Rhode Island § 4-21-1 - Exemption from Liability Arising from Equine Activities

§ 4-21-1. Definitions.

For the purpose of this chapter, the following words or phrases shall have the following meanings:

(1) “Engages in an equine activity” means riding, training, assisting in veterinary treatment of, driving, or being a passenger upon an equine, whether mounted or unmounted, visiting or touring or utilizing an equine facility as part of an organized event or activity, or any person assisting a participant or show management. The term “engages in an equine activity” does not include being a spectator at an equine activity, except in cases where the spectator knowingly places himself in a restricted area.

(2) “Equine” means a horse, pony, mule, or donkey.

(3) “Equine activity” means:

(i) Equine shows, fairs, competitions, or performances that involve any or all breeds of equines and any of the equine disciplines, including, but not limited to, dressage, hunter and jumper horse shows, grand prix jumping, three-day events, combined training, rodeos, riding, driving, pulling, cutting, polo, steeplechasing, English and western performance riding, endurance trail riding, gymkhana games, and hunting;

(ii) Equine training or teaching activities, or both;

(iii) Boarding equines, including their normal daily care;

(iv) Riding, inspecting, or evaluating by a purchaser or an agent an equine belonging to another, whether or not the owner has received some monetary consideration or other thing of value for the use of the equine or is permitting a prospective purchaser of the equine to ride, inspect, or evaluate the equine;

(v) Rides, trips, hunts or other equine activities of any type, however informal or impromptu, that are sponsored by an equine activity sponsor;

(vi) Placing or replacing horseshoes or hoof trimming on an equine; and

(vii) Providing or assisting in veterinary treatment.

(4) “Equine activity sponsor” means an individual, group, club, partnership, or corporation, whether or not the sponsor is operating for profit or not for profit, which sponsors, organizes, or provides the facilities for an equine activity, including but not limited to, pony clubs, 4-H clubs, hunt clubs, riding clubs, school and college-sponsored classes, programs and activities, therapeutic riding programs, stable and farm owners and operators, instructors, and promoters or equine facilities, including but not limited to farms, stables, clubhouses, pony ride strings, fairs, and arenas at which the activity is held.

(5) “Equine professional” means a person engaged for compensation to:

(i) Instruct a participant or rent to a participant an equine for the purpose of riding, driving or being a passenger upon the equine;

(ii) Rent equipment or tack to a participant;

(iii) Provide daily care of horses boarded at an equine facility; or

(iv) Train an equine.

(6) “Inherent risks of equine activities” means those dangers or conditions which are an integral part of equine activities, including but not limited to:

(i) The propensity of equines to behave in ways that may result in injury, harm, or death to persons on or around them;

(ii) The unpredictability of an equine’s reaction to things as sounds, sudden movement, and unfamiliar objects, persons, or other animals;

(iii) Collisions with other equines or objects; or

(iv) The potential of a participant to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to injury to the participant or others, as failing to maintain control over the equine or not acting within his or her ability.

(7) “Participant” means any person, whether amateur or professional, who engages in an equine activity, whether or not a fee is paid to participate in the equine activity.