giving pony rides at a school fete?

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Jericho

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Does anyone know of the H&S / Insurance issues associated with giving pony rides at a school summer fete? I have been asked and am more than happy to do it with our very good safe pony (who I think would love the attention!) but wanted to check if there are any issues that I should be aware of?

(I would of course give a weight limit, insist on hats, give the pony a rest, access to water and food, shade and it would be for no more than 90 minutes)
 
I've done this at our village fete and the first year I checked with my own insurance re public liability.

If I did this via my own insurance would cost £££'s, because you're using the horse for 'hire and reward'.

However, the fete must, by law, have their OWN public liability insurance which DOES cover things like pony rides. Check with the organisers and ask them to check their insurance.

Word of warning, it usually requires two saintly ponies to do pony rides, plus enough helpers to stand the other side of the pony and someone to take money and crowd control (!)plus fetching water and refreshments for helpers, because it's mighty hard work.
pony rides are very very popular... in the past I've had mums leave pushchairs next to the pony and then wander off for coffee, mums allow kids to run around the pony whilst we're giving rides, and mums who insist a screaming kid sit on the pony (even though the kid is terrified) just for a photo. All of which upset the most unflappable of pony and are stressful for others too.
I wrote a list of do's and don't's and stuck them on the gate, but no-one took any notice.

As i havent access to a second pony this year (did it with just one pony last year, was alot of work for him and even though he;s totally bombproof he got really upset) I won't be doing it. The safety of the children and sanity of my pony has to come first.
 
Local by-laws would apply, you would have to check with your council on those. Some councils will only allow it if there is a vet there with the horses. Insurance for Pony Rides is often available through the PTA's own insurance that they would need to have in place - pony rides are normally an 'add on' and are not part of the standard insurance package.

Personally, it is not something I would take on unless the PTA provided full insurance, mainly because I personally would not want to have to deal with the fallout if something happened.
 
Just so you know, most fete insurance specifically excludes pony rides, unless you purchase an additional rider (at extra cost). Same goes for things like fireworks, and since a large claim, bouncy castles.
 
Find out from the organisers about the insurance. It's a potential minefield.
If you do go ahead with it make sure you're not positioned next to a brass band etc and take a variety of different sized hats for the children to wear whilst on the pony.
 
Be aware that you MUST have a Riding School Licence, even if for only one day or for charity.

My job is giving donkey rides, but I get over some rules by using a carriage instead of them being ridden. We also have our own Public Liability Insurance, for which most events need us to provide the details, as their own insurance rarely covers us.
 
I was asked to do pony rides at our local primary school and used insurance as a get out. The school and PTA checked their own PL insurance and found they weren't covered .
 
[ QUOTE ]
Be aware that you MUST have a Riding School Licence, even if for only one day or for charity.

My job is giving donkey rides, but I get over some rules by using a carriage instead of them being ridden. We also have our own Public Liability Insurance, for which most events need us to provide the details, as their own insurance rarely covers us.

[/ QUOTE ]

It depends on the county council. I asked specific permission by mine (who checked the insurance etc) for the day.

But I agree it is an absolute nightmare, and not worth the stress caused to all parties.
 
so its a big no no then... oh well, would have been nice to do our bit to raise some money for the school but sounds like its not worth the hassle.

Thanks for all your replies - really helpful
 
Our local primary school had a 'rural' fete with longhorn cattle (the bull was huge) amongst other animals..........including pony rides. The headmaster was dead against it; he imagined rampaging cows maiming the public etc. As secretary of the PTA I stopped all his objections by producing the insurance policy. As the PTA was affiliated, anything we did was covered up to 'mega-millions'. It was a good fete, and all the animals behaved!
 
We did it last yearfor our school, they had the insurance in place but .....never again!!! The ponies were fantastic the kids and parents a nightmare, The PTA organiser could not grasp the fact we needed a shady spot and some space. we earned our school a small fortune and not so much as a Thank You at the end of a long day. So this year we will be at a show that day LOL.
 
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