Dutch equine law is the part of Dutch civil law that applies to horses: buying and selling, livery and training, ownership and co-ownership, and liability when a horse causes damage. There is no separate horse statute; the Dutch Civil Code applies, read together with the contract between the parties.
MAAK Advocaten in Amsterdam advises foreign and Dutch owners, breeders, traders, yards and investors on horse transactions and disputes under Dutch law. Whether you are buying a horse in the Netherlands, facing a dispute with a Dutch seller or yard or need a contract checked, we tell you where you stand and what the next step involves before you act.
How does Dutch law treat horses?
Dutch equine law is general private law applied to horses. Animals are not things, but the rules on things apply to them, subject to the limits set by statute and unwritten law (Article 3:2a Dutch Civil Code). That is why a horse sale follows the ordinary sales rules and why ownership of a horse passes like ownership of other movable property.
What makes horse cases distinctive is that one transaction often raises several questions at once: a sale question, a liability question and a contract question. The overview article equine law in the Netherlands explains the main concepts; the pages below each answer one specific question.
Which page answers your question?
Each page in this section covers one situation, so you can go straight to the rules that apply to yours:
| Your situation | Page |
|---|---|
| You are buying a horse from a Dutch seller, or the horse you bought is not as agreed | Purchase of a horse in the Netherlands |
| You have a dispute with a Dutch seller, yard, trainer or buyer and need to know your first steps | Disputes in the horse industry in the Netherlands |
| Someone disputes that you own the horse, or co-owners disagree | Horse ownership disputes in the Netherlands |
| A horse was injured in the care of a yard, trainer, farrier or vet | Negligence in the equestrian industry |
| A horse caused damage and you need to know who pays and what insurance covers | Liability and insurance in equine law |
| You need sale, livery, training, lease or commission agreements | Business law for the equine industry |
| You are deciding between court proceedings, arbitration and mediation | Litigation and arbitration on equine law |
Is a complaint deadline running, or is your horse being held? Contact our Dutch law firm in Amsterdam and send us the contract; we tell you which route is open.
Who is liable when a horse causes damage?
In principle the possessor of the horse, even without fault (Article 6:179 Dutch Civil Code). When the horse is used in a business, such as a riding school or training yard, that liability rests on the person running the business (Article 6:181 Dutch Civil Code).
This strict liability protects third parties, and a contract between owner and yard cannot take it away from them. Between the parties themselves, the contract and the duty of care decide who bears the loss. See liability and insurance and negligence in the equestrian industry.
What happens if a purchased horse is not as agreed?
The buyer can claim damages, a price reduction or termination if the horse lacks the qualities the buyer could expect on the basis of the contract (Articles 7:17 and 7:22, and Article 6:265 Dutch Civil Code). The buyer must notify the seller within a reasonable time after discovering the defect (Article 7:23 Dutch Civil Code).
Whether the buyer is a consumer or a business makes a large difference, and in a sale between businesses in different countries the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods may apply. Our page on the purchase of a horse in the Netherlands sets out the rules for buyers and sellers.
Who owns a horse under Dutch law?
The person to whom the horse was delivered under a valid title, such as a sale, by someone entitled to dispose of it (Article 3:84 Dutch Civil Code). The horse passport or studbook entry does not prove ownership, because a horse is not a registered asset (Article 3:10 Dutch Civil Code).
When a horse stands with a trainer or rider, the written arrangement between owner and holder is often decisive. Read more on horse ownership disputes in the Netherlands.
Which contracts does an equine business need?
Usually a sale contract, a livery agreement, a training agreement, a lease and a sales mandate for commission sales. Each falls under a different contract type in the Dutch Civil Code, such as safekeeping for livery (Article 7:600 Dutch Civil Code) and a contract for services for training.
Clear terms on fees, costs, use of the horse and liability prevent most disputes. See business law for the equine industry.
How are horse disputes handled in the Netherlands?
Most start with a written demand and negotiation. If that fails, the case goes to the subdistrict court for claims up to EUR 25,000 and all consumer sale and lease cases, or to the district court, where a Dutch lawyer is required, or to arbitration if the parties agreed on it (Articles 93 and 79 Dutch Code of Civil Procedure).
Urgent matters, such as a horse that is being withheld, can go to the preliminary relief judge in summary proceedings. Read more on litigation and arbitration on equine law.
When should you contact a Dutch equine lawyer?
Before you sign a contract under Dutch law that you did not draft, as soon as a deadline for a complaint is running, and immediately when a horse is being withheld or moved. Early advice usually keeps both the dispute and the costs smaller.
MAAK Advocaten acts for clients in negotiations, summary proceedings, prejudgment attachments and proceedings on the merits at first instance and on appeal, and works in English. Contact our equine lawyers in the Netherlands to discuss your situation.
Primary sources
Dutch statutes are only officially available in Dutch, on wetten.overheid.nl. Judgments can be found on rechtspraak.nl by their ECLI number. Legal position checked on 28 October 2026.
- Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), Book 3: Articles 3:2a, 3:10 and 3:84
- Dutch Civil Code, Book 6: Articles 6:179, 6:181 and 6:265
- Dutch Civil Code, Book 7: Articles 7:17, 7:22, 7:23 and 7:600
- Dutch Code of Civil Procedure (Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering): Articles 79 and 93
Contact
Would you like to speak to one of our Dutch lawyers straight away?
Lawyers for this area:
Areas of Expertise
Blogs about Dutch Equine Law
Under Dutch law, buying a horse is a sale (koop) governed by Book 7 of the Dutch Civil Code. The horse must conform to the agreement (Article 7:17 Dutch Civil Code). If it does not, the buyer must notify the
Negligence in the Dutch equestrian industry means that a yard, riding school, trainer, farrier or vet did not take the care that a reasonably competent professional would have taken. Most claims are contract claims: the professional must observe the care
A horse dispute in the Netherlands ends up before a Dutch court, an arbitral tribunal or a mediator. Which route you take depends on your contract, the amount at stake and how urgent the matter is. This page explains how
In the Netherlands, the possessor (bezitter) of a horse is liable for the damage it causes, even without fault, unless he would not have been liable under the rules on fault had he controlled the horse’s behaviour himself (Article 6:179
In a horse ownership dispute in the Netherlands, the passport does not decide who owns the horse. Ownership passes by delivery under a valid title, such as a sale, by someone entitled to dispose of the horse (Article 3:84 DCC).
Most disputes in the Dutch horse industry are contract disputes: a horse that turns out lame after the sale, a livery yard that holds on to a horse until its invoice is paid, a trainer or vet who did not
For an equine business that trades with Dutch parties, the contracts carry most of the legal risk: sales, livery, training, leases, commission sales and breeding arrangements. Where a contract is silent, Dutch law fills the gap with default rules and
Equine law is not a separate Dutch statute but general private law applied to horses. Animals are not things, but the rules on things apply to them, subject to limits set by law (Article 3:2a Dutch Civil Code). A horse
Buying a horse in the Netherlands is a purchase like any other, until it is not: the animal has to suit you, and what you failed to check counts against you. Our equine lawyers in the Netherlands draw up and