. Rescue, Sanctuary & Rehoming Planning

Do not just make a list and put it in a folder. Take the time now to actually contact the organizations and individuals you are considering, introduce yourself and your animals, and ask honest questions about their capacity and intake process.

It helps to understand who you are reaching out to. Rescues typically rehome animals to new guardians. Sanctuaries typically accept animals for life but often have the least available space and the longest waiting lists. Retirement homes offer a boarding arrangement where animals are professionally cared for long term, often a meaningful option for guardians who have set aside funds for their animals' future care. All three play an important role, and knowing the difference matters enormously when time is short.

Private individuals, friends, family, and trusted neighbors are often the first people we think of when imagining who might step in. If you are counting on someone you know personally, have an honest conversation with them now. Make sure they are genuinely willing and able, that they understand what caring for your animals actually involves, and that they have thought through what would happen if they themselves faced an emergency. The person who loves you most may not be the person best positioned to care for a horse for the next twenty years, and knowing that now, while there is time to plan, is a gift to everyone involved.

Identify a first choice and a backup for both organizations and individuals. Follow their work, become part of their community, and support them when you can. Relationships built over time open doors that a cold call in a crisis often cannot. Please remember, earlier is always better than later. Giving the people and organizations who want to help you the time to prepare makes all the difference, most of all for your animals.

Check in with your contacts at least once a year. Lives change, organizations evolve, and a plan that was solid two years ago may need updating today. When you have identified your people and your organizations, prepare the legal and ownership paperwork from Section 7 in advance so that transitions, if they are ever needed, can happen as smoothly as possible.

10. Financial Planning

This section has a little more detail than the others, and intentionally so, because the financial piece is where most plans fall short. It is worth the read, because what follows may be the most important part of this entire guide.

Your best friend may love you deeply but may not have the resources to care for your horse for the next twenty five years. Organizations may want to help but are limited by the resources available to them. A designated fund to support your animals' future care, discussed in advance with those who may one day be stepping up, is one of the most practical and loving gifts you can give them, and it can make the difference between an organization being able to say yes or having to say no.

Please read the important note at the end of this section before making any financial or legal decisions.

Here are the most common options, organized in two groups, those that can protect your animals if you are alive but no longer able to care for them, and those that take effect when you pass away.

If You Become Incapacitated and Are No Longer Able to Manage Your Animals' Care:

Living trust that includes your animals. A living trust takes effect during your lifetime, which means it can protect your animals if you become incapacitated rather than only upon death. Assets held in a living trust transfer to the named trustee without going through probate, making funds accessible much sooner than funds distributed through a will.

Formal pet trust. Recognized in most states, though laws vary significantly by state, which is exactly why consulting an estate planning attorney in your state is so important. A pet trust is the most legally enforceable option and is especially worth considering for horses, donkeys, mules, and other animals with long lifespans and higher care costs. It can include very specific care instructions, a named caregiver, and a trustee to manage the funds. Importantly, a pet trust can protect your animals both if you pass away and if you become incapacitated and are no longer able to care for them. Consider providing a copy to any organizations or trusted contacts who may be involved in your animals' future care.

If You Pass Away:

Payable on death account. The fastest and simplest option. Open a dedicated savings or money market account funded specifically for your animals' care and name your emergency caretaker, permanent caretaker, or a trusted organization as the beneficiary. You can split the designation between multiple people or organizations. Funds transfer directly upon death with no probate, no waiting, and no legal process. The named beneficiary simply presents a death certificate to the bank. Please note that a payable on death account transfers only upon death and does not protect your animals if you become incapacitated. For incapacity planning, a living trust or pet trust is the stronger option. Please also see Section 11 for important information on obtaining death certificates and how your trusted contact can help facilitate this process.

Life insurance naming a trust or caretaker as beneficiary. If you do not currently have liquid assets to set aside, a life insurance policy naming your pet trust, designated caretaker, or a trusted organization as beneficiary is another meaningful path worth exploring. Payouts typically take weeks to a few months depending on the policy and claims process.

Provisions in your will. Including your animals in your will is important, but it should not be your only plan. Wills must pass through probate, which can take a year or more, and animals cannot wait. If your plan relies on funds passing through your estate, make sure a trusted person also has access to liquid resources in the interim so care never lapses while legal processes run their course.

We are not legal or financial professionals, and the options above reflect our own research as people who care deeply about animals and their futures. We share them in that spirit and encourage you to consult with an estate planning attorney, ideally one with experience in animal or agricultural law, to find the right fit for your situation. Laws vary by state and change over time. The information in this section was accurate to the best of our knowledge at time of writing but may not reflect current law in your state. Last reviewed: March 2026.

11. Trusted Contacts

Identify a spouse, family member, close friend, or trusted advisor who understands your wishes, has access to your records, and knows where your folders are stored. This is your first responder, the person who can step in immediately on your behalf, make calls to sanctuaries, rescues, and caretakers, and ensure your animals are never left waiting while the world figures out what comes next. Make sure your intentions are clearly communicated and in writing, not just understood informally.

Your trusted contact and your emergency caretaker may be two very different people, and that is completely okay. Your trusted contact does not need to know how to care for a horse. They need to know who does, where the records are, and how to pay the bills while  everything gets sorted. Make sure they have access to a dedicated credit card or emergency fund specifically for your animals' care, and that they are authorized on your veterinary account so they can communicate directly with your care team when needed.

Your trusted contact should also be prepared to obtain multiple certified copies of the death certificate, typically through the funeral home at time of arrangements or directly from your state's vital records office. Most financial institutions, insurance companies, and organizations require their own original certified copy. Eight to ten copies is a reasonable starting point.

Please note that the process for obtaining death certificates varies by state and circumstance. The information above reflects our general understanding and is intended as a helpful starting point. We encourage you to confirm the process in your state and discuss these practical steps with your estate planning attorney or funeral home in advance.

For every person you name in this plan, take the time to identify at least one alternate. Life changes in ways none of us can predict, and the people we count on today may not always be available when they are needed most. A plan with a backup is a plan that can hold.

Make sure your trusted contacts know where your digital and paper folders are stored, and review this entire plan together at least once a year.