Rodeo Insurance

The bell rings. The chute opens. The bull rages and the crowd roars. Will the rider stay on and tame the beast? Or will the bull simply toss him off like a rag doll? That’s the thrill and the risk of the rodeo. That’s what makes it exciting and fun. But there are other risks, unnecessary risks, that you don't want to expose yourself to. That’s where high-quality rodeo insurance can protect you from the dangers you face on the job.

The Risks of the Rodeo

• Rodeo is one of the fastest growing sports with one of the highest rates of injury.
  
• College rodeo athletes face a 89% chance of getting injured each year. This doubles the rate of injury (47%) of college football players.
  
• Rodeo clowns are the most injured non-contestants in a rodeo at a 77.4% injury rate.
  

Who Needs Rodeo Insurance?

It takes organizers, sponsors, contestants, spectators, rodeo clowns and many more to stage a rodeo. Who can benefit from rodeo insurance? Here's a quick review of the individuals and organizations:

• Rodeo sanctioning organizations
• Committees
• Directors
• Officers
• Contestants
• Volunteers
• Paid workers
• Event sponsors
• Landowners
• Rodeo stock contractors

Also, here are the events that can use this type of insurance coverage:

• Rodeo and livestock shows
• Horse expositions
• Bull riding competitions

The rodeo includes a diverse group of individuals who require many different types of coverage. They need to protect property, buildings, animals, contestants, volunteers, other workers and spectators from injuries and even death. The organizers and sponsors also need to protect themselves from risks like weather or catastrophic events that can cause huge financial losses when a rodeo can't go on as planned.

What Is Rodeo Insurance?

Rodeo insurance includes a diverse range of coverage. Not all the coverages apply to everyone. Here are some of the basic coverages you may want to consider if you participate in rodeo events:

Liability Coverages:

• Comprehensive Liability: This insurance covers the rodeo grounds during the event. This includes liability protection for sponsors, landowners, sanctioning organizations and committees. Also, stock contractors can be added if necessary. The coverage is normally divided into two categories:
  • Spectator Event Liability: This insurance primarily covers bodily injury and property damage claims by spectators.
    
  • Participant Liability Coverage: This coverage protects organizers of the event, such as committees, directors, officers, sponsors, landowners and stock contractors for bodily injury liability claims from contestants.

What Is Spectator Liability Insurance?

Spectator liability provides much more than bodily injury and property damage protection. Here's an overview of what a common spectator liability policy will cover:

• Products liability: Covers concessions or any items sold by the rodeo that could cause injury or illness to a consumer
• Independent contractors: Protects against liability claims by independent contractors involved in the rodeo
• Medical payments: Covers the medical payments of anyone hurt on premises
• Personal injury and advertising injury: Insures you if someone's reputation is damaged by libel, slander, or false arrest
• Contractual liablity: Covers you in the even of contract disputes, for example with the owner of the rodeo grounds or a vendor
• Set-up and removal liability: Protects you from liability during required set up and removal phase
• Property damage: Insures against damage to rented premises
• Liquor liability: Includes hosts only; selling of liquor is not covered, but can normally be covered with the purchase of an additional rider

Also, you can choose to insure additional employees and volunteers.

What Does Participant Liability Insurance Cover?

Participants in the rodeo, whether they be rodeo clowns or riders in rough stock or timed events, face a high likelihood of injury. With participant liability, you can relax knowing your finances can be protected from a damaging lawsuit. The policy covers you, as the rodeo organizer, in the event that a contestant is injured or dies in the course of an event. Most insurance companies will require some type of release that the contestant understands the risk of the competition, has a certain amount of accident or AD&D insurance, and will not seek damages beyond the insurance coverage.

Most major rodeo sanctioning organizations receive this insurance automatically without an approval process. Other organizers staging adult and youth rodeos may qualify for this coverage, but there will likely be additional costs.

What Additonal Coverages Do I Need?

There are many factors unique to the rodeo that you could want or need coverage for. Here are a few additional items to consider as you put together your rodeo insurance package:

• Property damage: This coverage will protect you from the high cost of replacement or repair of your rodeo property, like arena panels and speaker systems.
• Weather/Event Cancellation: This insurance covers the organizers of an event from financial losses if the event it is cancelled or postponed due to weather, no-show of a performer, natural disasters, war or even terrorism. It also covers non-refundable deposits, ticket sales, advertising revenues and sponsorship dollars.
• Animal mortality/bucking stock liability: This will cover the death of an animal during the course of the rodeo, whether from an accident, injury, sickness or disease. It may also cover theft.
• Inland marine: This insures tools and equipment during transport to and from the event.
• Commercial vehicle: This protects your cars, trucks, or some trailers that you use for business purposes.

What Is Rodeo Clown Insurance?

Rodeo clowns face a high rate of injury as they entertain the crowd and fulfill a vital role keeping bulls and other stock from injuring participants.  For this reason, rodeo clowns need special insurance to protect themselves from risks they face on the job.

Rodeo can be a dangerous sport, and all the participants, volunteers, and paid workers need to make sure they are adequately covered with life, health and AD&D insurance. In fact, some participants will have to sign a release stating they carry a minimum amount of accident or AD&D insurance. Contact an independent agent in the Trusted Choice network for details on the following:

• Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D): This insurance covers you in the event of an accidental death or dismemberment. Dismemberment includes losing an arm or a leg, or loss of vision, hearing or speech during a covered accident. It can be purchased as a stand alone or added to a life insuance policy.
• Life insurance: This pays out to your beneficiary (usually a spouse or family member) if you die. There are two kinds of life insurance: permanent and term. Permanent covers you until your die as long as you pay the premiums, and has a cash value that grows over time. Term covers you for a period of time, like 10 or 20 years. Term insurance is less expensive since it is for a predefined period of time. The cost of a policy is dependent on the riskiness of your lifestyle and the condition of your health.
• Health insurance: This insures you for sickness, disease and injury. It pays a portion of your medical expenses and hospital costs. It can also cover prescription medicines. There are many options for health insurance - you can customize a plan with your insurance agent.

Find Insurance to Give You Peace of Mind

When you're covered for the business and personal injury risks associated with the rodeo, you'll get peace of mind no matter what tricky situation you find yourself facing. It doesn't matter what role you play in this exciting event - there are risks and responsibilities that you have to yourself, to rodeo fans, and to livestock.

It takes a savvy consumer to wade through the options and get the coverage that's appropriate for any event or occupation. You may have to search online for coverage options, instant quotes, insurer reviews and other useful data. You may need to consult with an attorney, accountant, or an independent insurance agent to get some advice on how much and what kind of coverage your operation needs. Find trustworthy sources that can help you make this decision quickly and easily.