What You Didn't Know About Liability Insurance
Every year you write the check to your insurance agent, fully expecting that you're covered for liabilities arising from your horse-related activities. But what if a claim or lawsuit is brought...
View ArticleLessons Learned from a Boarding Stable Payment Dispute
It's only a matter of time before a boarding stable encounters a legal dispute over payment of fees. In a recent Illinois lawsuit, both the boarder and the stable sued each other, but the stable won...
View ArticleSurprise! You're an Equine Professional
You have a full-time job, or you're a student. But you also have a horse in the barn. Wouldn't it be nice to make money from the horse? What if you offered riding lessons on the weekends or did some...
View ArticleWhat to Consider Before an Equine Professional Does Business on Your Property
An elderly widow lives alone on the family farm. The horse barn has been empty since the children moved out. Recently, an equine professional asked to rent the horse facility to run a boarding,...
View ArticleBreeding Contract Check-Up
Breeding season begins soon. Stallion managers and owners can plan ahead by reassessing and, where warranted, updating their contracts. How? Here are a few suggestions. Read More › Tags: Breeding,...
View ArticleEquine Activity Liability Acts – Not Just About Horses
Equine Activity Liability Acts, now in 47 states, were originally enacted with the aim of providing limited liability for activities involving equines. For example, the statute in Washington State,...
View ArticlePlanning Ahead With a Pet Trust
Janet is fighting a serious illness, but no medicine gives her more comfort and happiness than her horse, "Whistler." She visits the boarding stable several times a week just to brush his coat and...
View ArticleWhat You Were Afraid to Ask About Equine Activity Liability Acts
The nation's first Equine Activity Liability Act was enacted in 1989. Now, 47 states (all except California, Maryland, and New York) have them. All of these laws differ. With the passage of time,...
View ArticleWe'd Love to Have You Become Our Next Client, But …
We'd love to be considered as your next attorney. But we also care deeply about the continued strength and viability of the equine industry and hope that you don’t need us. Legal disputes are...
View ArticleDisabled Girl Fights to Keep Miniature Horse as a "Service Horse" at a City Home
Can a disabled teenager keep a miniature horse in an urban location as a “service horse”? That was the issue in an interesting lawsuit that was decided last year by a federal appellate court in Ohio....
View ArticleLiabilities Based On a Slipping Saddle
Rider rents a horse from a stable, instructor, or dude ranch. Rider falls and is hurt, allegedly due to saddle that slipped. Rider sues, alleging that the provider improperly secured the saddle on the...
View ArticleSelling Horses on a Payment Plan? Leasing Your Horse to Someone? Here's an...
Many people sell their horses on an installment basis or lease out their horses to others for a span of months or years. Frequently, these arrangements are mutually beneficial. But problems can, and...
View ArticleStable Liability: How Expert Witnesses Can Make or Break an Equine Lawsuit
In equine-related lawsuits, parties often hire expert witnesses to testify at trial. Experts are sometimes called upon to testify about a party's compliance (or lack of compliance) with a standard of...
View ArticleEquine Industry Liability Releases: Are Fewer Words Better?
Julie Fershtman, our Equine Law practitioner, is speaking at the 31st Annual National Conference on Equine Law in Lexington, Kentucky, on the topic of liability releases in equine activities. Today’s...
View ArticleDoes Your Boarding Contract Include a Release? Should It?
For years, we have written about the importance of liability releases used by horse owners, instructors, trainers, stables, and others in the equine industry. Stables that use boarding contracts...
View ArticleStable Rules: What's on YOUR Wall?
Should your stable have rules? Stable rules list the various policies and regulations governing activities on the property. In developing and posting them, stables try to establish limits for...
View ArticleLiability from Horses in Parades: Injured Spectator Sues Parade Participants...
Memorial Day weekend was a time for parades. Horses in parades have brought injuries and litigation. Several years ago, an injured Iowa parade spectator filed a lawsuit after being struck by a...
View ArticleLegal Aspects of Boarding at a Friend's Barn
Cindy and Sam have been long-time friends and once rode together. Now, as Sam recovers from a serious illness, his barn has been empty. He once enjoyed looking out at the horses in his pasture. He...
View ArticleYour State Enacted or Amended its Equine Activity Liability Act – Are the...
When an equine activity liability statute is amended, are the amendments retroactive to the date when the law was initially passed? Or, do the amendments take effect going forward? If an...
View ArticleWhat to Consider Before Organizing an Equine Event
Your club or association wants to organize a horse show. Or, your club wants to hold a clinic and invite a nationally known trainer to offer tips on training, showing, or horsemanship skills to...
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