What is a horseback riding waiver?
Riding schools, trail-ride operators and stables need riders to understand that horses are unpredictable however well they're schooled. A generic activity waiver doesn't describe being kicked, a horse shying on a trail, or tack failing. This waiver does, and it collects what you need to match a rider to a horse: experience level, weight if you use it, and medical conditions.
It names the stable and the rider, lets an adult rider sign or a parent sign for a rider under 18, and covers a single day, 12 months, or until withdrawn. The rider promises to follow staff instructions and your helmet and footwear rule. The release applies to the inherent risks of riding to the extent the law allows, with a fair carve-out for liability that can't be excluded. Where your local law requires a specific equine activity warning, you paste it in and it prints in bold. The rider initials every page.
- Best for
- Riding schools, trail-ride operators, livery yards, pony-ride events
- Signed by
- The adult rider or a parent/guardian, and the stable
- Records
- Experience level, weight, medical notes, emergency contact
- Covers
- One day, 12 months, or until withdrawn
- Length
- 2–3 pages, initialled on every page
When to use a horseback riding waiver
- Weekly riding lessons for adults and children
- Guided trail or beach rides for tourists
- Pony rides at a fair or birthday party
- Pony club or holiday riding camps
- Clients helping with grooming and stable work
What you fill in
15 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: rider or parent, stable.
1 The stable
- Stable, riding school or ranch*
- Address
2 The rider
- Rider's full name*
- Rider's date of birth*
- Who signs* The rider (18 or over) · A parent or guardian of a rider under 18
- Parent or guardian's name
- Riding experience* Beginner — never or rarely ridden · Novice — walk and trot with confidence · Intermediate — walk, trot and canter in control · Experienced — confident in all paces and outdoors
- Rider's weight
- Emergency contact (name and phone)*
- Medical conditions or medication
3 The activity
- Activity* Riding lessons · Trail or hack rides · Pony rides · Riding lessons, trail rides and stable activities
- This waiver covers* the activity on the date signed · all activities for 12 months from signing · all activities until withdrawn in writing
- Helmet rule*
- Statutory notice (if any)
- Governing law*
4 Who signs
- Rider or parent signature and date, initials on every page · The adult rider, or a parent or legal guardian signing for a rider under 18.
- Stable signature and date, job title, initials on every page
What the horseback riding waiver covers
- The risks of horses
- The Rider's information and promises
- Assumption of risk and release
- Medical treatment
- What this Release does not cover
- General
Using the horseback riding waiver, step by step
1 Stable details
Your stable name fills in from your account. Add the address and the governing law. If local law requires a specific equine activity warning in rider contracts, paste the exact wording into the statutory notice field.
2 Rider details
Enter the rider's name and date of birth, choose whether the rider or a parent signs, and add the parent's name if so. Record experience, weight if you use it, medical notes and an emergency contact.
3 Activity and rules
Choose lessons, trail rides, pony rides or all three, how long the waiver covers, and edit the helmet rule to match your yard.
4 Send before the first ride
The rider or parent signs and initials each page on their phone, you countersign, and the signed waiver is filed in your FileIt vault.
Tips before you send it
- Check whether your state or country has an equine activity statute that requires a particular warning — and use its exact wording.
- Have riders re-sign when the waiver period runs out or their experience level changes.
- Use a waiver alongside good safety practice and insurance, not instead of them.
- Waivers signed by parents for children are treated differently from place to place; ask a local lawyer how they apply to your yard.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Horseback riding waiver: frequently asked questions
Will this waiver protect my stable from every claim?
No. It applies to the extent the law allows, and expressly does not exclude liability that can't be excluded — in many places, gross negligence or wilful misconduct, and some consumer rights. Enforceability of waivers varies widely.
Can a parent sign for a child rider?
Yes. Choose the parent or guardian option. The form explains that in many places a parent can't give up a child's own claims, and that the release then works as the parent's own acceptance of risk and release to the extent the law allows.
What is the statutory notice field for?
Some places have equine activity laws that require operators to include a specific warning in contracts. If yours does, paste the required wording; it prints in bold near the top. If none applies, leave it empty.
How long does the waiver last?
You choose: the day it's signed, 12 months, or until the rider withdraws it in writing.
Can riders sign on a phone at the yard?
Yes. Riders and parents don't need a FileIt account. The signed PDF includes an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion.