A 57-page field guide to the eleven months nobody prepared you for.

All of it stops at the sale. None of it tells you:
Whether the way he is acting in week two is normal or a problem
What board actually costs once the add-ons land
How to tell a call-in-the-morning from a call-right-now
What to do when he is suddenly awful under saddle and you have no idea why
Why you feel like you made a terrible mistake somewhere around week six

Part One: Before the trailer arrives. Paperwork, insurance, board details, nine pre-sign questions, and a sorted shopping list.
Part Two: Week one. Settling in, red flags, first-fortnight water problems, feed transitions, and baseline vitals.
Part Three: The first ninety days. A routine for working owners, the riding reality check, barn culture, and the month-two crash.
Part Four: The money. Real budgeting, ten forgotten first-year expenses, board increases, and emergency funds.
Part Five: Health and emergencies. Annual care, evidence-based deworming, triage lists, and vet communication.
Part Six: Tack and gear. Saddle fit, new versus used, and blanketing.
Part Seven: The hard parts. Injury, lameness spirals, burnout, and mismatch decisions.
Part Eight: The twelve-month calendar. Month-by-month tracking.
Part Nine: Eight printable worksheets including your horse’s baseline, real cost, boarding barn and vet/farrier interviews, emergency stall card, triage page, annual care calendar, and first aid checklist.