Would you......

[runamuk]

I am just curious how many would go out into the public with their mini's without an umbrella liability insurance policy?

I used to work for a farm where our income came from pony rides and petting zoos etc......we were required to carry a 1 million+ liability insurance policy....this was to protect us from a lawsuit in case one of our hosrses stepped on toes etc....and we were sued......we did public appearances at churches, schools, and, nursing homes...along with company picnic's etc.....for companies such as microsoft, bank of america, bayliner, kids fairs at the seattle center etc......along with private parties......

So would you risk everything without the umbrella policy or would you assume your homeowners was enough?......I am attempting to be in a position to have my farm open to the public within the next year so want to cover my bases...I only have a handful of mini's and only 1 that would be used for direct public interaction......would you rely on homeowners or buy an extra umbrella policy?

 

[mistyrose]

You should of course have insurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

wow are you a mind reader or what? I was just talking about this with not one but 2 of my friends both in different states- both take horses out in the public- schools , nursing homes ect. I think that is a WONDERFUL thing to do however both are counting on there homeowners ins. to cover them should something go wrong.

I am not a expert but i personally would have a seperate policy to cover the horses I just dont think that the statement horses are personal property means that they will cover (home owners) anything damage or injury wise your horse would do off your own property and at a display type of function but..

maybe i am way off the mark here so I will be watching this thread to see what others think

 

[Getitia]

In today's society, it is best to have the separate rider. The 1 million additional coverage offered under an Umbrella policy is very inexpensive insurance.

It is also a good idea to have a discussion with your agent regarding what protection you have for "equine" activities under your current homeowners coverage. Many assume they are covered when in fact Equine related activities are specifically excluded.

 

[luvmycritters]

An exelent thread and a topic I have not previously given much thought about - if any. ( Thanks runamuk! ) I too will be watching for input.

 

[Charlotte]

I'm a bit confused. Are you planning to take your horses somewhere public or just to allow the public onto your farm?

For farm visits, most states now have a "Limited Liability" law for equine related activities. My sign is out in the barn or I would put the wording here. Each state has it worded a little differently, but basically the law limits the liability of a ...show facility, farm, sale house, etc from any injury or death resulting from equine activities.

One lady locally who began taking her little mare on therapy visits is affiliated with ...Creatures & Kids I think is the name. The animal and owner have to meet certain requirements (vaccinations etc) and be certified as a therapy horse, dog etc then the organization provides liability coverage for them.

Rather than buying a policy perhaps a pet therapy organization in your area would be the way to go.

Charlotte

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Well I have 2 questions first what type of open to the public thing do you mean Rori?

Also those signs are great but they dont fully protect you might want to check with a attorney in your area before counting on them fully.

 

[runamuk]

Great questions Lisa...here in Idaho we do have a state law protecting horse facilities from liability unless there is gross negligence....of course that leaves alot of margin for interpretation......I am not a horse facility however I want to within the next year+ make my farm available to the public......farm tours..possible direct sales/gift shop....but I have miniatures and would like to use them as a draw as well.....so they would be more of a marketing tool and way to bring people in.....no pony rides etc.....more of a contained petting farm situation.....I have some liability in my homeowners...that will cover at home but may not be enough even with the state laws......I used to do churches, preschools, nursing homes and schools BUT it was all done under the farm I worked for and under their umbrella as far as insurance went........I know one time we had a child get a toe stepped on and we went on alert for the lawsuit to come......we got lucky that time....could have cost the farm owner her farm even with all the insurance she had....

 

[CAM]

I have gone through this very thing myself. We have always carried homeowners with the additional umbrella policy. I was told that covers some injuries your horses may cause to people and property however, with an actual horse business the rules change. I am required to carry a separate equine liability policy through an equine insurer.

I had to post the statute signs in a clearly visible place on the property. These signs are state specific depending on what state you reside in. I also have to have clients & buyers sign a waiver form that is also state specific (in my case Oregon requires the waiver to have a paragraph in it that lists the statute verbatim in there, the same statute that is on the signs I post). The insurance company requires photos of the stable, barn, fencing, parking areas, a copy of the waiver, etc. to bind coverage.

I have horses on leased pasture as well and the coverage follows my horses wherever they go so if they were to cause bodily injury or damage my insurance would kick in.

The state specific signs and waivers are very important though. Your state laws protect you only if you abide by what is required of you by your state, by posting the signs your state requires as well as having the state specific waivers signed by all those around your horses.

It is best to talk to your homeowners insurer to see what your policy does and does not cover and see if, in your personal situation, you need to have a separate liability coverage in place. It is always best to be prepared and knowledgeable in the event of an incident.

Hope this helps.

 

[smlotsocats]

We had a boarding stable and that was an insurance nightmare! Our homeowners would not cover anything "horse". It was so expensive to get that insurance that we gave up the boarding biz! Now we have a carriage company with our draft horses and have a 2 million dollar policy but we can't do any business off of our property, we have to haul the horses and carriages out of here. We also used those warning signs and made people sign paperwork relieving us of any liability while on our property but our attorney said that if something were to happen really bad, no jury is going to go on our side when a parent is standing there crying because their child is dead or permantly injured. Working with the public can be really gratifying but also a nightmare. The public is basically stupid and has lost all sense of self preservation. People will walk right out in front of a team of 2000 pound draft horses trotting towards them pulling a 2500 pound wagon full of other stupid people despite our screams of "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!" That whole rig can't just come to a screeching halt all at once! DUH! Then you have the people ON the wagon who can't take simple instruction like "DO NOT STAND UP OR GET OFF THE WAGON UNTILL IT IS COMPLETELY STOPPED AND YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO GET UP!" Nope, those people get right up and start to jump off left and right! Children actually listen better than the adults!

YES! GET INSURANCE! You can't trust the public as much as you trust your horse!

 

[runamuk]

The public is basically stupid and has lost all sense of self preservation.  People will walk right out in front of a team of 2000 pound draft horses trotting towards them pulling a 2500 pound wagon full of other stupid people despite our screams of "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!"  That whole rig can't just come to a screeching halt all at once!  DUH!  Then you have the people ON the wagon who can't take simple instruction like "DO NOT STAND UP OR GET OFF THE WAGON UNTILL IT IS COMPLETELY STOPPED AND YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO GET UP!"  Nope, those people get right up and start to jump off left and right!  Children actually listen better than the adults!
YES!  GET INSURANCE!  You can't trust the public as much as you trust your horse!

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That was my basic impression when working on the farm....quite sad actually.....no one has a sense of personal responsibility anymore.....and anything that happens means someone is responsible...no such thing as an accident......so sad as people will flat out quit inviting people to learn if it becomes too much risk or hassle....then everyone looses

I will agree with you in those days I far preferred 10 kids over 3 adults...the kids followed the rules and the adults were ....well...idiots

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Ok so what about home owners covering if you are out at a horse show or driving down the street or visiting a retirment home type of thing?

 

[CAM]

Ok so what about home owners covering if you are out at a horse show or driving down the street or visiting a retirment home type of thing?

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Definitely good to check directly with your current insurance carrier for exactly what they do cover. I don't think you are going to have much coverage if any, without an umbrella policy.

 

[Dandy]

I have my homeowners with State Farm. When I bought my farm I asked about if I was covered if my horses did something to someone else (I was mainly concerned with getting out on the road and someone hitting them and the person being killed). I was told 7 horses were covered with the basic policy. (don't know where they came up with 7 horses). But injuries to the horses were not covered. I have the sign up on my barn. I have people sign a release if they ride our horses, but I still worry. At a horse shoe off of our property, one of my daughter's horses kicked a car. My homeowner's covered it. I can't remember if she had to be declared negligent or not.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

just throwing different things out there.. what if you were not zoned for horses and they were not part of your property at home per say would they still be covered even if you had them at your house or off property since they are personal property?

Just for the record I have a liablity policy I am just asking for others

 

[KBond]

If you are running a business, then you should buy a separate policy. That said, you may be able to get a farm and ranch policy that will package most of the things you need together under one policy. If you are going to be caring for other people's horses, be sure to get "Care, Custody and Control" insurance. These are NOT the same as equine mortality insurance. Generally, a homeowners policy will protect a private individual for the incidental exposures that occur. The equine liability law is a good tool, but I wouldn't put all my eggs in that one basket. My homeowners is aware of my minis and that I have one breeding stallion - I don't stand to outside mares and generally only sell a couple of horses a year. I don't do "pony rides", "pony parties" or anything else like that.

Just parades and horse shows.........

just my two cents.....

 

[Cathy_H]

Are ALL shows required to have insurance? If so & someone got hurt by one of your horses at a show will the shows insurance cover it? Probably so but I'm thinking the injured/dead will still come after you also........................... Added- to add the dead persons family - just so you all would not think i've lost it.

 

[justjinx]

insurance laws vary alot from state to state. get a dependable agent and find out what is required in your state and then up it alot. with multi-million dollar lawsuits these days you cannot be over-insured.

i board so i have a rider on my homeowner policy that covers liability also. if i had my own farm you can bet i would have a liability umbrella or what ever was needed for a minimum of $5 million......

jennifer

 

[mistyrose]

I hope you are not breeding any horses with State Farm insurance. We had a farm policy with them and they dumped us as soon as they found out we had a breeding operation. I now have Grange for a Farm policy.

I think you would find real fast that a homeowners policy would not cover you for anything at a show.

 

[irisjgalgrr]

I need to change the sudject and it will not let me at this point! I just started this site. But I need to ask some basic questions. We have six minis and all of them have gotten fat...not just a little, but fat. I need help figuring out where I am going wrong.

They get a bout 2 handfuls of grain morning and night, 1 flake hay at night per two minis, and various treats. I believethe grain is 12% (I'm not the one that buys it!)

Would oats be a better way to go for "grain"? Or a mixture? I'm begging for the right advice. And once they loose weight, what is a better feed schedule?

Thanks in advance!!

irishgalgrr