A new Connecticut law clarifies that horses are not inherently vicious, refuting two court decisions involving a horse in Milford that bit a child.
The state Senate approved the legislation 35-0 Tuesday. The House of Representatives backed the bill unanimously in April and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says he will sign it into law.
He said Connecticut's laws must encourage growth in agriculture. The lawsuit raised fears that the state's lucrative horse industry would be uninsurable if horses are designated as vicious.
The state Supreme Court in March upheld an Appellate Court decision that said a horse is "naturally inclined to do mischief or be vicious." But four Supreme Court justices said the question of whether an animal is naturally dangerous must be considered individually by lower courts.
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