Horse Agistment - How To Choose The Right Property

By Michelle Rudge

The phrase horse agistment comes from English law where, to agist, meant to take cattle to graze, for a remuneration. Back when agistment first came into practice it referred to the proceeds of pasturage in the king's forests. But for us, horse agistment basically means when a horse owner keeps their horse on land owned by someone else, for a fee. However, the terms, facilities and services of horse agistments vary widely.

The services offered by the different horse agistment operators can vary greatly, and offer plenty of benefits to both the horse and owner. These can range from things like spelling agistment, small group agistment and riding agistment all the way to things like full care agistment. Before you decide on where best to place your horse, there are some points to take into consideration. For example: paddock size, quality of pastures, seasonal range of grasses so that your horse has feed no matter what time of year (this will save you a lot in extra feed expenses). Is the fencing going to do it's job and not fall apart? Will it withstand the elements and keep your horse in its allotted field? Also, don't forget about sheltering, natural wind breaks and then things like shade and stables.

Quite a few horse agistment land owners will request that your horse be kept worm free prior to and during its stay so you need to also look into having that done on a regular basis. The land owners themselves will often carry this out for you as part of the contract. Likewise for things such as the horses dentistry and the like. So when it comes to horse agistment, factoring in all these things can take a huge burden off the horse owner, and if your lucky enough to find one, some horse agistment operators even offer some fun services to get the most of out of owning a horse. These include things like riding days where you can take your horse out for a ride with others.

It is ideal for you to visit the property first and inspect the facilities. It is also beneficial to know if there are experienced staff on site who can offer help and advice where needed. Do they have a passion for horses like you do and can you be confident that they will offer your horse the best care while you are not there. Many great properties adjoin forests or national parks where you can enjoy many riding trails, these are popular choices for horse owners.

So in conclusion, if you are looking into horse agistment, it does not matter which "side of the fence" you are on, there are plenty of things to discuss when it comes to drawing up the contracts. Unfortunately, these days, contracts are an essential for these kinds of things so make sure both parties are agreed on the responsibilities of each and that all costs, fees and pricing structures are double checked before signing. Not to mention things like contingency plans for natural disasters, like flooding and forest fires, all the way to things like procedures for unexpected illness, diseases and injuries of the animals in question. - 29953

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