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Horse
people are by nature kind and generous people.
We are passionate about our horses, and want to
share our passion with friends and relatives.
With spring and summer comes the arrival of
houseguests, many of whom will want to see and ride
our horses. Some
of us are lucky enough to have our horses and other
livestock at home, where it is especially tempting to
introduce them to visitors.
However, in this modern age of lawsuits and
liability, what practical considerations should we
have about guest riders?
When
guests want to come out and ride our horses, we seldom
think about the risk that our horses could injure or
even kill them.
Often, our guests have never seen or ridden a
horse before. They have no idea just how powerful and
dangerous our gentle pets can be, and they don’t
know anything about the safe horse handling that’s
second nature to us.
Usually, guests come to visit wearing shorts
and sandals, or other attire that isn’t safe for
riding. Even
our 30-year-old retired gelding could take a funny
step and unseat a rider.
Horse-related injuries also tend to be severe,
such as broken bones and head trauma.
What
should you do before your guests arrive?
First, check with your homeowners’ insurance
to see if it would provide any protection for you in
the event that a guest is injured. If
so, find out how much coverage it would provide, and
what exclusions apply. Consider obtaining a horse
owner’s liability policy to provide supplemental
coverage.
In addition to insurance, ask your
attorney to draft an appropriate liability release
form and have your guests to sign it.
Be sure to remind your attorney that some of
your riding guests will be under 18 and therefore your
release should be appropriate for a parent to sign.
Ask your attorney if your state has an equine
activity statute that can help limit your liability.
Some equine activity statutes require certain
language to appear in your release and/or certain
warning signs to be posted on your property.
Before
your guests arrive, let them know that if they want to
ride, they will need to wear long pants and hard soled
shoes or boots with a heel. You
will also want to talk to any parents who won’t be
present during their child’s visit. Provide
an appropriate safety helmet, and make sure that it is
properly fastened.
Upon your guests’ arrival, go over basic
horse safety before you head out to visit the horses
– make sure they know where to stand, where not to
stand, and where to pet a horse.
For non-riding guests who just want to come and
watch or pet the horses, make sure that they also
understand where to stand and what not to do.
Demonstrate to your guests how to safely feed
your horse a treat.
For many guests, brushing a horse can be fun
– give them a soft brush and show them how to brush
in the direction of hair growth.
Children often enjoy braiding a horse’s mane
or tail and helping with fly spray, and they love to
see what horses eat.
The process of tacking up can be interesting
for your guests, too, so as you go along, explain what
you are doing and what different pieces of equipment
are for.
In
an enclosed area, help your guests mount safely, and
make sure that all tack is securely fastened and
adjusted. Before
moving away from the mounting block, show your guests
how to stop and steer.
For novice guests, walk the horse on a leadline
until you are sure that your guests can effectively
steer and stop on their own.
If you have any doubts, keep them on the
leadline. Keep
guests at a walk unless they are balanced and
confident enough to go faster. Remember
that for someone who has never ridden a horse, just
being on the horse’s back is thrilling enough!
Only allow one guest at a time to ride, and
stay on the ground so that you can properly supervise
and help if they get into trouble. To
give you greater control over the situation, put your
guest rider in the smallest enclosed area you have
available for riding, such as a round pen.
Trust
your instincts. If your horse really isn’t a
“guest horse,” then don’t put him in that
position. Seeing is believing – don’t turn any
guest loose until you have personally evaluated their
horsemanship skills.
If a guest shows up without proper attire,
insist that they borrow it from you (or not ride).
If a guest doesn’t pay attention to your
instructions or treat your horse with kindness and
respect, you can end the ride.
If your guest looks scared to death, you can
gently suggest that it’s okay if they simply want to
pat the horse or feed him a treat instead of riding.
If you are having a party, take guests out to
see the horses before serving drinks.
Finally,
don’t forget to help your guest capture the moment
– take photos or video, and send it to them
afterwards as a momento of their visit.
Children especially enjoy wearing cowboy gear
and other trappings, so if you have them, get them out
for the photo session (but leave the spurs off during
the ride!).
Additional Information:
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