Question of Fact Raised About Defendant’s Knowledge of Horse’s Vicious Propensities

The Third Department affirmed the denial of summary judgment in a case where plaintiff was injured by defendant’s horse.  Plaintiff was knocked unconscious when defendant’s horse “head swatted” him.  The Third Department determined the deposition testimony of a neighbor raised a question of fact about whether defendant was aware of the horse’s aggressive behavior.  The Third Department explained the relevant legal principles as follows:

As a general rule, an owner of a domestic animal  will only be  held  strictly liable for the  harm  caused  by such animal if he or she “‘knows or should have known of that animal’s vicious propensities'”  Therefore, on his motion for summary judgment, defendant bore the initial burden of establishing that he had no prior knowledge that [his horse] had any vicious propensity ….  It is now well established that a vicious propensity is “the propensity to do any act that might endanger the safety of the persons and property of others in a given situation” …, and includes behavior that would  not necessarily be  considered  dangerous  or ferocious if those behaviors reflect a “‘proclivity to act in a way that puts others at risk of harm'” … However, normal  or typical equine behavior is  insufficient  to  establish  a  vicious  propensity … . Carey… v Schwab, 516021, 3rd Dept 7-18-13