§663B-2 Equine activities; rebuttable presumption. (a) In any civil action for injury, loss, damage, or death of a participant, there shall be a presumption that the injury, loss, damage, or death was not caused by the negligence of an equine activity sponsor, equine professional, or their employees or agents, if the injury, loss, damage, or death was caused solely by the inherent risk and unpredictable nature of the equine. An injured person or their legal representative may rebut the presumption of no negligence by a preponderance of the evidence.

(b) Nothing in this section shall prevent or limit the liability of an equine activity sponsor, an equine professional, or their employees or agents if the equine activity sponsor, equine professional, or person:

(1) Provided the equipment or tack, and knew or should have known that the equipment or tack was faulty, and the equipment or tack was a proximate cause of the injury;

(2) Provided the equine and failed to make reasonable and prudent efforts to determine the ability of the participant to engage safely in the equine activity; or determine the ability of the participant to safely manage the particular equine based on the participant's representations of the participant's ability; or determine the characteristics of the particular equine and suitability of the equine to participate in equine activities with the participant; or failed to reasonably supervise the equine activities and such failure is a proximate cause of the injury;

(3) Owns, leases, rents, or otherwise is in lawful possession and control of the land or facilities upon which the participant sustained injuries because of a dangerous latent condition which was known or reasonably should have been known to the equine activity sponsor, equine professional, or person, or for which reasonable warning signs have not been conspicuously posted;

(4) Commits an act or omission that constitutes gross negligence or wilful or wanton disregard for the safety of the participant, and that act or omission caused the injury; or

(5) Intentionally injures the participant.

(c) Nothing in subsection (a) shall prevent or limit the liability of an equine activity sponsor or an equine professional under liability provisions as set forth in the products liability laws or in sections 142-63, 142-64, 142-65, 142-66, and 142-68. [L 1994, c 249, pt of §1]

Revision Note

Subsection (c) redesignated pursuant to §23G-15.

Case Notes

If plaintiff's claims that ranch tour guide failed to reasonably supervise the equine activities that were the proximate cause of plaintiff's injury were correct, the presumption of non-negligence set forth in this section would not apply; thus it was error for trial court to apply this section to the case. 111 H. 254, 141 P.3d 427 (2006).