The Legislature recognizes that persons who participate in equine activities may incur injuries as a result of the risks involved in such activities. The Legislature also finds that the state and its citizens derive numerous economic and personal benefits from such activities. It is, therefor, the intent of the Legislature to encourage equine activities by providing reasonable standards for those involved in such activities.
§ 25-21,249.Equine activities; legislative intent.
Article 21: Special Proceedings and Actions · Last amended 1997 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section states the Legislature’s reasoning behind Nebraska’s Equine Activity Liability Act — recognizing that riding, training, and related activities carry real risk while also delivering economic and personal benefits worth encouraging through reasonable liability standards.
Full Text of § 25-21,249
Source
Laws 1997, LB 153, § 1.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-21,249 does not limit anyone’s liability by itself; it explains why the Legislature decided to limit liability in the sections that follow. The Legislature recognized that people who take part in equine activities — riding, training, showing, and the like — may be injured because of the risks those activities involve. At the same time, it found that the state and its people gain economic and personal benefits from horses and the activities built around them.
Balancing those two observations, the Legislature stated its intent: to encourage equine activities by setting reasonable standards for the people and businesses involved in them. That stated intent is the interpretive backdrop for the liability limits in section 25-21,251, the definitions in section 25-21,250, the exceptions in section 25-21,252, and the signage and contract requirements in section 25-21,253. A court reading any of those operative sections can look back to this one to understand what problem the Act was built to solve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this section itself limit anyone’s liability for a horse-related injury?
Why did the Nebraska Legislature pass this set of sections?
It found that equine activities carry inherent risk of injury, while also producing economic and personal benefits for the state and its people, and it wanted to encourage those activities through reasonable liability standards.
What is the “Equine Activity Liability Act”?
It is the group of sections, 25-21,249 through 25-21,253, that define equine-related terms, limit liability for injuries from the inherent risks of equine activities, list exceptions to that limit, and require warning signs and contract language.
Do other states have similar laws?
Many states have adopted comparable statutes addressing liability for equine-related injuries; Nebraska’s version is its own text, adopted for Nebraska practice.
Can a court use this section to expand the liability limits beyond what section 25-21,251 states?
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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