The Law
It's true, if for no other reason than their sheer size and weight, that horses are inherently dangerous. Getting hurt — stepped on, kicked, bucked off — is always possible when you handle and ride horses on a regular basis. As a horse owner, you are liable for any personal injury or property damage your horse may cause to someone else.
To protect yourself, you should consider purchasing equine liability insurance. Many people who keep their horses on their own property assume that their homeowner's insurance will cover them in such situations, but this may not always be the case. Check it out ahead of time to be sure you're covered.
If you allow neighborhood kids to come around your horse, establish some ground rules — no hand feeding and no visiting when you aren't home — and have their parents sign release forms. It's generally not a good idea to let others ride your horse, especially people who have no knowledge or experience with horses.
Occasionally, you may need to construct a liability release form of your own. For example, if you own property with lots of riding trails, friends may ask to come ride their own horses on your land. If you allow them to, you would be wise to ask them to sign a release, freeing you from any liability should they have an accident on your property. It can be uncomfortable asking a friend to sign a release form, but any real friend is going to understand your reasoning and should be willing to sign it.
Most states have equine limited liability laws specifically designed to help horse professionals, from instructors to trainers, conduct their businesses without fear of frivolous lawsuits. The laws vary from state to state and do not take the place of responsible and professional actions or good insurance. They also do not allow horse owners and equine professionals to be negligent. If you choose to take riding lessons, you accept the fact that you may fall off or otherwise be injured while handling and riding a horse. But if an instructor puts a beginner on a three-year-old colt for her first lesson, the instructor is acting negligently.
The website for the American Association for Horsemanship Safety has a list of the states with a limited liability law and a link to each one (accessible through
Legal issues commonly arise in the area of loose horses, especially if they are involved in traffic accidents. Don't dwell on the worst-case scenarios, but do understand some level of the law as it pertains to horses. While bad things happen even under the best of circumstances, you are responsible for keeping your horses in an appropriate setup. If you feel you can't do that, perhaps boarding your horse until you get your place properly set up is the thing to do.
