You worry about your horse’s health every day. You scrutinize his diet, study his training regimen, and attend to every sniffle or swelling. Simply put, you take your responsibility as caretaker seriously. You might even have thought ahead about ways to ensure your horse’s good life during the golden years of his retirement. But have you stopped to consider what will happen to your horse if you die before he does?

While not many of us enjoy contemplating our own unexpected death, it’s an important consideration for any horse owner. If you don’t have a will, a court-appointed administrator will make all the decisions about what happens to your horse when you’re gone. And if you do have a will, but haven’t included your horse in it, your estate executor will be the one deciding your horse’s fate. In either case, the person in charge of your estate will have the power to do anything from selling your pal to having him euthanatized. Even in less extreme cases, the administrator or executor simply might not do what you would think is best for your horse.

With the help of equine lawyer Krysia Nelson of Charlottesville, Va., we’ll help you understand the important points to consider when putting your horse in your will. Even if you do have your horse in your will, these tips and cautions will help you make sure that the provisions you’ve made are as thorough and well-planned as possible