On New Year’s Eve my mare took out a 10-foot wide, 7 or 8-bar metal gate when the neighbors set of fireworks at midnight. I am so grateful she wasn’t hurt and that she didn’t leave the barnyard in the six or seven hours before my BO discovered her. She had never reacted that strongly before but had recently been moved to a new paddock, which we believe increased her anxiety in the situation. Accidents do indeed happen.
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if the car driver had insurance most likely if would be their insurance carrier suing to recover the funds spent
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Horses doing horse things - where they spend every day trying to figure creative ways to injure themselves and make the humans spend more money on fixing things or building things differently than they were already built.
I came home from work one day and found a gate on the ground. It was installed one hinge up and one hinge down. At the time of its removal (and destruction that lead to a vet call and stitches) it was fully open and secured flat against a three board wood fence.
It was the gate between one turn out area and a larger turn out area. So no squeeze point near it, a 12’ opening.
I can not even guess why the horse was even interacting with this gate, let alone to the point that they got into a discussion with it and bent it to bits.
Horses like to be creative about their destruction.
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Where I live, boarding barns are required to have “Custody, care, and control” (CCC) Insurance which limits their liability but would pay claims for accidents like this.
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Whoa. I fenced in 15 acres two years ago and it was $20k. I did 5 strands heavy coated wire. What material are you talking?
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I’m so sorry to hear this happened. Just so tragic. Glad it wasn’t your horse, OP.
I’d probably be looking to move because I don’t think I would be able to relax with my horse there ever again.
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Pipe gates can flex. I have latches like the ones pictured here. My 1600 pound butt rubbing draft cross can flex the gate enough so that it shortens by an inch and the latch pin pops free. I learned this by observing him actually opening a pipe gate after finding my horses loose and roaming down the road one morning. I have added chains on both the latch and the hinge sides of all my pasture gates - just in case.
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Just a heads up on these latches. I have them everywhere and LOVE them but…did have a friend say she knew of a horrific injury from a horse running by and catching themselves on one and opening up their hip.
So IF you keep gates open and have these latches, I have McGyvered a number of different covers that are working pretty well. If anyone is interested in my creativity. 
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BO will be lucky not to be sued into oblivion by the auto and health insurances of the driver(s) that hit the horses.
Horses can and will always find a way to get out, but poor fencing and trappy corners are red meat for “testifying experts”
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An argument could made that the horse’s owner has some liability because they accepted the poor fencing and trappy corners as suitable containment.
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The driver was okay and refused medical treatment. That’s not to say he will not be seen in the future though. This is likely BO’s concern and also a concern as a boarder if he says he’s done boarding.
Sometimes these situations are what we (I) need as catalyst to change when we (I) have previously put it off.
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With the horses getting hit and insurance being involved, it’s just matter of time before he asks you to leave anyway. He will have to because the insurance company will make him as a result of the claim/lawsuit.
Unless he has the prior insurance for boarding, having horses owned by others on the property is a HUGE no no. And I doubt that he does, even if he knows better (doubtful) it’s very expensive.
So I would be looking .
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Who enforces this “requirement”?
It’s a good idea and nice to have but good luck as a “requirement”
They should be contacting lawyers. When the lawsuits come flying in they’ll be named
This was my thought- that he will need to close things down per his insurance.
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Yup. It’s going to get ugly quick
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3 board fencing, or no climb plus a top board.
Last summer I fenced a 10 acre field in high tensile – which in my opinion is not ideal, but it was the only type of fencing I could afford if I wanted to use that field – and repaired various lengths of my existing no climb fencing (around three thousand feet) and the cost was $38,000.
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That’s what we use too. The red brand horse fence. That stuff is not cheap.
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Yeah, no, there’s no requirement that I know of. Boarding isn’t exactly a highly regulated industry! I have liability but not CCC because that’s only for claims by the horseowner re their horse. It makes sense for barns with valuable horses, but not for barns like mine with only retirees. In other words, with monetarily worthless horses.
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Holy moly!
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