Riding In The Moonlight?

I know what you mean - I've had some profoundly beautiful night riding experiences, especially in the winter with a light snow falling (sigh....). That said, I can also see the owner's side of the issue. Boarding is an extremely high risk venture anyway, and the potential for a lawsuit is greatly increased if he or she knowingly allows you to ride after dark when(umedly), nobody is around to help if - God forbid - something goes wrong. And that is the real danger - the reality that if you do have an unfortunate accident late in the evening when everybody else has gone home - nobody will be around to save you. I don't know what type of barn this is(?) but another factor that may or may not be relevent here is that taking your horse out that late may be disruptive to the other horses in the barn. If they are all just docile saddle horses that have no real mission for the next day and don't get stirred up when you and your horse go out to play - it's probably ok. But if there are race or show horses who are on a strict work, diet and sleep schedule, and/or are on the hot side and may be getting worked up and digging up their stalls when you are there, that could be a consideration. If you think this other gal may be riding at night why don't you talk to her and see if you could coordinate your rides, or at least ask her how she got permission to do so. It may be that you can sign a special release absolving the barn owner of any blame if she allows you to continue your moonlight rides, but I wouldn't count on it. No matter how many signs they post or papers you sign - barn owners are still ultimately, legally responsible if there's a serious accident on their property. You may say that you would never sue them but the reality is that your insurance company can and would go after them if anything really terrible(and expensive) ever happened to you. Just by allowing you on their place they ume a huge chunk of liability. That's probably what this is all about. Your other alternative would be to seek out a different barn that has lights and is set up for night riding. Good luck Night Rider!