Equine Law Blog

In January 2013, I was the speaker at a national teleconference on Equine Law and also spoke at continuing legal education programs on Equine Law for the Washington State Bar Association and New York State Bar Association. Attendees raised several questions, and some of them are shared on this blog.

Question:

Regarding an Equine Activity Liability Act, are there any similar or analogous statutes relating to any other animals/species?

In January 2013, I was the speaker at a national teleconference on Equine Law and also spoke at continuing legal education programs on Equine Law for the Washington State Bar Association and New York State Bar Association.  Attendees raised several questions, and some of them are shared on this blog.

Question:

Should the boarding stable specifically ask the owner to disclose a horse’s known “aggressive behavior” (which may, of course, be manifested in biting and kicking)?

In January 2013, Julie was the speaker at a national teleconference on Equine Law and also spoke at continuing legal education programs on Equine Law for the Washington State Bar Association and New York State Bar Association. Attendees raised several questions, and some of them are shared on this blog.

Question

Some boarding contracts in the equine industry ask owners to give their consent for veterinary services. What is your opinion of these kinds of clauses?

An interesting, and tragic, case that Julie Fershtman handled several years ago involved a professional race horse driver’s death during a race at a Michigan race track.  Julie represented one of the defendants, the owner/trainer of a Standardbred race horse that broke stride during the race and slowed down near the finish line.  This allegedly caused a pile up of horses behind him on the track, and one of the drivers lost his life.