Horses are kept under a variety of conditions, from extensive grazing in unfenced wilderness to intensive housing in individual stalls.
The code of practise for the the basic needs of horses, irrespective of the husbandry system, including:
An agistment property owner should record the full name, street address and contact telephone number of the owner of every horse agisted on their property.
A written agreement defining the conditions of the agistment should be made between the horse owner and the agistment property owner. The agreement should state the fee, the service to be provided, the name of the person responsible for supervision and provision of feed and water, the steps to be taken should the horse become sick or be injured, and a contingency plan for emergency situations such as fire, flood or disease outbreak.
The owner of the agistment property should advise the horse owner of the persons responsible, and the provisions made for safety and care of the animals, the supply of feed and water, the treatment of injured or ill horses, general paddock maintenance, and routine measures for control of parasites and prevention of overstocking.
A wide variety of agistment is available for horses and, usually, the degree of care and attention given to agisted horses is in direct proportion to the fee charged.
Low cost agistment on pasture is satisfactory, providing all welfare requirements are met.
Agistment agreements may also include supervision, rugging, grooming, stabling, individual feeding, removal of manure and provision of a high standard of facilities and management.