Many advances continue to be made in the equine industry, from nutrition and veterinary medicine to understanding rider biomechanics, and even arena footing are just a few examples of where technical knowledge has vastly improved, contributing to a healthier and safer industry. But have our business practices kept pace?

You may have developed a business plan, especially if you have applied for finance but how extensive are your policies and procedures? No doubt you have the usual barn rules and policies (no shows/dress code/payment/cancellations etc.) but is that the extent of them?  Have you ever considered the need for detailed policies and procedures that cover every aspect of your operation and, in particular, how you conduct your lessons?

There are many benefits to having policies and procedures in place, such as clarifying expectations, guiding decision making and providing consistency (and we all know our horses love consistency), but from my perspective the greatest advantage is risk management!  As we all know, activities with horses carry a high degree of risk, and while there is some amount of protection afforded to equine professionals by state legislation, there are also exceptions to the limited liability provided by it.

The more attorneys I work with, the more I’m made aware of areas of risk that are often neglected that could be better managed and mitigated; this is where well developed policies and procedures can assist should you ever be the subject of litigation due to a horse related incident.

Be sure to keep an eye on this page for upcoming articles where we will deep dive into Policies and Procedures with a special focus on lesson programs. 

Jenni Fugate is a team member of The Equine Expert LLC, a multi-discipline equine expert witness and consulting firm offering legal expert witness and consulting services in court cases, legal matters, appraisals, and business affairs. Jenni is an expert in Arabians, Teaching, Dressage and Biomechanics. She is a native of Australia and has been working with horses since she was a child, she studied at Melbourne University and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Equine). She now lives in Utah on her farm where she trains and teaches. For more information on Jenni visit www.theequineexpert.com or you may contact Jenni at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of Jenni as an expert equestrian.