Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I'm not a lawyer but I've worked and boarded at various horse/rider 
training facilities.  I would urge you to get insurance!!!  To my 
suspicious mind, it seems like dealing with parents with agendas would 
just open you up for a law suit if anything displeased one or the other. 
  You would be the one caught in the middle.  We live in a litigious 
world, like it or not!
Laney

Mary Krauss wrote:
> Do any of you lawyerly sorts know what kind of liability one undertakes 
> when one gives informal riding lessons to neighbor kids?  I understand 
> the liability has lessened considerably in Oregon where they put teeth 
> into the waivers typically used in professional situations but:  1) I 
> live in Washington, and 2) I'm not a professional.
>
> I need to learn both what my liability is and what I can do to lessen it.
>
> The particulars are this:  a fourth-grade school friend of my daughter 
> loves horses, is very sensible, and needs an outlet. (Her parents 
> divorced poorly, ie, without much regard for protecting their children 
> from their anger at one another.)  Mom (she seems to be the main parent, 
> though I think they share custody)  loves the fact that I'll work with 
> her daughter.  I asked her to sign a flaky little handwritten waiver, 
> then, because they had no time to really take a lesson that day, let her 
> sit on my horse while I led him around inside the round pen for about 2 
> minutes.  The next morning I got a call from Dad who, all in the same 
> breath, asked if I'd work with his daughter every week on a set 
> schedule, then chewed me out for letting her "ride" without a helmet and 
> boots.  I've usually taken a pretty pragmatic stance on these 
> things--I'm pretty cautious around horses in general, and I'm usually 
> boorishly concerned about the surroundings, the horse's mood, the 
> weather, and certainly about helmets.  I admit I haven't cared so much 
> about boots.  At the same time, I like to think that one should be open 
> to experience when it presents itself:  she was there, the horse was 
> there, it didn't seem like a big deal to lead her around an arena for a 
> minute or two.  So, what I hope to hear is that I shouldn't worry too 
> much, but, I don't want to be an idiot and lose the farm, literally.  If 
> it matters, no, I'm not being paid.
>
> Thank you for your input.
> Mary K.
>
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

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