Community Rules

Our rugging policy is designed to work with the horse's natural biology. The optional rugging period is intentionally scheduled to allow for full winter coat maturity. This ensures horses have the opportunity to naturally acclimatise and develop their own insulation before external layers are introduced.

• Optional Period: Rugging is optional from 1 June to 30 August. Exceptions are made for young, elderly, or underweight horses who may require rugging outside of this period (exceptions to be discussed with the agistor in advance). 

• Daily Monitoring: If you choose to rug your horse during the optional period, ensure daily checks to adjust or remove the rug based on weather conditions.

• Automatic Removal: To prevent horses from overheating, rugs may be automatically removed each morning if the forecast daytime temperature is 15°C or higher and there is less than 5mm of predicted rain.

• Selection: Please choose rugs based on the highest forecasted daytime temperature, not the lowest night-time temperature.

• Vision Restriction: Hoods that limit a horse's vision are strictly prohibited.

• Removal Fee: A $5 handling fee applies for each rug removal.

• A routine fecal egg count (FEC) / worming program is implemented: To reduce chemical resistance, all deworming is guided by the horse’s natural parasite burden and seasonal cycles, following the direct advice of WormCheck Australia.

• Check-Before-Treat System:

  • Independent Testing: Assessments are performed by WormCheck Australia to identify "high parasite shedders" and ensure horses are only treated when necessary.

  • Agistee Responsibility: The cost for FEC testing is passed directly to the agistee and must be paid at the time of sample submission.

• Targeted Parasite Control & Containment:

  • Sacrifice Paddock Requirement: To protect main grazing areas from parasite eggs, horses must be moved to the sacrifice paddock for the duration of their worming treatment.

  • Autumn Foundation: While timing is seasonal, a "foundation" deworming is generally recommended in late Autumn (mid-April to June) to target bot flies and encysted strongyles.

  • Tailored Strategy: Results from the FEC are used to determine the specific deworming product required for each individual horse (e.g., using Equest for strongyle "clean-outs").

• Missed Worming Date: Owners unable to perform required worming within one week of the scheduled seasonal date will have their horses wormed by the agistor at an additional cost of $35 (handling fee + worming paste).

• Natural Hoof Care: Natural hoof care is encouraged.

• Regular Trimming: Regular hoof trimming is mandatory, with a maximum interval of 12 weeks between trims. Untrimmed hooves will be addressed by the centre farrier at the owner's expense ($50 handling fee + farrier charges).

• Metal Shoes: Metal Shoes are not permitted on the back hooves except for:

  • Semi-private paddocks.

  • Medically necessary situations upon veterinarian recommendation.

• Weed Prevention: To protect our paddocks from invasive weeds often found in external hay, feeding hay is strictly prohibited inside any paddock area.

• Laneway Feeding: You are welcome to feed hay in the laneways.

• Ground Cover Protection: To keep the laneway grass healthy, please avoid feeding in the exact same spot every day. Moving your feeding site slightly each time prevents "dead patches" and soil compaction.

For horses that require supplemental forage beyond our standard pasture grazing (e.g., underweight, senior, or those requiring extra metabolic heat), we offer a dedicated Sacrifice Paddock option.
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• Ad-Lib Hay Access: This paddock is the only designated area on the property where hay may be fed in the paddock to support natural thermoregulation and weight maintenance.

• Agistee Responsibility: Use of this paddock is conditional upon the agistee providing and maintaining a continuous supply of a round bale.

• Manure Management: To manage parasite loads and soil health in a high-traffic area, agistees using this paddock are responsible for frequent manure removal.

• Eligibility: This paddock is intended for horses with genuine nutritional or thermal needs. Placement is subject to availability and agistor agreement.

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• Manure Removal: Agistees are requested to remove manure from the main driveway, gravelled areas, and near the tie-up yards. Please dispose of the manure by scattering it under a nearby tree.

• Tidiness: Please do not leave carrots or empty feed buckets around the sheds or laneways near the house. This attracts rodents which in turn attracts snakes, and we want to avoid adding risk when we have Bailey around these areas.

Please park in the designated area near the main shed. To protect the property, the following access rules apply:​

• Laneway Access: You are welcome to drive down the laneway toward the back paddocks (up to the far side of the tennis court) only when conditions are firm and dry.

• Fire Season Restriction: Regardless of how dry the ground is, no vehicles are permitted on the laneways during the declared Fire Danger Period. Hot exhausts pose a significant risk to dry grass, so we ask that everyone sticks to the main parking area during these months.

• Winter & Wet Weather: During the winter months or periods of heavy rain, the laneways are closed to vehicles. The track becomes very slippery, particularly on the incline, making it easy to get stuck.

• No Driving in Paddocks: To protect the ground, please do not drive vehicles into any paddocks. This includes driving across the paddock to the agistees' storage shed; please park and walk to your storage area.

• Vehicle Recovery: Any vehicles that become stuck will require external towing at the owner’s expense.

• Fire Plan: For the safety of everyone on the property, please ensure you have read and understood our Fire Plan. Following these protocols is essential, as the machinery shed and stables are not safe shelters during a fire.

• Halters: Remove all halters before turning horses loose in the paddock. This prevents entanglement hazards.

• Feeding: Do not feed horses in the shared paddocks together. This reduces competition and potential aggression while promoting a calmer environment.

• Stables:

  • Emergency and Veterinary Care: Available for use during emergencies or veterinary care only. Agistees must obtain prior permission from Agistors before using the stables for these purposes.

  • General Use: Prohibited at all other times.

• Farm Sheds:

  • Entry Restricted: Entry to farm sheds is strictly prohibited.

• Temporary Use: Yards are available if you need a secure area for a short period, such as for health checks or grooming.

• Horse Comfort: Please ensure your horse has access to food and water if they are staying in the yard for any length of time.

• Returning to Paddock: For the horse's wellbeing, we ask that they are returned to their paddock once you have finished your visit.