Horse Insurance for Pony Rides

Pony ride operators bring delight to children’s lives because many children do not have the opportunity to ride a pony of their own. Even though this business is gratifying because you get to see the happy smiles, it should be taken very seriously. Ponies can be very unpredictable because these rides typically take place in different locations with young children. Safety and enjoyment are the two main priorities for people along with the welfare of the ponies. If you are an owner or operator of a pony ride business, you should speak with one of our representatives to determine which horse insurance policy covers your needs the best.

You worry that you may be sued or otherwise have a claim made against you for bodily injury or property damage by a customer, guest or someone else who comes in contact with you or the property that is part of your commercial horse operations. If sued, you will need to hire a lawyer to defend you and you wonder how you would go about doing this. If found negligent or responsible, you would likely have to pay either a court-ordered or agreed-upon settlement to the injured party. Fortunately, much concern can be relieved when you buy a Commercial General Liability Policy [GL] to insure your Pony Ride activities.

Commercial General Liability Insurance protects you from financial loss should a child rider, visitor, bystander, or a trespasser become injured [Bodily Injury] or their property is damaged [Property Damage] in relation to your operations, and they make a claim or file a lawsuit against you for damages.

How Risky is the Pony Ride Activity? High Risk.

Pony rides are a particularly high-risk activity because it involves small, young children who are usually inexperienced around horses. The locations vary, but it typically is in very public places with people and loud noises. With the risk being a little higher than average, you can depend on our team for a trusted horse insurance quote.

Horse activities are reasonably safe compared to many other activities people participate in. Yet, horse-human activities do carry inherent risks. Accidents do happen when people at different stages of capability attempt to touch, handle, train, ride, drive and control large animals that are unpredictable even when well trained. And some horse-human accidents are serious. Even with the best of intentions and management practices anyone can have a claim made against them and be sued.

Learn how to plan ahead with our Five-Pronged Strategy.

Related Coverages To Consider

If You Rent the Property You Occupy, We Can Also Insure Your Tack, Equipment, and Machinery for Loss or Damage

As a stable property renter, you may not have access to property insurance for tack, equipment and machinery you use in your business. Ark Agency can insure these items by adding a Property Coverage Endorsement to the General Liability Policy. Additional premium is charged for this endorsement and the items and values must be declared in the application process.

General Liability Coverage & Limits

The General Liability Policy includes specified maximum limits or amounts of liability insurance for:

Medical Expense: Pays for low-cost medical expense with no questions asked about your liability or responsibility in the matter.

Legal Defense Costs: Today court costs and hiring of a lawyer can quickly mount to $50,000 or more, an expense you do not want to come out of your pocket if you are sued and have to hire a lawyer.  If sued in relation to this activity, the policy provides legal defense whether the case has merit or not.

Settlement or Claim Costs: For bodily injury and property damages for which you are responsible and held negligent and liable.

The four most common claim incidents for Pony Ride Operations are:

1. A child rider falls or jumps from a pony and is injured while taking a ride.

2. A child or adult bystander is injured while watching, tripping over or falling from a  gate component, or when trying to get near the ponies or children.

3. A pony gets loose while at a public location. It may cause damage to lawns and gardens, get hit by or crash into a car, charge into people, or through a window because it is afraid.

4. Someone deliberately tries to scare a pony, causing it to react and behave in an unsafe way.

Where to Begin

Contact a representative to learn more about our animal life insurance policies.

*General information is provided on this insurance topic. Acting on our coverage recommendations does not guarantee coverage if you have a loss or claim.