Guide

Horse share contract: the 12 most important clauses (+ Swiss templates)

6 min read

A written horse share contract protects both the owner and the rider from disputes about riding days, costs, insurance and liability. In Switzerland it is not legally required, but in practice it is strongly recommended. This article shows the 12 indispensable clauses and links to published CH templates that serve as a starting point.

Why a written contract matters

Under the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), a contract is valid even without a signature once the service is being used (see the HorseDeal explainer). A verbal agreement is therefore legally valid, but in a dispute the burden of proof applies, which effectively means one party's word against the other's.

The written form makes three things clear.

  • What was agreed. Riding days, fee, notice period and grooming duties are documented.
  • Who carries which risk. Insurance, liability and special costs are unambiguously assigned.
  • What applies in case of conflict. Escalation path and termination procedure are clarified up front.

A concise one-page agreement is enough for most situations. Complicated cases (multiple riders on the same horse, stable help as part of the agreement) deserve more care or a lawyer's input.

The 12 indispensable clauses

These clauses cover the most common disputes in Swiss horse share agreements. They follow the structure that also appears in published CH templates on markt.ch and reiten-erleben.ch.

  1. Parties and horse. Full name and address of both parties. Horse data: name, breed, age, identification (passport and TVD number), location of the stable.
  2. Scope of the horse share. What the rider is allowed to do (ride) and what is part of the horse share (grooming around the ride). Mention stable work explicitly if it is included.
  3. Monthly fee and payment date. Specific amount in CHF, payment method (bank account, TWINT), date (for example by the 3rd of the month).
  4. Riding days and riding types. Number per week, specific weekdays or model (see day splits). Permitted riding types (walk, trot, canter, jumping, trail, lunging).
  5. Division of grooming and stable work. Which grooming tasks are included (see grooming checklist), which are not. Stable work (mucking out, feeding) explicitly regulated.
  6. Special costs. Polluter-pays principle, handling of vet emergencies, special farrier appointments, training lessons (see special costs guide).
  7. Insurance on both sides. Owner's animal-keeper liability, rider's personal liability with the module "riding other people's horses" (see insurance overview).
  8. Liability. Who is liable for damage to the horse, to third-party property, to the rider themselves. Do not override the OR here (OR Art. 100 prohibits liability exclusion for gross negligence).
  9. Behaviour in case of illness or lameness. Who informs whom, how the fee is adjusted during longer lameness, who decides on the riding work after recovery.
  10. Holidays and cancellations. Notice period for holidays (two to four weeks), substitute in case of illness, owner's priority during bottlenecks, deadline for cancelling individual riding days.
  11. Trial period. Four to six weeks without notice period are standard in Switzerland.
  12. Notice period. Usually one month to the end of the month, in written form. Extraordinary termination for important reasons reserved.

Anyone who captures these 12 clauses on a single page has a complete horse share contract according to Swiss practice. On reitbeteiligungen.ch exactly this structure is described as a reference.

Liability and insurance under Swiss law

The legal situation in Switzerland is clearly regulated.

  • Animal-keeper liability (OR Art. 56). The owner as animal keeper is in principle liable for damage caused by the horse (for example a fall with a rider, a horsefly kick, a kick injury). The animal-keeper liability insurance covers this liability.
  • Fault of the rider. If the rider causes damage through their own fault (for example gross negligence, ignored instructions), their personal liability insurance comes into play, ideally with the module "riding other people's horses".
  • Damage to the horse itself. If the horse is injured through the rider's own fault, the damage is usually not covered by a basic personal liability policy. The special insurance module covers this case (see insurance module guide).
  • Liability exclusion clauses. Under OR Art. 100, clauses that exclude liability for gross negligence or intent are void. Whatever is in the contract must respect this limit.

Trial period and notice period

Swiss horse share contracts follow a typical structure.

  • Trial period: four to six weeks during which both parties can exit without notice. Useful as protection for both sides.
  • Ordinary termination: one month to the end of the month, in written form. By email is common and sufficient, WhatsApp or SMS are not ideal as a form from a legal standpoint.
  • Extraordinary termination: immediate termination for an important reason (mistreatment of the horse, serious breach of trust, persistent failure to comply with the agreement). The important reason must be justified.

More on termination in the termination guide.

Swiss templates: use, adapt, do not copy

It pays off to take an existing CH template as a starting point instead of writing a contract from scratch. These sources are freely accessible.

When taking over a template, check carefully: is the template current (status 2024 or later), does it fit your own situation, are cantonal specifics considered? Simply copying a template unchanged without reading it does not protect you.

Common disputes and how the contract avoids them

Three dispute topics appear particularly often in CH horse shares.

  • Grooming scope. The rider ends up taking on more than expected (mucking out, feeding, weekend duties). The agreement clearly defines what belongs to the horse share and what does not.
  • Special costs. Vet after a riding accident, blanket replacement, training lessons. Clause 6 regulates the polluter-pays principle.
  • Termination. The rider wants to leave, the owner wants to keep someone, or vice versa. Clear notice period and procedure in clause 12.

Anyone who explicitly regulates these three areas has covered 80 percent of the typical disputes.

Frequently asked questions

Is a written horse share contract mandatory in Switzerland? Not legally required. Under the Swiss Code of Obligations, a contract is valid even without a signature once the service is being used. In practice the written form is strongly recommended.

Which 12 clauses belong in every Swiss horse share contract? Parties and horse, scope, monthly fee and payment date, riding days and riding types, division of grooming and stable work, special costs, insurance, liability, illness and lameness, holidays and cancellations, trial period, notice period.

Should you write your own template or use an existing one? Take an existing Swiss template as a starting point and adapt it to your own situation. markt.ch, reitbeteiligungen.ch and reiten-erleben.ch offer CH templates.

What happens if something is not regulated in the contract? Then the Swiss Code of Obligations applies as a fallback. The rules on mandate and lease law come into play.

What should a contract explicitly not contain? Clauses that override Swiss law (liability exclusion for gross negligence), clauses that undermine the animal welfare act or provisions about the rider's private life.

Sources and further reading

Manage the contract digitally with HorseCompanion

In HorseCompanion the horse share agreement can be managed digitally, with a clear task list, riding-days calendar, special-cost overview and insurance documents in one place. Get started for free

Updated: June 2026