Equine Law Blog
In these challenging financial times, more and more horse owners have entered into arrangements they call “free leases.” No legal dictionary, to our knowledge, recognizes the term “free lease,” but in the horse industry it has come to mean a horse that is leased to another with no lease payment to the owner (the lessor) as long as the lessee provides the horse care and attention.
In our experience, lessors (horse owners) usually enter into these arrangements to avoid costly horse care. In an effort to save money, lessors rarely insist on contracts. Not surprisingly, disputes arise. For example:
Nationwide, 46 states – all but California, Maryland, Nevada and New York – have some form of an equine activity liability act. All of these laws differ, but approximately 31 require sign posting, usually, but not always, by “equine professionals.” The sign posting requirements vary considerably among the laws. Here’s a sampling of how the laws differ.
