Equine law involves the law as it relates to all aspects of horses and horse-related activities.
We are able to assist horse owners, businesses, professionals, insurers, associations, clinicians, event sponsors, national and international competitors, veterinarians, stables, and facilities with several things including:
- Draft, review, or negotiate equine-related contracts (such as purchase and sales agreements, leases, stallion service contracts, liability waivers/releases, facility use agreements, stallion management agreements, training agreements, and boarding contracts)
- Set up corporations, partnerships, syndications, or Limited Liability Companies
- Assist with tax planning and resolving tax disputes, including "hobby loss disputes" with the government
- Help plan and document real estate purchases or transactions
- Handle or resolve equine ownership disputes
- Handle or resolve zoning and land use disputes
- Handle or resolve disputes involving breaches of professional duties on part of sales agents, trainers, stables and others
- Representing buyers or sellers, handle or resolve cases involving fraud and misrepresentation in equine sales and leases
- Advise equine industry clubs and associations regarding management, rules, bylaws, disputes and regulations
- Help avoid liability through risk management consulting
- Draft or review equine insurance policy language and provide counsel in evaluation and litigation of coverage disputes
- Represent people, associations or businesses when disputes or lawsuits arise out of any of the matters described above
We offer extensive experience in many of these matters. Julie Fershtman is nationally known for her equine law expertise. She has tried equine cases before juries in four states, and has been specially admitted counsel in 18 jurisdictions. She has written four books on equine law, more than 400 published articles, and has been a speaker in 29 states.
Recent Blog Posts
- Webinar on Equine Law Essentials
- Avoiding Disputes: Fershtman Presents Equine Liability Webinar for USHJA
- Review Your Liability Insurance on Insurance Awareness Day
- Latest Word on “Dangerous Land” Under State Equine Activity Liability Acts
- Common Characteristics of Equine Sale Disputes—And Ways to Avoid Them
- How Equine Professionals Can Avoid Payment Disputes and Handle Them Legally if They Occur
- Equine Event Liabilities – Plan Ahead
- Legal Ramifications of Providing Veterinary Advice Online
- Plan Ahead When Lending or Borrowing a Horse Trailer
- Our State Has No Equine Activity Liability Act – Are We Worse Off?
Publications & Alerts
- Seven Suggestions for Avoiding Equine Sale Disputes, Riding Instructor Magazine, June 21, 2024
- Liability Releases for Agritourism Activities – Don’t Fall Prey to Myths, Foster Swift Agricultural Law News, March 31, 2020
- Animal Law for Insurance Lawyers, American Bar Association: Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, February 4, 2020
- When the Hoof Meets the Road, Foster Swift Agricultural Law News, January 23, 2019
- Can You Repossess a Horse When the Buyer Fails to Pay?, Miniature Horse News, October 19, 2015
- Michigan’s Equine Activity Liability Act: Are We Galloping in the Right Direction?, Foster Swift Agricultural Law Update, January 16, 2014
Events
- Risk Management Strategies for Equine Related Activities - We Aren't Horsing Around!, 2025 IRMI AgriCon, September 3, 2025
- Handling A Products Liability Matter in the Equine Industry, 39th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, May 1, 2025
- Loose Livestock, 2025 IRMI AgriCon, to be held March 2 – 4, 2025, in Sacramento, CA., March 3, 2025
- Risk Management Strategies for Equine Related Activities, 2025 IRMI AgriCon
- Equine Law Essentials: Liability, Risk Management, and Tax Strategies, MyLaw CLE, November 7, 2024
- Liabilities When Horses or Livestock are Injured in the Care of Your Insureds, IRMI AgriCon Central Conference, September 10, 2024
- Understanding Equine Liability and How to Avoid Disputes with Insurers, United States Hunter-Jumper Association (“USHJA”), July 22, 2024
News
- Fershtman Named to the 2025 DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyer”, Dbusiness, November 8, 2024
- Fershtman Named to the 2024 DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyer”, DBusiness, November 1, 2023
- Fershtman Elected Vice-President of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, Michigan State Bar Foundation, September 15, 2022
- Fershtman Cited on Equestrian Legal Pitfalls, Horse Illustrated Magazine, April 20, 2022
- What Happens When You Pass Before Your Pets?, Global Newswire, April 11, 2022
- Julie Fershtman Featured on “Ag Law Today” Podcast, Ag Law Today, August 23, 2021
- Fershtman Awarded Additional Super Lawyers Honors in 2021, Michigan Super Lawyers, August 13, 2021