The Florida Senate

773.01  Definitions.--As used in ss. 773.01-773.05:

(1)  "Engages in an equine activity" means riding, training, assisting in veterinary treatment of, driving, or being a passenger upon an equine, whether mounted or unmounted, visiting or touring or utilizing an equine facility as part of an organized event or activity, or any person assisting a participant or show management. The term "engages in an equine activity" does not include being a spectator at an equine activity, except in cases where a spectator places himself or herself in an unauthorized area.

(2)  "Equine" means a horse, pony, mule, or donkey.

(3)  "Equine activity" means:

(a)  Equine shows, fairs, competitions, performances, or parades that involve any or all breeds of equines and any of the equine disciplines including, but not limited to, dressage, hunter and jumper horse shows, grand prix jumping, three-day events, combined training, rodeos, riding, driving, pulling, cutting, polo, steeplechasing, English and western performance riding, endurance trail riding, gymkhana games, and hunting.

(b)  Equine training or teaching activities or both.

(c)  Boarding, including normal daily care of an equine.

(d)  Riding, inspecting, or evaluating an equine belonging to another by a purchaser or an agent, whether or not the owner has received monetary consideration or other thing of value for the use of the equine or is permitting a prospective purchaser to ride, inspect, or evaluate it.

(e)  Rides, trips, hunts, or other equine activities of any type, no matter how informal or impromptu, that are sponsored by an equine activity sponsor.

(f)  Placing or replacing horseshoes or hoof trimming on an equine.

(g)  Providing or assisting in veterinary treatment.

(4)  "Equine activity sponsor" means an individual, group, club, partnership, or corporation, whether or not the sponsor is operating for profit or nonprofit, which sponsors, organizes, or provides the facilities for an equine activity, including, but not limited to: pony clubs, 4-H clubs, hunt clubs, riding clubs, school and college-sponsored classes, programs, and activities, therapeutic riding programs, stable and farm owners and operators, instructors, and promoters of equine facilities, including, but not limited to, farms, stables, clubhouses, pony ride strings, fairs, and arenas at which the activity is held.

(5)  "Equine professional" means a person engaged for compensation:

(a)  In instructing a participant or renting to a participant an equine for the purpose of riding, driving, or being a passenger upon the equine;

(b)  In renting equipment or tack to a participant;

(c)  To provide daily care of horses boarded at an equine facility; or

(d)  To train an equine.

(6)  "Inherent risks of equine activities" means those dangers or conditions which are an integral part of equine activities, including, but not limited to:

(a)  The propensity of equines to behave in ways that may result in injury, harm, or death to persons on or around them.

(b)  The unpredictability of an equine's reaction to such things as sounds, sudden movement, and unfamiliar objects, persons, or other animals.

(c)  Certain hazards such as surface and subsurface conditions.

(d)  Collisions with other equines or objects.

(e)  The potential of a participant to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to injury to the participant or others, such as failing to maintain control over the animal or not acting within his or her ability.

(7)  "Participant" means any person, whether amateur or professional, who engages in or any equine that participates in an equine activity, whether or not a fee is paid to participate in the equine activity.

History.--s. 88, ch. 93-169; s. 1182, ch. 97-102; s. 29, ch. 2000-354.