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BISMARCK HORSE CLUB

There is some confusion as to why members of the BER must also be members of the Bismarck Horse Club. Several years ago when renewing its contract with the BHC, Bismarck Parks and Recreation requested that all members of local groups regularly using the Walt Neuens Memorial Horse Park also be members of the BHC.

The property on which the arena and structures are built is Corp of Engineers land which is leased to the city of Bismarck and falls under the jurisdiction of the Bismarck Parks and Rec. Dept. In cooperation with Parks and Rec., BHC schedules, oversees, and is responsible for activities held at the Horse Park. Each of these agencies carries liability insurance, which would allow monetary settlement to any bystander who may be injured by an animal or equipment owned by a club or individual member. Having members of each local horse group (BER, Burleigh County Horsemasters, and Bismarck Mounted Police) also a member of the BHC adds another layer of liability insurance and added protection in the event of suits against any agencies, clubs or board members. In exchange, these groups do not have to pay rent for use of the arena. These groups do pay for the use of stalls and pens and for grooming of the arena.

Outside groups who wish to rent the grounds for an event must carry liability insurance for that event. The BER carries liability insurance for our shows and clinics thereby covering non-members who may come for those events, but we do not carry added insurance for our members-only events such as meeting nights and practice days. Adding these days would bump us into a higher premium. If we had to rent the arena for each of our show days and all of our meetings and practices, we would be looking at several hundred additional dollars each year.

There are many perks of being a member of the BHC besides a huge savings in arena rental. The BHC has several Play days which are member-only events and a perfect place to get some arena experience. There are trail rides almost every Thursday night throughout the summer. Any member may get a key and use the arena for practice as long as it is not already spoken for by a group.

The BER and the BHC have a long history of mutual respect and cooperation proving that all horse enthusiasts can enjoy their respective disciplines with harmony in this “sport of kings.”