# Birthday Party Pony Rides



## Jumper4ever (Jan 2, 2011)

I am a teenager with a very good old pony (28 or 29) that has experiance with doing birthday parties. I was wondering what kind of safety stuff or insurance i will need as a minor to get paid for doing pony rides at birthday parties


----------



## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

I spoke with an insurance agency about this the other day. I'm going to start doing Pony Parties and those old time Picture Pony pics once I get the right pony. They said it's about $100 a month. It's for $500,000 liability insurance.


----------



## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

$500k doesn't really sound like enough to cover the potential loss in a situation like this. Just a thought.


----------



## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

That is what is required for all equine businesses by law. AND that it requires that all riders wear a helmet and sign a form. Even though the agent said in the end the form is worthless.


----------



## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

What I'm saying is, if I was going to put myself in this position (IE. run a pony ride gig), I'd make sure I was insured for at least up to $2 million. I am saying $500k is not enough in my opinion.


----------



## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

I understand that. I'm not sure if you can request more. I just know that is how much you have to have in Ohio.


----------



## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

I'd be asking!

You know what they say right, prepare for the worst, hope for the best? 

Not to get morbid (but I'm going to anyways), say Joe Schmoe brings little Gigi for a pony ride. Something spooks poor pony, and Gigi lands on her neck perhaps permanently injuring her spinal cord. I'm pretty sure Mr. Schmoe could sue for damages in which that $500k liability you're insured for just touches the surface of what that kid will need to recover. 

Check out the following figures - and these are old, from 2002:

*What Do Spinal Cord Injuries Really Cost?*



Length of initial hospitalization following personal injury in acute care units: 15 days
Average stay in rehabilitation unit: 44 days
Initial hospitalization costs following injury: $140,000
Average first year expenses for a SCI injury (all groups): $198,000
First year expenses for paraplegics: $152,000
First year expenses for quadriplegics: $417,000
Average lifetime costs for paraplegics, age of injury 25: $428,000
Average lifetime costs for quadriplegics, age of injury 25: $1.35 million
Percentage of SCI individuals unemployed eight years after injury 63%. (Note: unemployment rate when this article was written was 4.7%)
 Source: The University of Alabama National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center - March 2002


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Jumper, as a minor you cannot legally enter into any contractual agreements with adults or insurance companies, so a parent or adult legal guardian would have to take on that task.


----------



## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

That was the other thing I was thinking about. Which means if anything happened, its the parents who are liable. Is that right?


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Yes ma'am, the parent/legal guardian would be the ones liable, since you can't sue children.

Which means they could lose everything they own if someone got badly hurt.

I don't see anyone's parents willing to run that risk, so I'd say the OP has little to no chance to have this come to fruition.

I admire her willingness to work and make money, but it's not going to happen with this idea.


----------



## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

What my lawyer told me was that in the state of Ohio there is an Equine Activity Liability Act that is supposed to prevent someone who participates in any recreational activities involving horses from suing the owner. 

Ohio Equine Activity Liability Act 

The reason that I would get insurance is to cover myself just in case and if anything were to happen at all I'd want to help out as much as possible because they are my horses. Most of the people who do Pony Parties in Ohio are not even insured. But I want to be because it's the right thing to do. 

The reason that I'd have to have a liability paper signed by every adult who lets their child on my horse is because most people are unaware of the law and if anything were to happen I'd have proof that I made them aware of it. 

The first thing I need though, is a pony that is absolutely bomb proof and I would never take one to a party without testing it's capabilities first. We are going to have a corral to set up so that children cannot run around the pony during rides and such. I know horses are unpredictable which is why I will have a helmet and helper with me and the pony at all times. I would check the tack used before every ride. I've discussed this with an insurance agent and my lawyer. I've also talked to the Ohio Department of Agriculture about being licensed. I've also done a lot of comparison shopping. We probably won't start this anytime soon but I want to be prepared if we do. If I can't make money off of it then I won't do it. BUT if I don't start finding a way to bring in money to help out in horse care then I might have to reduce my numbers and I don't want to do that.


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

ShutUp Joe, 

You should be aware that the Equine Liability Act does not prevent someone who can prove *negligence* from collecting damages. Normal, unpredicatable horse behavior, yes, but if you forget to tighten the girth or don't fasten a helmet you can still be held liable for resulting damage or injuries. 

Folks who conduct risky businesses without insurance are usually people without assets. No one will sue them because there's nothing to gain. If you (or a parent or guardian) have assets - houses, cars, savings accounts; it would be extremely unwise to conduct a business without liability insurance.


----------



## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

I have read through the Act several times and I'm aware that it does not cover fault tack or negligence on my part. I wouldn't operate a pony party without insurance, which is why I've been talking to my insurance agent.


----------

