Horseback riding waiver template
A horseback riding waiver records that a rider understands what horses can do, and gives the stable the warning many state equine laws expect in writing. This one fits trail rides, lessons, pony rides and ranch visits, with a parent signing for children. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and have riders sign before they reach the mounting block.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Rider or parent
Horseback Riding Waiver and Release
This Waiver and Release is given to Stable name, Stable address (the "Stable"), for Type of riding. If the rider is under 18, a parent or legal guardian completes and signs it.
WARNING
Under the laws of the state of State, an equine activity sponsor or equine professional is generally not liable for an injury to or the death of a participant in equine activities resulting from the inherent risks of equine activities. Where state law requires different wording, it reads: State-required warning wording
1. The rider
- Rider's full name: Rider name
- Date of birth: Rider date of birth
- Weight, so we can match a horse: Rider weight pounds. Riders over Weight limit pounds can't be accommodated, for the horses' sake.
- Riding experience, honestly described: Riding experience
- If under 18, parent or guardian name: Parent or guardian name
The Stable chooses a horse based on these answers. Overstating experience can put the rider on a horse they aren't ready for.
2. The inherent risks of horses
Horses are large animals with minds of their own. Even a calm, well-trained horse may react without warning to a sound, a movement, an object, a person or another animal. It may shy, spook, buck, rear, bolt, kick, bite, stumble or fall. The ground may be uneven or slippery, a horse may collide with another horse or an object, and a rider may lose control or fail to follow instructions. Any of these can cause serious injury or death. The signer understands these risks and accepts them. Initials: Inherent risks initials
3. Helmets and clothing
Riders under 18 must wear a riding helmet certified to the ASTM/SEI standard, which the Stable can lend. For adults it is strongly recommended. Riders wear long pants and closed shoes or boots with a small heel. Adult riders, tick one:
- I will wear a certified riding helmet.
- I am 18 or older and choose to ride without a helmet, knowing it increases the risk of a serious head injury.
4. Rules around the horses
- Follow the guide's or instructor's directions at all times, including when to mount, dismount and change pace.
- On trail rides, stay in line and keep a horse's length from the horse ahead.
- No riding after drinking alcohol or using drugs.
- Children who aren't riding stay with an adult and outside corrals, paddocks and stalls.
- Never walk directly behind a horse or feed one without permission.
5. Health
Back, neck or joint problems, seizures, heart conditions, pregnancy, allergies or other health issues the Stable should know about: Health issues. Riding is not recommended during pregnancy.
6. Release
To the extent the law allows, the signer, for themselves and for any minor rider, releases the Stable, its owners, guides, instructors and staff from claims for injury, illness or death arising from riding, handling or being near the horses, including the inherent risks above and the Stable's ordinary negligence. The release does not cover gross negligence or willful misconduct, or anything the law does not allow to be released. Initials: Initials after the release
7. Emergencies
Ranches and trails can be far from a hospital. If the rider is hurt, the Stable may give first aid and call for emergency transport, at the rider's or family's cost. Emergency contact: Emergency contact.
8. General
This waiver covers every ride, lesson and visit from the date signed until a newer version is signed. It is governed by the laws of the state named in the warning above. If any part is unenforceable, the rest still applies. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Signer's phone: Signer phone Email: Signer email
I have read the warning, the inherent risks and the release, and my answers about the rider are true. If I sign for a minor, I am their parent or legal guardian.
Rider, or parent or guardian of a rider under 18
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
Equine laws and why the warning matters
Most states have an equine activity liability law that limits a stable's liability for the inherent risks of horses: spooking, bucking, kicking, uneven ground and riders losing control. Many of those laws only protect you if you post a warning sign and put a warning in your written contracts, often in specific words. A signed waiver that carries the warning and a release does double duty: it helps you use the statute, and it covers ground the statute may not.
The statutes have limits. They commonly don't protect a stable that supplied tack it knew was faulty, didn't make a reasonable effort to match the rider to a suitable horse, or acted with willful disregard for safety. That's why this waiver asks about weight and experience in writing.
What the template covers
- Warning: a general equine activity warning naming your state, and a blank for the exact wording if your state's law requires its own.
- The rider: name, date of birth, weight against your limit, honestly described experience and a parent for minors.
- Inherent risks: what horses do without warning and what can go wrong on the ground, initialed.
- Helmets and clothing: certified helmets for under-18s, and adults choosing in writing.
- Barn and trail rules: following the guide, spacing on the trail, no alcohol, children outside the paddocks, and never walking behind a horse.
- Health: back problems, seizures, heart conditions, pregnancy and allergies.
- Release and emergencies: a release of inherent risks and ordinary negligence, initialed, plus an emergency contact for rides far from help.
Mistakes stables make
- Using a generic waiver with no equine warning. In states that require the wording, leaving it out can cost you the statute's protection.
- Never asking about experience. If a rider who said they'd never ridden is put on a forward horse, the release won't help much.
- Treating tack checks as optional. Worn cinches and stirrup leathers are a known exception to many equine laws; check and log them before every ride.
- Letting siblings and spectators wander into the paddock. Put the rule in writing and have the parent sign it.
- Taking a birthday party's waivers from one parent. Every child riding needs their own parent's signature.
Use your state's exact warning
Equine laws differ on the warning's wording, and some set a type size or require it to be signed separately. Type your state's exact text in the warning blank. If your state sets a type size the blank can't meet, copy this waiver from the preview into your own document, set the warning as the law requires and upload it as a new template.
How to collect it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens in your SignMaster account with one signer, the rider or their parent.
- 2
Add your stable and your state
Fill the gray blanks: stable name and address, the type of riding, your state, your weight limit, and your state's warning wording if it has its own. Save it.
- 3
Send it with the booking
Email the waiver with each trail ride or lesson confirmation, with a sign-by date of the day before. Every rider, or each child's parent, signs on their phone at home.
- 4
Match horses before they arrive
On a paid plan, the Responses tab lists every rider's weight, experience and health notes in one table, so the barn can assign horses before the first car pulls in.
- 5
Catch late arrivals at the barn
Anyone who hasn't signed can do it on your phone or iPad with Sign in person while the horses are tacked up, and you get the device back with your Face ID or passcode.
Camps, troops and parties
When a scout troop, a school group or a birthday party books the arena, you need one signed waiver per child from each child's own parent. Turn the template into a public signing link and send the organizer the link to share with families. Each parent signs their own copy, you can set the link to stop on the day of the visit, and every signed waiver lands in your account rather than in the organizer's car.
Questions? Answers.
Does my state require an equine warning in the waiver?
Many states with an equine activity liability law require a warning in written contracts as well as on a posted sign, sometimes in exact words. Your state's equine activity statute gives the text to use.
Can a parent sign a riding waiver for a child?
Yes, the template has a line for it. Whether the release stops a child's own claim varies by state, but the signed warning and the parent's acknowledgment of the risks still matter.
Can riders sign the waiver online before they arrive?
Yes. Under the federal ESIGN Act and state law, electronic signatures are generally as valid as ink, and SignMaster records who signed and when.
Who fills in which blanks?
You fill the gray ones: stable details, the type of riding, the state, your weight limit and any required warning text. The rider or parent fills in the rider's details, helmet choice and emergency contact, initials twice and signs.