Equestrian lawyer in Belgium
The horse is athlete, trade asset and investment at the same time
In equestrian sport the sporting file almost always runs together with a commercial one. Behind a rider stand an owner, a breeder, a dealer, an insurer and usually a vet. A dispute about a lame horse is therefore a question about the sale contract, about the pre-purchase examination and about the insurance cover at once. We deal with those questions together and not each in a separate box.
Everest Sports Law acts for riders, owners, breeders, dealers, riding schools, organisers and federations from Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Hasselt. We know the rules of Paardensport Vlaanderen, the LEWB and the Belgian Equestrian Federation. We also work on international files before the FEI Tribunal and the CAS/TAS in Lausanne. Cross-border sales, transport and disciplinary cases belong there as well.
What you can come to us for
These are the files that come back most often in equestrian sport.
Sale and hidden defects
You buy or sell a horse and a defect appears: lameness, a behavioural problem, a finding on the images. We assess the sale contract, the warranties and the burden of proof, and we run the claim for rescission, price reduction or damages.
Pre-purchase exam and vet liability
The pre-purchase examination often decides the outcome of the dispute. We check what the vet had to examine, what he recorded and what he left out. We hold him liable when the examination or the report stays below the standard.
Co-ownership and leasing
A horse is rarely carried by one person alone. We draft co-ownership, lease and livery agreements with clear rules on costs, veterinary decisions, the competition calendar and sale. We also assist you when one partner wants to step out.
Medication and doping
The FEI rules apply to the rider and to the horse, and the person responsible carries the risk of every substance found in the horse. We defend you after a positive sample, during a provisional suspension and in the disciplinary case that follows.
Horse welfare and discipline
Images of a training session or of a course lead to a complaint quickly. We assist you in disciplinary files about welfare, equipment and the handling of the horse, and during inspections by the competent animal welfare service.
Riding school, organiser and insurance
A fall, a kick or a loose horse opens the debate about the keeper of the animal, about the liability of the organiser and about the policy. We conduct that debate with the insurer and, where needed, before the court.
How an equestrian lawyer in Belgium runs your file
Who decides
Disciplinary files go to the bodies of your federation and international files to the FEI Tribunal, with appeal to the CAS/TAS in Lausanne. Disputes about a sale, an examination or liability belong before the civil courts or in arbitration.
Deadlines
In disciplinary matters the appeal periods run in days and not in months, and a provisional suspension applies immediately. You also report a defect that appears after the sale quickly. Do not wait for the end of a veterinary examination to react.
What you do first
Collect the passport, the examination report, the images, the invoices and every message with the seller, the vet and the stable. Report the incident to your insurer. Sign nothing and make no statement before you have legal advice.
Before you buy a horse
Most equestrian disputes are decided by documents that were made before the sale, not after it.
Write down what was agreed
A sale agreed by message and settled by transfer leaves almost nothing to rely on later. Put the intended use, the health warranties, the trial period and the consequences of a failed examination in a written contract. We draft short contracts that stay workable for a private seller as well as for a professional dealer.
Keep the veterinary file
The pre-purchase examination, the X-rays and the clinic records decide most later disputes about a hidden defect. Ask for the complete file, keep it, and agree in writing who may consult it. We advise on the scope of the examination and on what a vet can and cannot reasonably be asked to guarantee.
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