Written by

Therapeutic And Disabled Riding

Insure Your Services And The Humans And Horses Involved

Since the 1970s disabled therapeutic riding has been around to help those with special needs. It’s wonderful to see the therapeutic benefits both physically and mentally.

But it also brings with it liability concerns. Obviously the greatest concern is a worsening of a condition or any bodily injury that can occur while handling a large animal. You also have instructors and volunteers to worry about. For a situation with so many unpredictable variables, Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Ltd. can help you understand the Ontario insurance that you need.

What you’ll discover in this report:

  • Common claims that people make against therapeutic services
  • How you can plan ahead
  • The coverage offered by a Commercial General Liability Policy
  • Other types of insurance you should consider

What Are The Most Common Claim Incidents?

  • When near a horse on the ground the rider becomes injured, or they’re injured because they fall from the horse.
  • The rider aggravates the injury that they’re seeking therapy for or receives a new injury.

How Can I Plan Ahead?

We know that you care about the horses and the people that come to your place of business. There are steps to take to make sure that an accident never happens in the first place.

  1. Enforce Barn Rules.
    Look around and develop rules for your environment for both horses and people. Also write procedures. Then train every staff member to make sure they understand your rules and procedures.
  2. Plan for emergencies.
    Emergencies happen, but the better prepared you are, the better chance you have of providing the proper care to all the horses. If you’re prepared you can minimize the severity of any accident.
  3. Develop semi-annual inspections of your property.
    By inspecting your premises for potential hazards, you can take care of them before an incident occurs.
  4. Prepare a written waiver and review Ontario’s Occupiers’ Liability Act.
    Anyone who participates in any horse activities on your premises needs to complete and sign the waiver. Make sure that you keep the signed forms on file and safely stored. The Occupiers’ Liability Act states that the stable owner/operator owes a duty of care to the people who enter their premises. This assures that any property they bring on your premises with them is also reasonably safe. You are free to restrict, modify or exclude this duty of care through your written waiver.
  5. Follow Ontario’s Horse Riding Safety Act.
    This legislation states that it’s mandatory that anyone under the age of 18 years of age must wear a helmet that meets ASTM, BSI or European Safety Standards and hard-soled footwear with a heel of no less than 1.5 cm.
  6. Purchase an Equine Liability Insurance Policy.
    Protect you and your business with an insurance company that knows horses and your business. You want to make sure that any legal feels are covered, claim costs and settlements to ensure that in the case of an accident, your business doesn’t suffer a financial loss.

What’s Included In The Commercial General Liability Policy?

The policy gives you maximum limits or amounts of liability insurance for:

  • Medical expenses: You can be sure a claimant’s low cost medical expenses are covered without a lot of questions about liability or responsibility.
  • Legal defense costs: You can save your business the financial burden of court costs if you’re sued, whether the case has merit or not.
  • Claims or settlement costs: Without this policy you could be held responsible for bodily injury and property damage claims.

Are There Other Coverages I Should Consider?

  • Personal Accident Insurance: This would offer additional coverage to your volunteers in case they’re injured while working with you and your clients.
  • Equine Professional Liability: Add this endorsement for every instructor to protect them from exposure. There’s a separate premium charge for this coverage.
  • Equine Directors & Officers Liability Insurance: If the therapeutic services are funded through an organization that accepts donations, grants or runs fundraisers, you may want to protect your executive team from liability.
  • Property Coverage Endorsement: We can add this endorsement to your General Liability Policy if you’re a stable property renter to insure your tack, equipment and machinery for loss or damage.

At Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Ltd., we respect the work you do to help people recover from injuries and understand your love of horses. We’ll make sure that we protect you and your business. Don’t delay, call us today or click on Get a Free Quote.