In general, a defendant can only be immune from suit in a Texas horse-related injury case if the plaintiff was a “participant in a farm animal activity or livestock show” when the injuries occurred.

Chapter 87 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code (the “Act”) was amended in 2011 to, among other things, include

Happy New Year, Equine Law Blog readers!  Here’s to the hope that you and yours find all opportunities for joy and happiness, as well as prosperity in abundance in 2012.

2011 brought a number of significant legal events / changes that will affect many people involved in the Texas horse industry.  The "Top Seven of 2011"

On December 15, 2011, the American Horse Council (AHC) issued a news release publicizing its opposition to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed child labor regulations concerning children working on farms because of its potential negative impacts on the horse community. 

The AHC was organized in 1969 to represent the horse industry in Washington before Congress

Most of you have already read about the heated legal battle over the horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City, where some groups have been pushing for decades to outlaw carriage rides. On its face, the battle seems to be about whether or not the industry is inherently cruel or dangerous for the horses. But more recently

The issue of horse slaughter is on my mind today after reading a news story about the introduction of a U.S. Senate bill proposing the recommencement of horse meat inspection funding.  That’s when I poked around on the Internet a bit and found the "Haters List".

In case you haven’t seen it, the blog Wild

Over the past few weeks, many agriculture associations have expressed concern that the US Department of Transportation (DOT) had proposed a regulation that would require farmers and ranchers to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in order to, for example, drive tractors on public roads or haul livestock on public roads with a truck/trailer combo exceeding 26,000 pounds.

Ohio Agricultural Law

As of June 17, 2011, the Texas Equine Activity Limitation of Liability Act was amended to include most common farm and livestock animals. The new Act will now be called the “Texas Farm Animal Limitation of Liability Act.”

In short, the immunities related to damages arising from horse activities found in Chapter 87 of the Texas

If you are thinking about filing a lawsuit in Texas on a horse case, or if you think someone is planning on suing you in Texas, the following bullet summary contains some facts to consider about the new “loser pays” law that recently passed the Texas Legislature. 

These new rules are widely viewed as being

If someone owes you money for board, training, or veterinary services, you may now be able to call your district or county attorney and have the debtor criminally charged with “theft of service”, even if the debtor has made partial payments to you. Note: this probably won’t work if you agreed to accept partial payments or