Horses are not ‘vicious’ rules US court
A bill has been passed in Connecticut, US, which prevents domesticated horses, ponies, donkeys and mules from being classified as inherently vicious (6 May).
The new legislation refutes 2 court decisions relating to a horse that bit a child in 2006. First, in 2010, the court sided with the horse’s owner, due to the horse’s lack of biting history.
However, that decision was appealed and overturned in 2012, because “horses belong to a species that is naturally inclined to do mischief or be vicious, and that the owners may be held liable to negligence”.
The new bill was welcomed by Connecticut’s lucrative horse industry, which could be threatened by skyrocketing insurance rates if horses were ruled to be dangerous animals.
Governor Dannel P Malloy said: “Connecticut’s laws must encourage agriculture, which contributes $3.5billion [£2.1billion] to our economy, accounts for 28,000 jobs in our state and is an industry with tremendous growth potential.”
When Governor Malloy signs the bill into law, future court cases will be based on the presumption that domesticated horses, ponies, donkeys and mules are not inherently dangerous, which could then be rebutted by evidence pertaining to particular examples.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.