Horse sense.

Managing a safe riding program at camp requires considerable resources, time, and good old fashioned horse sense. Many camps have discontinued riding programs over the years because of the many demands. Two critical demands are the need for skilled staff who are not always readily available, and the high cost of a program, including the cost of insuring the activities.

The following observations, from the perspective of an insurance company, may help those directors who continue to offer riding become better risk managers.

Should you buy or lease horses?

Statistics seem to indicate that camps that own their horses have a better loss experience from horse activities than camps that lease their horses for the summer. This may be due to the fact that camps with specialized riding programs are more likely to own their horses than camps without specialized riding programs. Camps with specialized programs are also more likely to have year-round staff that have a better knowledge of each individual horse's behavior patterns.

Our conclusion from these observations is that familiarity with the specific horses probably contributes to increased safety. We think this knowledge helps the riding staff make better decisions when matching horses' behavior patterns to campers' ability.

Can you get a similar result if you lease your horses from an outfitter? We think so. We've visited some camps that have made arrangements to use the same string of horses each year. Continuity with horses and continuity with your key riding staff has the potential to create a controlled environment similar to that created when the horses are owned by the camp year round.

Some directors have decided that owning their horses is important to their risk management program but their facilities don't permit keeping them during the fall and winter months. Many of these directors solve this problem by leasing their horses to individuals or organizations until the weather permits them to be returned to camp.

Creative problem solving often creates another set of risks that directors must manage. When horses are leased during the off season, arrangements are sometimes made with campers' families or with neighbors. Some camps lease their horses to private schools or riding academies as school horses during the off season. These leases are very solid risk transfer devices when they are in the form of a contract. The details of the contract should be developed by your lawyer. From a risk management standpoint, the contract should neatly transfer the risk of care, maintenance, and use to the lessee. The camp as a legal entity should be an additional insured under some type of personal horse owners liability or commercial liability policy. Another risk management approach is to request a hold harmless agreement while the horse is in the lessee's care, custody, and control. Ignoring these details can result in a claim and unhappy experience.

Common claims

From our experience, claims develop from the following:

* the facility itself

* the care, or lack of care given the horses

* design of the activities

* negligent maintenance of tack and other equipment

* skill of the riding staff, quality of instruction, and ability to match horses' to campers' abilities

* overall supervision and adherence to the "rules."

The interaction of campers, horses, and staff converging on your facility creates an environment where risks of injury increase.

We see a variety of claims developing out of riding facilities. These include minor as well as serious injuries to campers and staff.

A common injury to staff in the barn or stable is being stepped on by the horse. Sometimes this results in a bruise, if proper footwear is worn, or broken toes and feet if not. Another injury to staff involves being crushed in the stall by the horse. This occurs from time to time because of inattentive or inexperienced staff. In addition, some facilities have narrow stalls that increase this risk. What are your footwear requirements for campers and staff? Are your staff members and campers warned and trained to avoid crush injuries?

Care given horses during the summer is another factor contributing to the risk of injury. While rest and care requirements may seem obvious to some, we still see claims that develop from horses being over-used in hot, humid weather. Undoubtedly, you have a hot weather risk management plan for campers. What about your horses?

Safe horsemanship programs pay careful attention to the maintenance and repair of tack and other equipment. In addition, they have an adequate supply of replacement tack so staff don't have to "make do" with equipment that needs repair. Experience shows that money spent in preventive maintenance is money well spent.

Another vitally important issue is providing for an ample supply of various sizes of helmets, saddles, and so forth, to accommodate all sizes of riders. How do you manage the risk of equipment failure?

Where and when the instructional programs are held are as significant as how. Poorly designed instructional plans create confusion resulting in loss of control and increased risk of injury.

Adequate staffing is another key issue in successful riding programs and can help keep things under control. Your objective is to have sufficient supervision available so unexpected events don't result in an injury. Having experienced staff who can exercise some common (horse) sense can make a real difference.

This was made crystal clear to me this summer. I was a standards visitor and observed a riding class. One of the campers arrived late. The other campers were on their horses. As this young man approached his horse it became agitated. The groom held the horse and attempted to assist the camper. The horse continued to move and would not cooperate.

The riding instructor took the horse from the groom and, after a minute or so, calmed it down. The instructor then sent the horse back to the stable and brought out a replacement. The camper mounted this horse uneventfully and joined the rest of his group.

Afterward, I spoke with the instructor. He explained that the agitated horse was usually one of the horses turned out first. Its behavior, he thought, was the result of impatience to join all the other horses already in the ring. He derided to use another horse because of his concern about how this horse would interact later.

The skill of the staff directly impacts safety. In this case, nothing happened. That's good! Knowing the horses definitely gives the staff the advantage when matching campers and horses for instruction.

Quality supervision helps make the difference and creates an envelope of safety. Good supervisors take responsibility for safety and they insist that campers and staff follow the rules.

Unfortunately, we still have claims developing from situations where fundamental rules have not been followed. Common (horse) sense must prevail if directors expect to meet the challenges of managing safe horse programs and win!

Ed Schirick is senior vice president of the Markel Insurance Company camp and youth recreation division. He is a charted property casualty underwriter and a certified insurance counselor. Send your risk management inquiries to: Ed Schirick, c/o Markel Insurance Company, 4600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23058.