I realised over the weekend that I didn't really know why we agist alpacas, or to be more precise why when we care for someone else's alpacas we call it agistment.

So here is an explanation for the more curious among you....

When we put our cats or dogs in the care of others it is usually referred to as boarding. And so we have Boarding Kennels.

With horses we talk about livery. Livery is another term for rented horse accommodation, which may or may not include other services. Different forms of livery service may be provided to clients including full livery which might include exercising, riding and even training the horse, part livery, DIY livery and grass livery. And so we have Livery Stables.

With alpacas we call it agistment and here is where that terms originates from:

To agist is, in English law, to take cattle to graze, for a remuneration.
Agistment, in the first instance, referred more particularly to the proceeds of pasturage in the King's forests, but now means either:

1/ The contract for taking in and feeding livestock on pasture land, for the consideration of a weekly payment of money, or

2/ The profit derived from such pasturing.

In English law agistment is a contract of bailment, and the bailer is bound to take reasonable care of the animals entrusted to him (or her);

"the bailer is responsible for damages and injury which result from ordinary casualties, if it be proved that such might have been prevented by the exercise of great care."

There is no lien on the cattle for the price of the agistment, unless by express agreement. Under the Agricultural Holdings Act of 1883,

"agisted cattle cannot be distrained on for rent if there be other sufficient distress to be found, and if such other distress be not found, and the cattle be distrained, the owner may redeem them on paying the price of their agistment."

The tithe of agistment or "tithe of cattle and other produce of grass lands," was formally abolished in 1707 by the act of union.

Agisters, in the United Kingdom were formerly the officers of the forest empowered to collect the agistment. They have been re-established in the New Forest to carry out the daily duties of administering the forest.

In the Western United States, agisters are land holders who hold themselves out as providing pasturage services, or who seek to enforce agistment liens. For example, in Washington State, agister is defined as

"a farmer, ranchman, herder of cattle, livery and boarding stable keeper, veterinarian, or other person, to whom horses, mules, cattle, or sheep are entrusted for the purpose of feeding, herding, pasturing, training, caring for, or ranching."

Revised Code of Washington RCW 60.56.005

Well there you have it... I think it would be quite good if we could keep using the term agistment and calling male alpacas Machos and female alpacas Hembras and young ones Cria....it makes the alpaca industry more interesting ..........