What Every Boarding Barn Emergency Contact Sheet Should Include

Published: August 27, 2026  ·  Category: Barn Management & Emergency Planning

During an emergency, people need the right information quickly. A clear contact sheet helps barn staff identify the horse, reach the right people, follow written care instructions, and document what happened. It should support the barn's emergency plan—not replace veterinary care or professional judgment.

Why an emergency contact sheet matters

Horse owners and barn staff may not be together when a problem occurs. A horse may be injured, ill, loose, affected by a storm, or waiting for transport while the owner is at work or traveling. Searching through old text messages wastes time and increases the chance that an important detail will be missed.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners recommends preparing emergency information before an emergency occurs. University of Minnesota Extension also advises keeping emergency contacts easy to find and making sure the people who may respond know where the information is located. The sheet should be readable, current, and available to the people who need it.

Start with the horse's identity

Begin with details that help staff identify the correct horse without guessing.

• Registered name, barn name, and any nickname used by staff.
• Age or birth year, sex, color, and distinctive markings.
• Stall, paddock, pasture, or other normal location.
• Microchip, brand, or other identifying information if the owner provides it.
• A recent photograph or written description kept according to the barn's privacy practices.

Use the same name and location information on the contact sheet, intake record, care instructions, and boarding agreement. Consistent names make a handoff easier when a different person takes over.

List the owner and backup contacts

Give staff more than one way to reach the person responsible for the horse.

• Owner or primary responsible person's full name, mobile number, and email.
• At least one backup contact who agrees to receive emergency messages.
• The best order for calling or texting contacts.
• Any time-of-day limitations or alternate numbers.
• The preferred method for sending updates, such as phone call, text, or email.

Ask owners to update the sheet when a phone number, email address, relationship, or emergency contact changes. A number that worked last year may not work when it is needed most.

Include veterinary and care contacts

List the professionals and people who understand the horse's normal care.

• Primary equine veterinarian, clinic, and emergency phone number.
• Farrier and any other professional the owner wants the barn to contact.
• Insurance company or agent, if the horse is insured and the owner wants that information available.
• Trainer, rider, or authorized manager when that person has a defined role.
• Preferred referral hospital or transportation contact, when one has been selected.

Confirm that the barn knows how its veterinarian handles after-hours calls. A contact sheet can point staff to the right professional, but it does not determine what treatment a horse needs.

Make daily-care instructions easy to find

Emergency information is more useful when it gives responders a short picture of the horse's normal routine. Keep detailed medical or treatment records in the appropriate secure record system, then identify where those records can be found.

• Normal feed, water, turnout, and medication instructions.
• Known allergies, restrictions, behavior concerns, or handling precautions provided by the owner or veterinarian.
• Blanketing, loading, catching, or mobility information that staff may need during a disruption.
• Special instructions for a horse that requires a particular stall, companion, diet, or schedule.
• The location of the current care plan and the person responsible for confirming it.

Write instructions in specific terms. “Handle carefully” is less useful than “use the red halter and have two trained staff members present,” if that is the owner's established instruction. Staff should not invent a care plan from a vague note.

Document decision authority clearly

Owners may want the sheet to explain who may make decisions if they cannot be reached. That information should match the boarding agreement, emergency authorization, and the barn's actual procedures.

If an owner gives instructions about emergency treatment, spending limits, transport, euthanasia, or release of the horse, record the instruction through the barn's approved written process. Ask the owner to review unusual or state-specific provisions with an appropriate attorney and to discuss medical decisions with the veterinarian. Do not assume that a note on a contact sheet answers every legal or medical question.

Tell staff how to communicate

A contact sheet should explain what happens after the first call.

1. Identify the person who first observes the problem and the manager or role who coordinates the response.
2. Record the time, horse, location, observable facts, immediate action, and people contacted.
3. Send updates through the agreed communication channel and note whether the message was received.
4. Record decisions, instructions, transport arrangements, and follow-up assignments.
5. Close the entry when the horse is stable, transferred, returned, or otherwise handed to the next responsible person.

Use observations rather than conclusions. “Horse was found lying down at 7:10 a.m. and owner was called” is more useful than “horse had a serious problem,” unless a qualified professional has made that assessment.

Protect and maintain the information

Emergency sheets contain personal contact details and may contain sensitive horse-care information. Keep the current copy where authorized staff can reach it, but do not post more personal information than the barn's policy requires. Secure digital copies and limit editing access.

Review each sheet at intake, after a move, when a professional or authorized contact changes, after an emergency, and on a regular schedule such as once a year. Remove old copies from binders, phones, and shared folders so staff do not use conflicting information.

Connect the sheet to the barn's emergency plan

A contact sheet is one part of a larger plan. The barn should also identify emergency roles, the location of first-aid and fire equipment, evacuation or shelter areas, trailer and gate information, utility shutoffs, and how staff will account for horses and people. University extension emergency-planning guidance recommends assigning clear roles and keeping contact information easy to access.

Walk through the plan with staff and boarders who may help. A short practice can reveal a missing phone number, locked binder, unclear gate key, or responsibility that was never assigned.

Boarding barn emergency contact sheet checklist

1. Identify the horse with matching name, location, and distinguishing details.
2. List the owner, backup contact, preferred communication method, and call order.
3. Add the veterinarian, clinic, farrier, trainer, insurer, and transport contacts as appropriate.
4. Summarize normal care, handling concerns, restrictions, and the location of detailed records.
5. Document decision authority through the barn's approved agreement and authorization process.
6. Explain who coordinates the response and how updates are recorded.
7. Store the sheet securely where authorized responders can find it.
8. Review and replace it when information changes and at least on the barn's regular review schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Who should have access to an emergency contact sheet?

Give access to the barn owner, manager, staff, and other people who may reasonably need the information during an emergency. Keep the sheet secure and limit personal details to what the response requires.

Should the contact sheet include medical instructions?

It may summarize normal care and point staff to the current care plan, but it should not replace veterinary records or professional direction. Keep detailed or sensitive records in the barn's approved record system.

How often should the sheet be updated?

Update it whenever the horse, owner, contact, veterinarian, location, or care plan changes. Review it after an emergency, after a move, when a professional changes, and on the barn's regular schedule.

Sources and further reading: American Association of Equine Practitioners: Be Prepared for an Equine Health Emergency; University of Minnesota Extension: Preparing for a Barn Disaster; University of Minnesota Extension: Creating Farm Emergency Action Plans.

This article provides general educational information. It does not replace individualized veterinary, legal, insurance, emergency-management, or privacy advice.

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