Special: Meet the EUAEL Alliance in an Interview with the Partners

Which other fields of law do you often see applied together with equine law?
Civil litigation is the most prevalent in our practice. Often a person does not have a quali ed equine attorney involved in their initial deal and when they come to us the only option left is litigation. Other elds of law that intersect with equine law are employment, immigration, and real estate law.

How come you chose to specialize in equine law?
It was a way for me (Polly) to combine my two passions, horses and the law. There was a huge need for an equine law rm in our area. The horse industry is a multimillion- dollar business in California alone and was an industry that was not being appropriately serviced. I grew up as a trainer’s daughter and saw many horse transactions go south. I have always maintained that it is much easier to prevent a problem than it is to x one. I counsel my clients on a daily basis on the importance of written contracts and transparency.

What are the ties of the rm to the equine world?
Polly grew up in the industry as a trainer’s daughter and saw first hand the ups and downs of the industry. Randy grew up on a ranch and has been involved in horses his entire life and more recently has been much more involved in show jumping.

Why do you find it important to have lawyers specializing in equine law?
First and foremost the horse industry is unique. It does not operate like any other industry around. There seems to be different rules and codes of conduct. An attorney who understands the horse industry is going to be able to better advise a client. They will be more efficient with their time and the drafting of contracts. The culture of the industry is also quite different. To be effective, an equine lawyer must to convey this unique culture to outsiders such as judges, mediators, and arbitrators.

What are the common issues arising in the eld of equine law?
We see a lot of breach of contract cases, defective product, lack of transparency, failure to disclose past health or training issues, and liability issues. The single most common issue we see is people entering into a deal based on a handshake and not memorializing their agreement with a written contract.

What has been one of your most challenging cases?
Due to con dentiality issues we cannot describe most of our very colorful cases. However, we’ve had multiple cases in which clients have purchased horses in foreign countries, over the Internet, site unseen and had something go wrong.

Longest/shortest case?
Often we can take care of a problem with one simple phone call because we know the players in the industry. However some civil litigation cases can last upwards of two years.
How do you see equine law has developed through the last years?
Here in the United States, we have seen an increase in laws requiring transparency in horse related transactions.

How do you see the eld developing in the future?
The interaction between the equine industry, the Internet and individual buyers is something that is always changing and evolving.

Which issues within equine law do you see appear (more often) in the coming years?
Disputes over defects in horses I think this will never go away. People are always overstating a horse’s ability or expected performance.

How long have you been part of the Alliance?
We just joined the Alliance.

Why is it important to have a worldwide alliance of Equine Lawyers?
As the sport continues to grow, more and more people are going outside of their home area to purchase, show, and train their horses as a result there are many more chances for something to go wrong in someplace other than home. Having a worldwide alliance allows the attorneys to be able to share ideas and how those might be implemented in different jurisdictions. When Randy was starting his legal career, it was very rare to see a horse bred in Europe competing in California, now that is almost the norm.

How does your client benefit from the firm being part of the alliance?
Having a network of attorneys in different areas benefits my clients because they are transacting business worldwide and thus now have resources to support their business in many countries. The most important thing my firm does is protect clients from litigation and from horse deals going south by having proper documents drawn up.