What is horse agistment?
Finding a suitable accommodation for your horse is an essential task that every horse owner needs to thoroughly evaluate. If you own or want to own a horse the first thing that you need to consider is where you will keep it since it is not every individual who can afford to have a homestead or facility that is appropriate. There are two main methods through which horse owners can use to provide suitable lodging for their horses - spelling or agistment.
Definition horse agistment
Agistment can be defined as when another individual rather than the horse owner takes in the horse and takes care of it and the horse owner is supposed to pay a certain set amount. The amount paid by the horse owner should cater for the accommodation and other extra services that will be given to the horse such as feeding, washing and training. The horse will be kept at a certain area which will be selected by the horse owner known as a paddock or stall. There are two main types of paddocks available; the large shared paddocks or the smaller individual paddocks. In the large shared paddocks several horses are kept in one stall while in the individual paddock only a single horse stays there. The prices for the two types of paddocks vary. Both the private and the shared paddocks in agistment have access to constant flow of fresh water and areas that have shades to protect them when the sun is too hot. To keep the horses safe and secure the paddocks should have well established perimeter fences electric ones if possible are the safest. It is also the responsibility of the care givers at the agistment facility to ensure that the horses are thoroughly exercise and in case of a medical condition or situation the veterinarian is contacted immediately.
The individual in charge of the facility where horses are kept in agistment is known as a bailee. The bailee is required to have accommodation facilities within the agistment facility from where they can be able to keep track of the horses 24/7. Sanitary facilities such as bathrooms should also be available within the facility. Them being on the property makes it easy to perform tasks such as the regular feeding and surveillance of the animals at all times. Some of the standard agistment facilities contain extra facilities such as outdoor arenas, indoor arenas, round yards, jumping areas, tack rooms, training courses and horse washes.
