Having trainer come to your property?

I have a question about hiring a trainer to come train/ride a horse on your own property. What do you need to worry about as far as liability?

The trainer would probably ride the horse both on the property (where the horse lives) and out on trails nearby.

Is there some type of contract I should ask him to sign just to be safe? Any suggestions?

I am in Arizona if that makes a difference.

Subbing, i'm curious to know too.

Yeah, I figure I'm not the only person who has thought of hiring a trainer to come out and work with a horse.....right?

I think I will sub too! I too, have pondered having a trainer come to my property to train my horse. I know many trainers that will travel ask that you have a suitable place to ride and some even require a round pen. But as far as liabilities and contracts, I really don't know.

Obviously your local laws will apply, but I don't see why hiring a horse trainer would be any different than hiring a roofer, plumber or lawn service, Make sure THEY have Liability insurance and workers comp insurance and a business liscense. Without all three never let soemone on your property to do a job. Here is a cut and paste from the BBB,
A wise consumer contacted the Better Business Bureau to ask, “Who can I call to verify insurance on a tree service company?”
Anytime you consider hiring a contractor to perform work on your property, it is important to verify that the contractor is covered by two kinds of insurance:

• General Liability Insurance. This insurance will cover damage if the contractor’s accident or error causes damage to your property or a neighbor’s property.
• Workers’ Compensation Insurance. This insurance will provide coverage if the contractor’s employee is injured while working on the job at your property.

In the absence of either insurance, you may be financially responsible if an accident or injury occurs while the contractor is working on your job.
Before signing a contract, tell the contractor that you need to verify insurance coverage. Request the name of the contractor’s insurance agent and contact the agent to request a Certificate of Insurance. As an extra precaution, don’t just call the name and phone number provided by the contractor. Instead, look up the insurance agent in the phone book and call the listed number to request the certificate of insurance.

You want to trust the contractor. Most times, you can. However, "trust but verify" is always good policy. Reputable contractors are pleased to provide information to help you verify their insurance coverage. In fact, they usually appreciate you asking, because they must compete on price with "fly by night" contractors who operate without the expense of insurance.

In addition to verifying that the contractor carries liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance, you should determine exactly what coverage you have on your own homeowner’s insurance. Would your homeowner’s insurance cover you if the tree being cut down by the contractor falls on your neighbor’s car or home and does extensive damage?
Frequently, homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover contractor accidents. This makes it especially important for you to verify that the contractor has adequate insurance.

If contractor accidents are not covered under your current home insurance policy, you may want to ask your insurance agent whether your insurance company offers additional coverage to cover contractor accidents. Find out the cost of this additional coverage. The peace of mind that would come with adding this coverage may be worth the cost.

A trainer might not fall under the same laws as contractor though? And best thing to do would be to research with your insurance agent, as to how to limit your liability.

I'm pretty sure the guy I am thinking of using doesn't have it set-up as a proper business.....with liability insurance and such. He trains horses (and actually I bought my mare from him) but I don't think that is his business.

Actually, when I sent my colt down for breaking, I don't even think that guy was set up as a training business. He had other things he did as his main income.

So I don't know. Sounds risky I guess, to use someone who isn't a professional horse trainer?

I guess we would need to research the issue with the insurance company.

If we had an outside pro that came to our farm to teach lessons or work with a horse, we demanded proof of a liability insurance policy, had them sign a release and hold harmless agreement, and wear a helmet. Well, it was a rule that everyone wore a helmet but it was written in the release and hold harmless that one would be worn.

Any member of USEF and CEF can purchase a good liability policy for $50 annually. The rates may have increased as I haven't checked for about 5 years.

I haven't been on the hiring end of this, but I have been on the hired end. I have a 1 million dollar policy and I have to add each new location I ride/train/teach at to my policy. My original, baseline policy was $750, each 'additional insured' is $35 for a private property, $125 for a government entity (i.e, I added the fairgrounds and consequent State of California to use the public indoor). I also have a release of liability, but those can be picked apart by any decent lawyer in a lawsuit.