Today we are starting a series of frequently asked questions regarding equine insurance. The first question horse owners often ask is: what kind of insurance do I need to let other people ride my horse?
This question is a complex one and refers to several different issues such as protecting yourself from liability if your horse injures someone, or if your horse causes an injury to another person/horse while someone besides yourself is riding, and of course providing medical coverage for them.
Liability coverage such as a personal horse owner's policy will typically not cover someone else who rides the horse, because anyone who rides knows the risks involved. This type of insurance is used to cover you for something your horse does for which you are found negligent. In other words, if you did nothing wrong, and you're not legally liable, then then you owe nothing.
photo taken from: chesnaklimek.com
So, your riders would need to have their own medical insurance, or perhaps your homeowner's insurance might cover any accident (then again, some home owner's policies specifically exclude horse related accidents - contact your home owner's insurance agent to be certain, and read your policy carefully).
Be sure to know the rider and the skill level of the rider before allowing them to ride your horse. You know your horse better than anyone, so make sure that whomever you allow to ride your horse, is a good fit and the chances of risks are minimal. Of course, horses and accidents often go together unfortunately, so you need to make sure you are prepared and know fully the risks involved as well as the other rider.
One other piece of advice would be to speak to a lawyer, because they can better explain the laws in your state regarding your risks, liability exposure, whether you should use release of liability forms or warning signs, etc.
Until next time, if you have any questions regarding your equine insurance coverage be sure to contact us at:
http://equineinsuranceagent.com/
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