Lathrop & Gage has an extensive equine law practice nationwide.

The firm has a great depth of experience serving the equine industry, including horse owners, insurance companies, breeding operations, stable owners, trainers, breed and show associations, equine product manufacturers, guest ranches, and racing interests, to name a few. We offer a full range of equine law services, including legal and consulting services for equine-related legislation, forming of new equine-related businesses, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, syndications, development, manufacture, sales and marketing of equine products and representation involving equine breed and show associations.

The Equine Law Group of Lathrop & Gage helps both small and large equine businesses with respect to proper business formation and taxation. We are able to address the unique concerns of the equine small business owner, particularly in avoiding the IRS designation of the business as a hobby.

Lathrop & Gage’s Equine Law Group also offers litigation and dispute resolution services to the equine industry, including insurance companies, equine business owners, individual owners, and breed, show, and racing organizations. Our mediation and arbitration experience helps to avoid costly litigation. When litigation cannot be avoided, Lathrop & Gage offers highly skilled litigators with an intimate knowledge of the horse industry.We keep a private investigator on staff and we employ state-of-the-art technology for use in trial.

Many Lathrop & Gage attorneys have outside equine interests. Several own and show horses and regularly participate in the American Royal. In addition, some are equine small business owners. These activities provide a unique perspective enabling us to offer the highest quality and most economical service to meet the needs of the horse industry.

Practice Areas:

• Business Transactions and Taxation: Mergers, Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, Syndications, Partnerships, Corporate Formations, Financing, Real Estate, Lobbying, and Taxation.
• Equine Business Operations: Sales, Exchanges, Breeding, Training, Showing and Parimutuel Racing Agreements, Leasing, Marketing Issues, Lending and Foreclosures, Workouts and Bankruptcies, Environmental Issues, Association Contracts, Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents, Immigration and Employment.
• Equine-Related Litigation: Insurance Coverage and Defense (including Loss of Use and Mortality), Personal Injury, Equine Injury, Property Damage, Contract Disputes, Employment Disputes, Administrative Actions, Equine Association Penalty Actions and IRS Defense.
• Environmental: Dispute resolution and litigation with regulatory agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency.