Equestrian Personal Injury

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time around horses knows the risk of injury that goes along with riding, boarding, and working with horses. Not all injuries, however, are considered to be an inherent risk of participating in an equine activity, and, not all state’s equine liability statutes provide immunity to facility owners for injuries sustained at their facility.

Equine liability statutes, in some states, provide immunity from liability to stable and horse owners for injuries that have occurred on their property or by their horse because of the inherent risk that goes along with horse related activities. Many owners and riders, however, are unaware of what is considered an inherent risk of equine activities, who is considered a participant of an equine activity, or, what particular exceptions to immunity are applicable in their state. It is imperative to understand what type of exceptions apply to your state’s equine liability statute and what demands are placed on facility owner’s by those statues.

Many trainers, instructors, and facility owners go a step beyond hanging a sign at their property which displays their state’s equine immunity statute, and have clients sign liability waivers or hold harmless agreements. Participants and facility owners alike, however, are normally unaware of what type of restrictions are applicable to these types of agreements in order to ensure their enforceability.

If an accident has occurred at your facility, if you have been injured by a horse, or, if you’d like to better understand your state’s equine immunity statute to determine your potential exposure to liability, contact Kelly for a consultation.