Horse Agistment in Australia: The Complete 2025 Guide to Equine Agistment

What is horse agistment? How to get started and navigate the process in Australia?

The complete 2025 guide to equine agistment is your full comprehensive guide to understanding horse agistment in Australia. We discuss agistment fees, legal requirements, and agreements, as well as the process of navigating horse agistment.

What is Horse Agistment?

Horse agistment meaning: Horse agistment involves entrusting another individual, typically a facility or landowner, with the care and accommodation of your horse in exchange for a fee.

In Australia, agistment is offered by both dedicated businesses and private landowners, each providing different levels of care and facilities. Horse Agistment services can vary depending on the facility, services can range from feeding and washing to specialized training and veterinary care. Depending on the facility horses may be kept in large, shared paddocks with multiple horse, or smaller private paddocks depending on your needs. Both options provide access to fresh water, shaded areas, and safe fencing- essential for ensuring the well-being of horses.

In addition to the basic care, many agistment properties feature extra amenities such as outdoor and indoor arenas, round yards, jumping areas, tack rooms, training courses, and horse washing stations, making it easy for horse owners to find tailored solutions for their horses’ specific needs.

Horse agistment is a popular and practical solution for horse owners in Australia who may lack the resources or space to keep their horses on their own property.

Horse Agistment Terminology

• Licensee/Grazier: The owner of the horse who is seeking agistment.
• Licensor/Agistor: A landowner looking to make their property available for agistment.
• Bailee: The individual responsible for managing the agistment facility, overseeing the care, safety, and well-being of horses on the property.
• Agistment Agreement: A formal contract between the horse owner and the agistor, outlining the terms of care, responsibilities, fees, duration, and other important conditions for the horse’s stay.
• Lien: A legal claim that allows the landowner to retain possession of the agisted horse until any outstanding agistment fees are settled or the horse is sold.

The Pros and Cons to horse agistment

Pros to Horse Agistment:

• Professional Care: Agistment provides access to experienced caretakers who specialize in horse care, ensuring your horse receives consistent feeding, grooming, exercise, and health monitoring.
• Specialized Facilities: Many facilities offer additional amenities such as arenas, round yards, tack rooms, and training courses. These can provide your horse with more opportunities for exercise and development then you otherwise may have been able to provide.
• Convenience: Owners can rely on someone else to handle daily responsibilities like feeding, cleaning paddocks, and managing the horse’s well-being without needing to own or maintain the property.
• Social Interaction: In shared paddocks, horses have the chance to socialize, which can be beneficial for mental stimulation and companionship.

Cons to Horse Agistment:

• Costs: Agistment fees can be expensive, depending on the level of care and services provided. Prices vary based on the facility, location, and type of paddock (shared vs. individual).
• Travel and Transportation: Frequent transportation between your home and the agistment facility may be required.
• Limited Control: Horse owners may have less control over how their horse is cared for, as decisions about feeding schedules, exercise routines, and medical care are handled by the bailee.
• Potential for Stress: Horses may experience stress when moving to new environments or when separated from familiar surroundings. Some horses may take time to adjust to shared paddocks or new caretakers.
• Reliability of Care: Not all agistment facilities provide the same level of care. Finding a trustworthy bailee with consistent and high-quality service is crucial.

Horse agistment prices

The cost of agisting your horse in Australia depends on the level of care, location, and the type of services provided. Agistment can be broadly categorized into: Full Board, Part Board, and Spelling Agistment, each with varying costs.

Full Board Horse Agistment:

Full board agistment provides the most comprehensive care, ideal for competitive horse owners or those seeking premium services. This type of agistment typically includes:

• Two hard feeds daily, with hay provided.
• Night stabling and daytime paddock access.
• Rugging and un-rugging services.
• Use of high-quality facilities, such as arenas, wash bays, and access to instructors.
• Regular visits from veterinarians and farriers.
• Safe fencing and secure areas.

Cost: $140 to $300 per week, depending on location and amenities. Urban or high- demand areas will command higher prices.

Part Board Horse Agistment

Part board agistment is more affordable and suited for those who live nearby and can manage daily responsibilities. Services typically include:

• One feed per day (or feed provided by the owner).
• Shared or individual paddocks.
• Basic rugging services, like rugs off in the morning.
• Basic access to facilities like water hoses.

Cost: $60 to $160 per week, depending on the facility and proximity to urban areas.

Spelling Horse Agistment

Spelling agistment is a budget-friendly option for horses that need rest or retirement. Services are minimal, typically focusing on the horse’s basic care:

• Shared paddocks.
• Grass-fed diets supplemented with hay if necessary.
• Daily welfare checks.

Cost: $20 to $70 per week, with more affordable rates in rural areas.

Factors affecting horse agistment fees

Location

The proximity to urban centers or equestrian hubs significantly affects agistment prices. Facilities in high-demand areas, such as near major cities, typically charge premium rates, while rural properties offer more affordable options.

Facilities

The availability and quality of amenities play a crucial role in pricing. Facilities with arenas, round yards, training courses, and wash bays justify higher fees compared to more basic setups.

Care Level

Services like feeding, rugging, daily checks, and exercise directly influence costs. Full-service facilities naturally attract higher fees than more basic agistment or spelling options.

Horse Owner Needs

Agistment prices may be tailored to specific owner requirements, such as rehabilitation programs or access to specialized training facilities. These personalized services allow for adjustments to meet specific expectations.

Equine Agistment Agreements

It is recommended to ensure a suitable agistment agreement is made in writing before beginning your horse agistment. This is especially important when dealing with individuals rather than dedicated agistment businesses. Proper documentation helps protect both parties and ensures smooth management of horses.

A prior written agreement will ensure that are potential future disputes can be easily resolved.

Creating an Agistment Agreement:

A good agistment agreement will cover key aspects such as financial terms, care standards, dispute resolution, and potential impacts from events like fire, drought, or flood. It may also include clauses for liens, power of attorney, and procedures for selling horses if payment defaults.

Here is a Sample Basic Horse Agistment Agreement created by Agriculture Victoria.

Further Agreement Information:

Agriculture Victoria has created some references for agreement information, which you can find here:

• How the horse agistment lien legislation works
• Creating a lien under the Impounding of Livestock Act
• Written agistment agreement Guidelines

Navigating horse agistment laws

Who is responsible for the horse during agistment?

Both owners and landholders share responsibilities. Owners typically handle horse care and insurance, while landholders manage the property, notify owners of any issues, and maintain accurate records.

Create a written agistment agreement

A written agistment agreement is strongly recommended. This legal document should outline all terms, responsibilities, and specifics of care to provide clarity, minimize disputes, and ensure the protection of the horses’ welfare.

Liability and horse welfare

As a horse owner, you are responsible for any injuries, disease, or health issues that your horse may face while agisted.

It’s crucial to ensure the landholder provides a safe and well-maintained environment for your horse. If the landholder fails to meet their welfare obligations, you have the right to take action to ensure your horse’s well-being.

Prevent unpaid debts

Make sure that the contract protects your horse from being sold due to non-payment. Landholders often have legal rights under the Impounding of Livestock Act 1994, so ensure your contract clearly states that any sale of your horse will only occur after reasonable attempts have been made to recover outstanding debts.

Finding Horse agistment near me

Locating suitable horse agistment can often be done through local connections, online platforms, and community resources. One of the best ways to find nearby agistment properties is through word-of-mouth referrals, horse clubs, and equestrian groups.

Additionally, online platforms like Farmshare provide a convenient matchmaking service where horse owners can list their property for agistment, and potential agistors can search for the ideal space for their horses. Farmshare’s Map Tool provides a great way to search for horse agistments available across Australia. From the map you can search your proximity and compare agistments quickly. Access the Map Tool Here

Farmshare is a free agistment matchmaking service specifically designed for horse owners and landholders.