Hayrides: Why You Need The Popular Attraction and Hayride Insurance
When the crisp fall air begins to set in and the autumn colors are in full bloom, there’s nothing quite like a hayride to feel like it is truly fall. You sit on a bale of hay with friends, enjoy the cool evening air, and enjoy a sunset while you slowly bump along.
The dream of a hayride can quickly turn into a nightmare, though, both for the business in charge and the patrons on the wagon. If your business is thinking of offering this popular attraction, make sure you have proper hayride insurance.
By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you will understand the benefits of hayride insurance and why both businesses and patrons need it.
Hayride Popularity
Hayrides have existed for centuries, with individuals enjoying all the benefits of nature from the relaxing seat of a wagon filled with hay. Often the business sponsoring the hayride will have a hayrack or hay wagon with bales for people to sit on.
Hayrides were a recreational option that just farmers would engage in. But since the inception of agritourism, just about anyone can enjoy the relaxing sounds of nature from the comfort of a hay wagon.
Usually, hayrides coincide with autumn harvests. You do not typically see them happening during a damp spring or in the heat of summer. Rather, the ideal hayride will take place on cool autumn evenings so participants can enjoy beautiful fall colors, crisp weather, and the ever-popular harvest moon.
Hayrides do not look like they will go away or slow down. Agritourism is a booming business, and hayrides are an important part of this business. People want to feel the nostalgic benefits of a farm, and hayrides provide this.
The Dangers and Risks of Hayrides For Businesses
Businesses take on a significant liability risk when they offer hayrides. The first concern is that there are no stated regulations for hayrides. So a business does not have any guidance other than some general guidelines regarding the weight of the tractor and the hay wagon.
Furthermore, the business should have an experienced driver employed. You cannot just have an average driver behind the wheel of a tractor with a wagon full of people and hay behind it. The driver should have experience driving agricultural equipment.
Tractors are prone to tipping over on slopes as slight as 39 degrees. Skilled tractor operators will know this and stay away from slopes that could cause a disaster for the tractor and anyone else that is on the trailer.
The physical danger involved with hayrides can put an agritourism business out of business if they do not adhere to basic common sense and use skilled drivers. If a business is looking into offering hayrides, it should adhere to basic guidelines.
Many businesses have already sustained significant financial losses because of poor practice and a lack of insurance. Lawsuits exist from a few thousand dollars to millions of dollars, depending on the damages incurred during the ride.
The Dangers and Risks of Hayrides for Consumers
Consumers take on a significant risk the moment they step on a wagon filled with hay. They’re putting their well-being in the hands of a tractor driver who may or may not have experience driving a hay wagon.
Furthermore, the consumer is paying money for such entertainment. A quality hayride company will have consumers sign an insurance liability waiver because they know the risks involved with riding on a hayride.
You should also ensure that the hayride equipment itself looks safe. There should be proper closures in the wagon that prevent people from falling out. The business in charge of the hayride should also have individuals in the wagon itself to boost the safety of the ride overall.
Hayride Lawsuits or Insurance Claims
Because of the liability involved with a hayride, all companies involved in providing hayrides should have liability insurance. Even if a business takes all the precautions possible, accidents can happen.
Businesses should also have farm equipment insurance. This will guarantee that all equipment such as the tractor, rack, or truck is covered if there is an accident during the ride. Thus, liability covers the participants, and property insurance covers the equipment.
With these two coverages in place, a business ensures they’re covered should there be an accident during the ride. Also, all businesses should have patrons sign a liability waiver before they step into the hay wagon.
Benefits of Hayride Insurance
Hayride insurance allows a business to keep running without the risk of a lawsuit. It’s one more assurance to the riders that the hayride is safe as well. So while the insurance itself may cost money, it allows a business to continue to offer hay rides for a long time.
Your hayride insurance policy can include multiple coverages under one policy, ensuring maximum protection and peace of mind. Common coverages such as commercial general liability and property coverage can be included as well as specialty coverages such as alleged sexual abuse and molestation liability or communicable disease coverage.
XINSURANCE can provide customized insurance solutions for your hayride business or operation. Scheduled hay wagons and drivers can be covered under the same policy. Let XINSURANCE be your insurance partner so you can successfully run your business.
Have Fun in the Hay
A hayride can be the best and worst experience of a person’s life. Done right, the hayride will give patrons a place to relax and enjoy the fall. It can be the highlight of their fall activities.
But if the ride takes a disastrous turn, it can lead to memories that everyone would rather forget.
If your business is considering going into the hayride business, make sure you have proper safety precautions and insurance in place.
To learn more or to get a quote, go to our site or contact us at 877-585-2853 and info@xinsurance.com. We can do more than connect you to insurance solutions for hayrides. We can provide insurance solutions for pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and more.
Contact us today to get a quote on all of our agritainment insurance solutions.
Authored by Rick J. Lindsey, President, Chairman, and CEO of XINSURANCE
Rick J. Lindsey hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. He began working in the mailroom of his father’s Salt Lake City insurance firm, getting his introduction to the business that became his lifelong career. Rick J. Lindsey quickly rose through the ranks while working in nearly every imaginable insurance industry job. As an entrepreneur, specialty lines underwriter, claims specialist, risk manager, and a licensed surplus lines broker, Rick J. Lindsey is highly skilled in all levels of leadership and execution. As he progressed on his career path, Rick J. Lindsey discovered an urgent need for insurers willing to write policies for high-risk individuals and businesses. He was frequently frustrated that he could not provide the liability protection these entities desperately needed to safeguard their assets. He also formed the belief that insurance companies acted too quickly to settle frivolous claims. Rick J. Lindsey decided to try a different approach. He started an insurance company and became the newly formed entity’s CEO. This opportunity has enabled Rick J. Lindsey to fill a void in the market and provide a valuable service to businesses, individuals, and insurance agents who write high-risk business. XINSURANCE also specializes in helping individuals and businesses who live a lifestyle or participate in activities that make them difficult for traditional carriers to insure. If you’ve been denied, non-renewed, or canceled coverage, don’t give up quite yet. Chances are XINSURANCE can help.
