Risk Management for Horse and Riding Clubs in Australia

TL;DR: Safe, well-run club activities do not happen by chance. Risk management is the ongoing process of identifying hazards, assessing their impact and putting controls in place to reduce the likelihood of injury or property damage. From an insurance perspective clubs that consistently apply strong risk management practices tend to experience fewer incidents and claims, which can support more sustainable insurance arrangements over time. Embedding a handful of practical measures, documented risk assessments, ensuring safe facilities, enforcing safety standards, effective supervision, safe event design and incident reporting into everyday operations protects clubs, committees, members, volunteers, horses and property. Please note that Gow-Gates arranges equine insurance and is not the insurer.

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What is risk management for a horse or riding club?

Risk management for a horse or riding club is the ongoing process of identifying hazards, assessing how likely and serious they are, and implementing controls to reduce the likelihood of bodily injury or property damage across the club's activities. It is not a one-off task but a cycle that runs through every club activity, event, and day-to-day club operation.

Clubs sit at the intersection of several risks at once: large animals, riders of varying skill and age, volunteers, spectators, vehicles, and shared facilities. Each of those is manageable, but only if hazards are anticipated rather than discovered after an incident occurs. Good risk management is essentially the discipline of looking ahead and dealing with potential problems before they cause harm.

The reward is practical. A club that manages risk well is a safer place to ride, a more sustainable organisation and, as covered below, generally a more insurable one. The measures involved are mostly straightforward and low-cost; however, the difficulty is applying them consistently rather than occasionally.

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Why does risk management matter for a club's insurance?

Risk management matters for insurance because insurers price premiums and provide cover based on risk, and a club's claims history reflects how well it manages that risk. Clubs that consistently apply strong practices tend to experience fewer incidents, fewer injuries, less property damage, and fewer claims. A stable claims record supports more sustainable insurance arrangements over time.

Injury is a genuine exposure when it comes to equestrian activities. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, equestrian activities were associated with nearly 2,100 injury hospitalisations in Australia in 2023-24, with fractures the most common injury type.

For a club, each incident is not only a welfare concern but a potential claim, and a pattern of claims can affect the terms and availability of cover.

None of this means favourable insurance outcomes can be guaranteed. Insurance outcomes depend on a range of factors including underwriting assessments, insurer risk appetite, policy wording, and many factors outside a single club's control. What can be said is that good risk management reduces the frequency and severity of incidents a club is likely to face, which is squarely in the club's interest regardless of how it flows through to cover.

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What can a club do to manage risk?

The most effective clubs embed practical safety and risk measures into everyday operations rather than treating safety as an occasional exercise. Six practices do most of the work:

1. Complete risk assessments

Every event and activity should include a documented risk assessment. Identifying hazards such as weather and ground conditions, spectators interacting with horses, unsafe fencing, or congested areas lets a club address issues before an incident occurs.

2. Maintain safe facilities

Regular checks of arenas, yards, fences, and equipment are critical. Well-maintained grounds help prevent falls, injuries to horses and people, and damage to property.

3. Enforce safety standards

Consistent gear checks, helmet compliance, and matching riders to appropriate horses and skill levels significantly reduce risk, particularly fall-related incidents.

4. Supervise and train effectively

Qualified instructors, clear safety roles, and well-briefed volunteers ensure activities are properly managed and emerging risks are addressed quickly.

5. Design safe events

Well-planned layouts separating horses, vehicles, and spectators, together with clear signage and adequate first aid, help prevent both injuries and property damage.

6. Report and review incidents

Prompt reporting and review of incidents allow a club and its governing body to learn from what happened and prevent repeat issues, reducing long-term risk exposure.

Embedding these measures into everyday operations helps a club reduce risk, protect its members and assets, and maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone involved. Documentation matters as much as the action itself: a written risk assessment, a maintenance log, and an incident report are what demonstrate, after the fact, that the club took reasonable care.

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How does risk management connect to a club's insurance cover?

Risk management and insurance work together. One reduces the likelihood of a loss, while the other may provide financial protection when a covered loss occurs.

A club's practices directly support the covers it relies on. Public liability, in particular, is more defensible where a club can show it identified hazards, maintained its facilities, supervised activities properly, and took all reasonable steps to prevent an incident from occurring.

A club's cover typically includes public liability for injury to third parties or damage to their property, cover for the club's own property and equipment, and voluntary workers or personal accident cover for the volunteers who keep it running.

Documented risk management underpins all of these. It reduces the incidents that trigger claims and provides evidence of reasonable care that matters if a claim is contested.

Insurance does not replace good governance and good governance does not remove the need for insurance. The two are complementary. Whether any particular loss is covered depends on the policy wording and the circumstances, so the relevant PDS and policy wording should always be checked.

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How to review a club's cover

Reviewing a club's insurance starts with an honest picture of its activities: the events it runs, the facilities it owns or hires, the volunteers and instructors involved, and the members and spectators who attend.

Those exposures point to the covers a club needs, and a structured review is what keeps cover aligned as a club grows or changes what it does.

A specialist broker such as Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers, whose equine and bloodstock practice advises clubs, associations, and equine businesses, can help a club structure cover around how it actually operates, connect risk management to its insurance program, and advocate at claim time.

Gow-Gates arranges insurance and is not the insurer. The suitability of any product depends on each club's circumstances and the relevant Target Market Determination. Binding terms should be confirmed against the actual PDS and policy wording.

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Key takeaways

• Risk management is an ongoing cycle of identifying hazards, assessing their impact, and applying controls. It is not a one-off task and runs through every club activity.
• According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, equestrian activities were associated with nearly 2,100 injury hospitalisations in Australia in 2023-24, with fractures the most common injury type.
• Six practices do most of the work: documented risk assessments, safe facilities, enforced safety standards, effective supervision, safe event design, and incident reporting and review.
• Documentation matters as much as the action. Written risk assessments, maintenance logs, and incident reports demonstrate reasonable care if a claim is made.
• Risk management supports, but does not replace, insurance. Strong practices tend to reduce incidents and claims, though insurance outcomes still depend on underwriting, risk profile, requirements, and policy wording.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is risk management important for a horse or riding club?

Because it reduces the likelihood and severity of injuries and property damage across a club's activities, protecting members, volunteers, horses, and property. It also supports the club's insurance. Fewer incidents generally mean fewer claims, and documented risk management provides evidence of reasonable care if a liability claim is ever contested.

Does good risk management lower a club's insurance premium?

It can help, but it cannot be guaranteed. Insurers consider a club's claims history and risk profile, so a strong record of managing risk supports more sustainable cover over time. However, premiums depend on underwriting and many factors outside a single club's control, so risk management should be seen as reducing incidents first and supporting cover second.

What should a club risk assessment cover?

A risk assessment should identify the hazards relevant to the activity, including weather and ground conditions, fencing and facilities, spectators interacting with horses, vehicle movement, congested areas, and activities taking place. It should assess how likely and serious each hazard is and record the controls put in place.

Documenting the assessment is important because it demonstrates the club considered and addressed the risks.

What insurance does a horse or riding club need?

A club typically needs public liability for injury to third parties or damage to their property, property cover for its own facilities and equipment, and voluntary workers or personal accident cover for volunteers, committees, and members.

The exact program depends on the club's activities, circumstances, and the relevant Target Market Determination, and is best structured with a specialist broker.

Does insurance replace the need for risk management?

No. Insurance responds when a loss occurs, but it does not prevent incidents or remove a club's duty of care. Risk management reduces the chance of a loss in the first place, and it strengthens the club's position if a claim is made.

The two are complementary and neither is a substitute for the other.

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About the author

This article was prepared by the Sport & Equine Practice at Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd (ABN 12 000 837 785, AFSL 245432), an independently owned Australian insurance broking and risk advisory firm operating for more than 60 years.

Gow-Gates advises horse owners, clubs, equine businesses, racing operations, and breeding businesses on structuring insurance programs and advocating at claim time. The firm is a member of Steadfast, NIBA, and AFCA.

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Sources

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Sports Injury in Australia: Equestrian Activities. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/sports-injury/sports-injury-in-australia/contents/featured-sports/equestrian-activities
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Horse-related Injury in Australia. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/horse-related-injury-australia/summary
3. Safe Work Australia. Risk Management. https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/identify-assess-and-control-hazards
4. Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers. Equine and Bloodstock. https://www.gowgates.com.au/industries/equine-and-bloodstock

Disclaimer: This content contains general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider how appropriate any information is to your own objectives, financial situation, and needs before acting on it. Gow-Gates makes no representation or warranty concerning the application of policy wordings. For full details of the terms, conditions, and limitations of cover, refer to the specific policy wordings and/or Product Disclosure Statements, the relevant Target Market Determination, and the Gow-Gates Financial Services Guide. Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd arranges insurance and is not the insurer. © Gow-Gates, 2022-2026.

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