Close the day by checking what happened against what you recorded. The aim is to leave no completed horse unbilled, no payment unallocated, and no canceled stop looking like finished work. Use this checklist with whatever record system you already have.
1. Reconcile the schedule with the actual visits
- Mark each stop as completed, partly completed, canceled, or still needing action using the statuses your system supports.
- Check horses individually at multi-horse stops. A finished barn visit does not necessarily mean every planned horse was seen.
- Give unfinished work a clear next action and review date. Do not mark it complete just to clear the list.
- Check that rescheduled appointments were moved rather than accidentally duplicated.
2. Match completed work to invoices and receipts
- Confirm horse names, service descriptions, materials, agreed charges, and the payer.
- Check whether each invoice was actually shared with the client.
- Apply payments to the correct invoice and leave partial balances open.
- Record any disputed item as an issue to resolve, rather than assuming it has been paid.
Fictional example: today's plan contains five horses. Four were serviced and one was canceled. Your records should show four completed service entries. Those four entries may appear on fewer invoices if owners share bills; invoice count alone is not a reliable check.
3. Finish the records you cannot reliably reconstruct
- Attach the correct date, horse, and context to service notes and relevant photos.
- Record actual trip distances and purposes; separate personal driving. Keep uncertain entries flagged for review.
- Save purchase receipts with a description of what they relate to.
- Note any client detail that changed, such as a new barn location or invoice recipient.
Use the printable mileage log and invoice template if you need a simple starting point. Neither replaces checking your entries.
4. Prepare tomorrow and protect today's work
Review addresses, the order of stops, confirmed appointment windows, the horses expected, and any work that requires a follow-up conversation. Send any necessary messages yourself and note what is still awaiting a reply. A due date in your own records is not a confirmed client appointment.
Check your backup or export routine regularly. Hoofy offers optional iCloud auto-backup and a sync-file feature in Settings. A file saved locally to iCloud Drive may still be uploading, so verify that your backup is available before relying on it. Know the recovery process before replacing or resetting your phone.
If you cannot finish everything
Capture the visit facts, charges, payments, and actual travel details first. Put each remaining action on a dated list: “confirm payer for Flint,” “send HF-104,” or “request receipt.” Specific actions are easier to finish than a single reminder to “do paperwork.”
Continue with weekly bookkeeping or the route-planning guide.