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Terms of Service

Last updated: [DATE] · Effective date: [DATE]

Welcome to Courtesy Circle. Courtesy Circle is a web application operated by [COMPANY LEGAL NAME] (“Courtesy Circle,” “we,” or “us”) that helps horse show organizers run shows and helps riders and their families enter them. These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) explain the rules for using Courtesy Circle. Please read them carefully. They are written in plain English on purpose, but they are still a binding agreement.

1. Acceptance of these Terms

By creating an account, entering a show, or otherwise using Courtesy Circle, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the service. If you are using Courtesy Circle on behalf of a show, club, barn, or other organization, you confirm that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. Who may use Courtesy Circle

You must be at least 13 years old to create a Courtesy Circle account. Riders under 18 may compete in shows managed on Courtesy Circle, but they are entered by a parent or legal guardian. When a parent or guardian creates an account, registers a horse, or enters a class for a minor rider, that parent or guardian accepts these Terms on the minor’s behalf and is responsible for the account, the accuracy of the information provided, and any fees incurred. We do not knowingly allow children under 13 to hold their own accounts.

3. Roles on Courtesy Circle

  • Organizers create and manage shows, set classes and entry fees, review entries and health paperwork, record in-person payments, and publish results.
  • Riders and parents/guardians create accounts, register horses, upload required health documents, enter classes, and pay entry fees.
  • Judges and officials are invited by an organizer to record times, scores, faults, and placings for a specific show. They may use Courtesy Circle on a phone or tablet in the ring, including offline.

4. Organizer responsibilities

Courtesy Circle is a software tool. It is not the operator, promoter, sponsor, or sanctioning body of any show. The organizer of each show runs the event and is solely responsible for it, including setting fees and refund policies, verifying Coggins and other health paperwork, collecting liability waivers, on-site safety, footing, stabling, medical and veterinary arrangements, compliance with any association rules, and all local, state, and federal requirements. Any dispute about a show, an entry, a fee, a refund, or a result is between you and that organizer.

5. Payments, fees, and refunds

Online entry fees are processed by Stripe through Stripe Checkout. Card details are entered directly with Stripe and are subject to Stripe’s own terms and privacy policy. Courtesy Circle never sees or stores full card numbers. Organizers may also accept payment in person (for example cash, check, or Venmo) and record that payment in Courtesy Circle; in that case, Courtesy Circle simply records what the organizer reports.

Refund decisions belong to the organizer, not to Courtesy Circle. If you believe you are owed a refund, contact the organizer of the show. Courtesy Circle may charge platform or processing fees as described in [FEE SCHEDULE]. You agree to pay any fees that apply to your use of the service, and you authorize the applicable charges when you complete a checkout.

6. Results and public display

Horse shows are public events, and results are posted for everyone to see, just as they would be on a board at the show office. When you enter a show on Courtesy Circle, you understand that the rider’s name, the horse’s name, the back number, and results such as placings, times, scores, and faults may be displayed publicly on live leaderboards, class results pages, and in notifications. Results entered and published by the organizer are the organizer’s official record of the show. Courtesy Circle does not adjudicate protests or correct results on its own; ask the organizer.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

  • use Courtesy Circle for anything unlawful, or in a way that interferes with a show or with other users;
  • access another person’s account, or another show’s data, without permission;
  • scrape, copy, or redistribute data from Courtesy Circle in bulk, or attempt to probe, overload, or break the service;
  • upload malicious code, harassing content, or anything you do not have the right to share.

8. Accuracy of information and health documents

You are responsible for the accuracy of everything you enter, including rider and horse details, contact information, and emergency contacts. Coggins certificates, health certificates, vaccination records, and similar documents you upload must be genuine, current, and unaltered. Uploading a forged or altered health document is a serious matter: it may endanger other horses, may violate state law, and will result in immediate termination of your account. Organizers, not Courtesy Circle, are responsible for reviewing and accepting these documents.

9. Availability and offline use

We work hard to keep Courtesy Circle running, especially on show days, but we cannot guarantee that the service will be available at all times or free of errors. Mobile networks at show grounds can be unreliable, so some features (such as judge scoring) can continue to work offline and store data on the device until a connection returns. Data stored on a device is the responsibility of the person holding that device until it has synced. We may change, suspend, or discontinue features at any time.

10. Intellectual property

Courtesy Circle, including its software, design, logos, and content we create, belongs to [COMPANY LEGAL NAME] and is protected by copyright and other laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the service under these Terms. You keep ownership of the content you upload (such as documents and photos), and you give us a license to store, display, and process it as needed to run the service for you and the shows you enter.

11. Termination

You may stop using Courtesy Circle or request deletion of your account at any time by contacting [CONTACT EMAIL]. We may suspend or terminate an account that violates these Terms, that we reasonably believe poses a risk to other users or to horses, or that we are required by law to close. Results already published by an organizer may remain part of the organizer’s official show record after an account is closed.

12. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

Riding, handling, and being around horses is inherently dangerous. Injuries to people and animals can occur even when everyone acts carefully. Courtesy Circle is a software product and has no presence at, and no control over, any show grounds. Courtesy Circle is not responsible for any accident, injury, illness, property damage, or loss that occurs at or in connection with a show, including anything related to a missed or incorrect health document, a scheduling change, or a published result.

Courtesy Circle is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. To the fullest extent permitted by law, [COMPANY LEGAL NAME] will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, revenue, or goodwill. Our total liability for any claim relating to Courtesy Circle is limited to the greater of the platform fees you paid to us in the twelve months before the claim or one hundred U.S. dollars ($100). Some states do not allow certain limitations, so some of these may not apply to you.

13. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless [COMPANY LEGAL NAME] and its officers, employees, and contractors from any claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your use of Courtesy Circle, your violation of these Terms, the content or documents you upload, or, if you are an organizer, the shows you run.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE], without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in [STATE], and you consent to their jurisdiction.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make a meaningful change we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you by email or in the app. Continued use of Courtesy Circle after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Write to us at [CONTACT EMAIL] or by mail at [COMPANY LEGAL NAME], [COMPANY ADDRESS].