Do I have a legal claim if I was hurt while riding someone else’s horse?

You were excited to spend some time riding someone else’s horse, but you didn’t expect things to turn out the way that they did. You didn’t expect that you would fall while mounting or dismounting the horse, be thrown from the horse, be trampled by the horse, or be kicked by the horse. You didn’t expect that you would suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, broken bone, internal injury, or another serious injury.

Unfortunately, you are suffering a severe injury, and you need to know if the horse’s owner might be legally responsible for paying your damages.

Missouri Law May Allow Your Horse Accident Recovery

Horses are animals, and horseback riding has inherent risks. Horse owners are not liable for injuries that result from these inherent risks. However, Missouri Statute 537.325 provides six exceptions to this general rule.

A horse owner may be liable for injuries sustained while riding someone else’s horse if one of the following six things is true. The horse owner or the horse owner’s employee:

1. Provided you with the equipment or tack and knew or should have known that it was faulty enough to cause the injury you suffered.
2. Provided you with the horse and failed to make reasonable and prudent efforts to determine your ability to engage with the horse safely. Some of the things that horse owners should consider about riders include age, obvious physical condition, and what riders told the horse owner about their ability and experience with horses and horseback riding.
3. Owns, leases, rents, or is in control of the land where you were hurt, and you were hurt because of a dangerous hidden condition that was known to the horse owner and for which warning signs were not conspicuously posted.
4. Committed an act or omission that constituted willful or wanton disregard for your safety, and that act or omission caused your injury.
5. Intentionally hurt you.
6. Failed to use the degree of care an ordinarily careful and prudent person would use under the same or similar circumstances.

If one of these legal exceptions applies to your situation, then we encourage you to learn more about your potential case as soon as possible.

You may be able to recover for damages including, but not limited to past and future:

• Medical costs
• Lost income
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Physical pain and emotional suffering

Additionally, you may be able to recover wrongful death damages if your loved one died from injuries sustained in an accident on someone else’s horse.

Call Our Smithville Equestrian Injury Lawyer Today

We would be pleased to provide you with a free consultation about your rights. If Missouri law allows you to recover damages, our personal injury attorney will fight hard for your fair recovery. Call us or complete our contact form today to learn more.