Liability Waiver, Release, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement

This Activity Schedule forms part of the Agreement. By signing the Agreement I confirm that I have read this Activity Schedule, that I acknowledge and assume every risk described in it, and that I take part in this Activity at my own risk.

The Activity booked

A 45 minute coached session in the Club's floodlit, all weather arena, with maintained footing and a lettered dressage setup. Sessions run as private one to one, semi-private for two riders, group, private jumping or group jumping. A helmet and chaps are provided free of charge. Your horse is matched to your height, weight and ability. Closed-toe shoes or riding boots are required. Open shoes and loose clothing are not permitted.

The risks of an arena lesson

• Falling off. You may slip, lose your balance or be thrown. A fall from a horse puts your head, neck, spine, shoulders, wrists and pelvis at risk even in an arena with good footing.
• Mounting and dismounting. The horse may move while you are getting on or off. You may fall from the mounting block.
• Saddle and girth. A saddle can slip and a girth can loosen during a session. Tack can fail even when it is maintained and checked.
• Sudden change of pace. The horse may speed up, slow down, stop or change direction without warning, and you may be unseated.
• Spooking and shying. Horses react to sounds, movements, objects, birds, other animals, floodlights, wind and things you will not notice. A horse can jump sideways, spin, rear, buck or bolt.
• Being hurt from the ground. You may be bitten, kicked, struck by the horse's head, trodden on, pushed over, or crushed against the arena fence or a wall. This is as true while grooming, leading and tacking up as it is while riding.
• Gateways and doorways. You can catch your knees or legs on a gatepost or doorway while mounted.
• A loose horse. A horse may get free in or around the arena.
• Other riders. In a semi-private or group lesson you share the arena with riders of different ability. Collisions between horses, riders and equipment happen.
• Dust, hay and animals. Allergic and asthmatic reactions are possible.
• Heat and sun. Even in a covered or floodlit arena, heat, humidity and dehydration are a real risk in this climate.

What jumping adds

If you have booked a jumping session, you are also accepting that:

• You will ride at more speed and with more impulsion, so a fall carries more force.
• The horse may refuse a fence, run out to the side, stop suddenly, or jump earlier, later, bigger or flatter than you expect.
• You may be thrown forward over the horse's shoulder, or land underneath or near the horse.
• Poles, rails, wings and fillers can fall, roll, or be struck by horse or rider.
• Jumping asks more of your position, strength and fitness than flatwork, and riders come off more often when jumping.

What the Club does about it

Every horse used with guests has at least one month of training with the Club and is assessed for suitability by the Stables Supervisor or a qualified riding instructor. Your instructor checks the girth before you mount. Girths and saddle fit are checked regularly, and tack is maintained and condition checked with records kept. When you mount or dismount, a member of staff stands at the horse's head holding the lead rope. Mounting blocks are positioned with care and the number of people on a block is kept to a minimum. Arena doors are kept closed when horses are tied up in the arena. The Club restricts the number of people around a horse and keeps space between horses and people. You are briefed on the dangers before the session.

None of this removes the risk. It reduces it, and I accept the risk that remains.

This Activity Schedule forms part of the Agreement. By signing the Agreement I confirm that I have read this Activity Schedule, that I acknowledge and assume every risk described in it, and that I take part in this Activity at my own risk.

The Activity booked

A guided ride of roughly 1 hour 20 minutes through open desert, at a relaxed pace, as a group ride or a private ride, departing at sunrise or sunset. Your horse is matched to your weight and experience. Maximum rider weight is 85 kg. A helmet and chaps are provided.

The risks of a desert ride

Every inherent risk acknowledged in clause 3 of the Agreement still applies. Leaving the yard adds:

• You are away from help. On the route there is no arena fence, no mounting block, no first aid room and no immediate medical facility. If you are hurt, help takes longer to reach you than it would at the yard, and getting you out takes longer still. Mobile signal can be weak.
• Uneven and unpredictable ground. Soft sand, dunes, slopes, hidden hollows, hard crust, camel and vehicle tracks, animal burrows, and buried debris. A horse can stumble, trip, sink a leg or slide.
• Things that frighten horses. Loose camels, dogs, goats, wildlife, quad bikes, four-wheel drives, drones, kites, plastic bags and distant noise. A horse that spooks in the open has somewhere to run.
• The group moving off. Horses are herd animals. If one horse moves faster, others want to follow, and the pace can pick up before you ask for it.
• Low light. Sunrise and sunset departures mean part of your ride is in poor light, which makes ground and obstacles harder for you and your horse to read.
• Heat, sun and dehydration. Open desert, direct sun, no shade and no water on the route. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are real.
• Wind and blown sand. Sand in your eyes affects you and the horse.
• Insects and animals. Biting and stinging insects. Desert terrain can hold snakes and scorpions.
• Getting separated. If you come off, your horse may leave. You may have to wait, or walk, in open desert.

What the Club does about it

The ride is guided by the Club's staff. Horses are matched to your weight and experience. You are briefed before you depart. Helmets are provided and required.

This Activity Schedule forms part of the Agreement. By signing the Agreement I confirm that I have read this Activity Schedule, that I acknowledge and assume every risk described in it, and that I take part in this Activity at my own risk.

The Activity booked

A two hour experience at a beach in Umm Al Quwain that combines riding with playtime and swimming in the sea, for one or two riders per booking, with an instructor present throughout, and photo and video media included. A helmet and chaps are provided. Maximum rider weight is 85 kg. Bring swimwear under your riding clothes, a towel, water and sun protection. You can wade instead of swimming if you prefer.

This ride takes place in another emirate. Umm Al Quwain is not Dubai. The Club's yard, its full first aid provision and its own staff on site at the stables are not immediately available to you there, and the emergency services that would attend are local to Umm Al Quwain.

The risks of riding a horse in the sea

Read this section carefully. It carries the most serious risks of any Activity the Club provides.

• Drowning. You will be in open sea water on and around a large animal. Drowning is a real risk, including for people who can swim.
• A swimming horse is not a ridden horse. Once a horse is swimming its feet leave the bottom. It moves differently, your weight is no longer carried by the saddle in the usual way, and you may be partly or completely off the horse in deep water.
• Being struck. A swimming horse's legs move powerfully underwater and out of sight. You can be struck, kicked or pushed under.
• A horse going down or rolling. Horses roll, splash, duck their heads and can go under. A horse that panics in water is very strong and very hard to control.
• Separation. You may become separated from the horse in water, out of your depth, with the horse between you and the shore.
• Water and sea bed. Sudden depth changes and drop-offs, currents, waves, undertow, shells, rocks, debris, glass and sharp objects underfoot. Marine stings are possible.
• Wet tack and a wet horse. Reins, saddle and your grip all behave differently when wet. Staying on, and holding on, are harder. A wet helmet and wet footwear behave differently too.
• Soft and uneven sand. Horses tire quickly in deep sand and can stumble.
• A public beach. Other beach users, children, dogs, vehicles, jet skis and boats are not under the Club's control.
• Sun, heat, glare and dehydration, and salt water in your eyes.

Swimming ability

You must tell the Club honestly whether you can swim confidently in open water. You do not have to swim to enjoy this ride. If you cannot swim confidently, say so, and you can stay in shallow water and wade. Do not overstate what you can do in water.

What the Club does about it

An instructor is with you throughout. Bookings are limited to one or two riders. Helmets and chaps are provided. You are briefed before you go in the water, and you are expected to come out when told to.

This Activity Schedule forms part of the Agreement. By signing the Agreement I confirm that I have read this Activity Schedule, that I acknowledge and assume every risk described in it, and that I take part in this Activity at my own risk.

The Activity booked

A two hour endurance style ride through the Al Marmoom desert covering 20 to 25 km at a mix of walk, trot and canter, departing in the morning. This is for experienced riders only. It is conditioning and distance work, not a casual hack, and it demands genuine fitness from horse and rider. Maximum rider weight is 85 kg, to protect the welfare and fitness of the horses. This ride is arranged by enquiry rather than online booking so the Club can talk to you first, and the Club may ask to assess you before you ride.

The risks of a 20 to 25 km endurance style ride

Every inherent risk acknowledged in clause 3 of the Agreement applies here, and every risk of an open desert ride, over ten times the distance and at more speed. It adds:

• Falls at speed. A fall at trot or canter carries far more force than a fall at walk. Head, neck, spine, collarbone, ribs, wrist and pelvis injuries are the ones that happen.
• Rider fatigue. Two hours of sustained work degrades your position, your balance, your grip and your judgement. Most problems on a long ride happen in the second half.
• Distance from help. On a 20 to 25 km route you can be a long way from the nearest road or vehicle. If you are injured, evacuation is slow, rough and may need to wait for a vehicle to reach you.
• The horse tiring. A tired horse stumbles more, is less careful with its feet, and may become unsound mid-route. Its behaviour can change when it is tired or when it realises it is heading home.
• Heat and dehydration over time. A morning departure does not remove this. Two hours of work in this climate dehydrates both of you.
• Low light at the start. An early departure means the first part of the route is ridden in poor light.
• Physical wear. Saddle sores, chafing, blisters, cramp, lower back and knee pain, and overuse injuries.
• The open desert. Loose camels, wildlife, vehicles, and ground that changes without warning.

Your declaration of experience

You must be honest about your riding experience and your fitness. Do not book or accept this ride because you want to be the kind of rider who can do it. Overstating your experience puts you, the horse, the guide and the rest of the group at risk, and it is the single thing most likely to turn this ride into an injury. If you are not sure, ask the Club for an assessment.

What the Club does about it

Rides are guided. Horses are conditioned for the work. The Club keeps the rider weight limit for the horses' sake. The Club talks to every rider before the ride and may decline to take you, or turn the ride back, if it judges the ride unsafe.

This Activity Schedule forms part of the Agreement. By signing the Agreement I confirm that I have read this Activity Schedule, that I acknowledge and assume every risk described in it, and that I take part in this Activity at my own risk.

The Activity booked

Monthly stabling for your own horse, with a dedicated groom, feed and hay, arena access, use of the walker machine and use of the swimming pool at the new stable, and basic treatment by stable staff. Shoeing, supplements, medicine, vet bills, wood shavings, training, race preparation and breaking in young horses are not included.

The risks of being on the yard

A livery yard is a workplace with large animals in it. As an owner or an authorised person on site you accept that:

• Horses are being led, turned out, exercised, washed, treated and loaded around you, by people other than you.
• A horse may get loose.
• You may be bitten, kicked, struck, trodden on, pushed over, or crushed against fencing, a stable wall, a gatepost or a doorway.
• Stable doorways, gateways, tie-up areas and narrow passages are where most of these injuries happen.
• The walker machine is machinery. The swimming pool is deep water. Both carry their own risks to people as well as horses.
• Handling, riding, loading and treating your own horse is your own responsibility and your own risk.
• Hay, straw, shavings, dust and mould spores affect breathing and allergies.
• Lifting and carrying feed, water, bedding and tack causes back and shoulder injuries.
• Farriery and veterinary procedures involve restraint, sedation and sharp instruments.
• Anyone you bring on site, including children, is your responsibility, and the rules in this Agreement apply to them.

What the Club does about it

Horses are led by trained staff or trained volunteers. Arena doors are kept closed when horses are tied up. Staff wear and expect appropriate protective equipment. Horses used with guests are assessed before they are used.