Results
| Title |
Author |
Citation | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview of Trainer Responsibility for Racehorse Breakdowns in New York | Cynthia F. Hodges | Animal Legal and Historical Center |
This legal summary contends that trainers should be held criminally liable when racehorses break down under the New York anti-cruelty statute, Agriculture and Markets Law § 353. This section prohibits anyone from unjustifiably overdriving, torturing, injuring, or killing animals. By racing unfit horses, the trainers are not only withholding medical care, but are causing pain and further injury to the horses, which is cruel under the statute. Knowingly racing an unfit horse meets the definition of “cruelty” under § 353, and a guilty trainer should be held to account. |
| Brief Summary of the Equine Activity Liability Act | Cynthia F. Hodges | Animal Legal & Historical Center |
Many states have enacted EALA, which limits equine professionals’ liability for injury or death to equestrian participants. EALA only limits liability if the injury or death had been due to an inherent risk involved with interacting with horses. EALA does not limit liability if the injury or death had been caused by a non-inherent risk or caused by the equine professional’s own negligence. |
| An Analysis of Factors Responsible for the Decline of the U.S. Horse Industry: Why Horse Slaughter is not the Solution | John Holland and Laura Allen | Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law: Vol. 5 : Iss. 2 , Article 4. Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/kjeanrl/vol5/iss2/4 |
Copyright © 2013 by Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law; John Holland and Laura Allen. Reprinted with permission. |
| Let's Not Spit The Bit In Defense Of "The Law Of The Horse": The Historical And Legal Development Of American Thoroughbred Racing | Joan S. Howland | 14 Marq. Sports L. Rev. 473 (2004) |
My intention in this article is to discuss the historical antecedents of horse racing and the development of this sport in the United States since the Colonial Era. In order to do this, it is necessary to start from horse racing's beginnings. This historical tour will demonstrate that horse racing and its associated legal norms are much older and well established than many legal doctrines from more well known, but comparatively younger, legal subjects. Through this discussion I will demonstrate how the evolution of the law of Thoroughbred racing reflects the changing nature of American legal and social norms. |
| SHOULD THEY GO THE WAY OF THE HORSE AND BUGGY? HOW THE NEW YORK CITY HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE INDUSTRY HAS SURVIVED THIRTY YEARS OF OPPOSITION | Katherine Hutchison | 17 Animal L. 171 (2010) |
This Comment reviews the history of the horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City and details legislative efforts to regulate the business. Many cities in the United States feature horse-drawn carriages as a tourist attraction, but they are most associated with New York. The long-standing controversy over the working and living conditions of the horses that pull the cabs has garnered less national attention than other animal welfare issues, despite the fatalities and injuries suffered by the equines on traffic-choked Manhattan streets. Supporters of the industry defend it as an important contributor to the local economy, an iconic symbol of the city, and a source of livelihood for the operators. They maintain that municipal regulations are sufficient to protect the horses from mistreatment and the public from the perils of accidents involving carriages. However, city regulation has historically proven to be inadequate and ineffective in ensuring that the horses are not exposed to inhumane conditions. Moreover, the inherent hazards and stressors of New York City streets take a toll on the horses’ health and well-being that regulation cannot address. For these reasons, the protection of the horses and the public cannot be assured until the carriage business in the city is abolished. This Comment discusses the movement to ban the industry, including proposals that would replace the carriages with replicas of antique cars. With inadequate regulation and political obstacles to a ban, it may ultimately take a tide of public sentiment to end the suffering of carriage horses. |
| Responsibility in the "Sport of Kings": Imposing an Affirmative Duty of Care on the Primary Financial Beneficiaries of the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industry | Caroline L. Mayberger | 4 Stan. J. Animal L. & Pol'y 64 (2011) | Horseracing industry participants must be held accountable for the wellbeing of retired racehorses. In Part I of this article, I explore the historic role of the horse in American society, and explain how “unwanted horses” become neglected, abused, abandoned, or shipped across U.S. borders to be slaughtered. In Part II, I address the unique susceptibility of thoroughbred racehorses to becoming unwanted horses, and how the wealth and glamour associated with horseracing serves to mask the problem. In Part III, I outline the legislation pertaining to horseracing, arguing that it does not adequately ensure the welfare of ex-racehorses. In Part IV, I explain that the burden for caring for these horses falls to under-funded private horse Rescue/Adoption/Retraining facilities (hereinafter “RAR facilities”). In Parts V and VI, I employ a loss-spreading rationale and the reasoning behind the “special relationship” doctrine, contending that the cost of providing adequate funds to RAR facilities should be imposed on the Primary Financial Beneficiaries (hereinafter “PFBs”) of the horseracing industry. In Part VII, I argue that this financial burden should be placed on PFBs in the form of “Participation Fees” proportional to the PFB’s level of investment in the industry. In Part VIII, I contend that this mandate could be carried out by either private state racing associations, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, state governments, or the federal government. In Part IX, I further explore the logistics of implementing such a scheme. |
| THE RISE OF EQUINE ACTIVITY LIABILITY ACTS | Sharlene McEvoy | 3 Animal L. 201 (1997) | The law regarding animals can also affect those who own, use, or enjoy them. In recent years, the equine industry has become more vulnerable to liability as a result of recent court decisions undermining the traditional view that persons who participate in horseback riding assume the risk of injuries they incur. This paper examines six significant cases, as well as statutes passed by state legislatures to meet the challenges posed by these decisions. The legislative history and debate over the passage of a Connecticut bill are examined to illustrate the policy behind equine liability acts. |
| THE RISE OF EQUINE ACTIVITY LIABILITY ACTS | Sharlene A. McEvoy | 3 Animal L. 201 (1997) | In recent years, the equine industry has become concerned by court decisions which undermine the traditional view that persons who participate in horseback riding activities assume the risk of any injury they incur. Ms. McEvoy examines significant cases and state statutes designed to meet the challenges posed by these decisions, as well as the legislative history behind a Connecticut statute. |
| Bucking the Trend: Why Maryland Does Not Need an Equine Activity Statute and Why It May Be Time to Put All of These Statutes Out to Pasture | Jennifer D. Merryman | 36 U. Balt. L.F. 133 (Spring 2006) |
Part I of this comment shows the impetus behind equine activity statutes. Part II shows why the need for equine statutes no longer exists based on the doctrine of primary implied assumption of risk. Lastly, Part III surveys Maryland law to show that Maryland will not benefit from an equine activity statute and therefore should not adopt one. |
| Protecting Equine Rescue From Being Put Out To Pasture: Whether Ranches Dedicated To Abused, Abandoned, And Aging Horses May Qua | Michael T. Olexa, Katherine Smallwoods, and J.A. Cossey | 16 Drake J. Agric. L. 69 (2011) |
This law review argues that the use of property to board, train, and graze abused, abandoned and aging (rescue) horses should fall under the Florida Greenbelt Law’s “agricultural” tax classification. The authors of this law review contend that the use of property for rescue horse ranches is consistent with the purpose of the Greenbelt Law, and the rescue horse ranches provide other benefits to Florida's communities. |