When Riding Instructors Use Others’ Horses In Their Lesson Programs: Know The Risks & Plan Ahead

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502 – September/October, 2023

By Julie I. Fershtman,
Attorney at Law www.equinelaw.net

Not all riding instructors have the right number or mix of lesson horses so they sometimes ask others to lend horses to use in lessons.  Although these arrangements seem simple, they can bring great risks for both instructors and horse owners.  Here are a few:

•  If a student is injured while riding or handling the borrowed horse, a lawsuit could follow against the instructor and the horse owner.
•  Even if an instructor uses a release of liability (where allowed by law), the document probably says nothing about protecting owners of horses used in lessons.
•  Instructors’ liability insurance policies probably offer no protection to owners of horses used in lessons.
•  Individual horse owners often have no liability insurance of their own to protect themselves against claims or lawsuits related to their horses.

For Horse Owners

Click here to read the complete article
502 – September/October, 2023