Paper work, there has got to be a better way!

[Frankie]

For those of us that are the absolute worse at doing horse paperwork, there has got to be a way to help us meet deadlines and keep things up to date.

A few years ago this was a thread, and some members gave some great advice. Some of it I did take, and it helped for about 2 months. And then.........I was behind yet again.

Well, it actually has gotten worse.

Moved to TN 7 months ago, and have not seen paperwork since. So we all know what that means, out of sight out of mind and nothing to do. Yeah right!

I did organize it, put in folders as to what is due in what month, what is due by horses age and it has stayed organized as I have done not a dang thing with it.

I guess I must accept that I am one of those that hate paperwork with a passion and I will just have to sit and suffer, and get it done. Once I find it that is.

So, get me jump started here, what to I have due coming up? If it's a big list, maybe shorten it to what is due the next few months so me and the dogs aren't drowning in the paper.

I know, no one particularly likes to do it, but it has to be done. So I am going to go get it done!!

Maybe after the colts game.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

Im the complete opposite, I obsess over paperwork! LOL! I can think of a few important things that are coming up, I am sure there are others but here it goes. Stallion reports are due by Jan 15 and Futurity nominations for AMHR are due March 1st. And very importantly, go through every single one of your horse's papers and find those that are to be made permanent this year!!!! If they are AMHA to be permanent go ahead and send for the DNA kits so you can get those in and done so you dont have to worry about the dna when the date to send in the temp to perm comes along. It just helps to do part of it earlier to me.

How I remember what needs to be done is when a foal is born, I register it not long after. When I am done breeding for the year, I fill out my stallion reports and send them in, instead of waiting until last minute. And January 1st I figure out who needs brought permanent, dna'd, or anything else, plus this year I am deciding who all to nominate for the Futurity because I might try it since it will be my first year showing at Nationals with any luck!

Hope this helps at least a little bit.

 

[Joanne]

We keep a master list of all the current horses alphabetically by their names that included their birth date an registration numbers. VERY helpful to determine who is going permanent an dfor filling out stallion reports etc.

I yellow mark the (now 3 year olds) horses that will go permanent this year and as we approach their birthdays I know to havbe them trimmed and get a current measurement and new photos and send them in.

New foals registration papers are sent in as quickly as I get them named and get photos taken.

There are now some amazing software programs that help you keep track of your ranch using not only your computer, but your smart phone as well.

Simply amazing !!

 

[sedeh]

I do pretty good keeping up on the horse's paperwork and registration. But then I have a small herd so it's easier!! What I'm horrible at and procrastinate the most about is my accounting paperwork!! I swear every year that I'm going to keep up with it but every year it's the same...got this pile of receipts to wade through and log in! I'm sure I miss stuff this way too.

 

[weerunner]

My only suggestion is to learn to love your paperwork. I fill out foal registration forms the day I breed my mares. LOL. Then when the foal is born I just have to fill in it's name (if I haven't already done that) and it's sex. My foals are registered way before they are weaned.

STallion reports are filled out as the mares are bred and once the last one is bred it is sent off (usually in October or so).

Transfers are filled out on my part as soon as I know I am buying or selling a horse so when they person comes to take the horse home or I go to pick one up all is needed is a height verification and the owner/buyers signature.

I'm a little insane about paperwork because I just love knowing my minis are all registered properly in MY name.

So find a way to love it and dont procratinate, you will feel content that it is all in order.

 

[Minimor]

I find it easier to keep up with the paperwork so that it is up to date than to let it get behind and then have to play catch up.

Stallion reports can be filed anytime up to Jan. 15th but I figure why wait until the very last day? I send mine in late in the fall. Foal registrations are the same--I like to have them in by late October; there's really no point in my waiting until the end of the year, and I sure don't want to wait until the new year & have to pay higher fees. Same thing with permanent applications--I like to send them in as soon as possible after the horse's birthday, and then they're done. Transfers....I like to do them as soon as I get them, that way the horse is in my name. If, heaven forbid, something were to happen and the papers got destroyed (house fire for example) then it's a simple matter for me to send in the paperwork to get the papers replaced...if they haven't been transferred yet then I'm going to have to go back to the seller & have them sign the form to get duplicate papers, and then provide me with another transfer. Much easier if I can just do it all myself, though of course I have to hope that this is never actually an issue!!

I can see where people with 75 or 100 or more horses might need to make lists to keep track of which horses need which paperwork done when, but for smaller herds I wouldn't think it's that hard to remember. We have 30+ here and I can tell you in an instant that I have 4 to bring permanent this year. There will, hopefully, be one registration and shortly one transfer, and that will be it for this year. I don't need to think about what should have been done last year, because that is all taken care of and done with.

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

I do my paperwork long way before due, stallion reports and breeders certificates are done at the same time and out of the way right after the Nationals, same as the Futurity nominating and sustaining paperwork, mine is already done last week over the Christmas holiday and all I have to do is write out the checks for the different divisons. As far as keeping up who is going permament, I have a list that I keep in my main file and have the registration number, Date of Birth, measured height and so on for my easy findings of who needs what done..when, makes things a whole lot easier to keep things straight with 24 horses here not counting the foals that will be arriving starting in 2 months. I also have the same list in my briefcase that take to shows to have all the information handy for filling out the forms at the first shows for measuring purposes.

As far as paperwork on our end..it is a must thing due to we have a working farm with crops, Texas Lornghorns and horses plus we both work full time jobs other than the farm work.. so it is a absolute must to keep things straight for tax purposes for the end of the year, plus our accountant really likes us keeping things easy for her too with receipts.

You will just have to get into some type of routine and try to stick with it, everyone does something different, you will just have to see what works best for you. I hate putting things off and pretty much ahead of the game of things.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

I keep our horses organized - somewhat on a spreadsheet.

It has age, dob, registered name, ranch name, registration #'s A/R/PtHA, DNA/PQ, height, color, parents registered names.

The spreadsheet is color/text coded for sale, perm that year, sex, DNA pending, etc. I have separate ones for breeding, foaling, trimming, etc. Eleven years worth of info - lol!

Also each horse has a file for any related papers (registration, DNA, medical, photos, etc.) and individual files on my PC for all their photos, progency, parents, other info, etc. This eventually (past owned) gets transferred to disk with only current horses kept on my PC.

As we've run from small at 10 Minis to caring for (not owned) up to 150+ at one time (currently at 53), it is the only way to stay on top of things for me. I've tried some of the programs out there and the ones I've seen were more for a boarding facility and didn't work for me.

All of this DOESN'T keep me from procrastinating on actually doing paperwork, though.

My biggest issue has and still is, getting photos taken. I did send in the majority of overdue and late paperwork finally - this has been my year of catch up and feels like a burden being lifted - lol!

All that life throws at us doesn't help staying on track.

 

[lil hoofbeats]

WOW Pam!!! you are my hero!!!! your orginization skills are increadible! I have never seemed to be good at paperwork, i absolutely would rather be tarred and feathered than do it! after many axiety attacks and several adult beveragese to self medicate, i somehow manage to get my stallion reports sent in on the absolute LAST DAY POSSIBLE!! As far as the mares and stallions being brought perm?? Who ever came up with the Coupon for wiaved late fees, must have had me in mind!!!!! Two thumbs up to that person!!!

 

[Performancemini]

My biggest pet peeve with the paperwork is the photos when you are transferring a horse with papers that need the photo update in "fuzzy" season. They ask for a clean, groomed horse so the markings show (which well they should); but clean on some coloring is difficult in the season and with all the "fuzzies" your horse looks "yuck"!

Guess the best bet is to wait til you can clean 'em up better or clip! :yeahBut I'm always antsy to get the paperwork done! Oh well.

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

Thanks Julie....for the comments....

One of the biggest reasons that I have everything pretty much in a organized manner with the farm is... my day job is working in the quality control department being assistant to the Quality Control manager at a machine shop. I handle all the documentation paperwork for the jobs that are fabricated and shipped out to various companies being either Nuclear Power Plants located all over the USA, Mexico, Tokyo and other countries and with producing some other type of close tolerance components that we have the customers quality engineers go over all my documentation before shipping out the resulting product to site for re-fueling schedules and deadlines to be met and without any typo's and errors on everything from start to finsh. The last job that we just finished up in the middle of December was a document package consisting of 6 inches of paper, which is basically a owners manual for the nuclear reactor that is being refurbished in Mexico. My job pretty much carries over to my book and computer work for us at home with the farm being as organized as possibe.