A luxury ranch in western Montana is shielded from a Connecticut doctor's lawsuit stemming from injuries he sustained on a guided horseback ride, the state Supreme Court ruled this week.

In a 4-3 decision issued on Tuesday, the court's majority found the Montana Equine Activities Act barred Gerard Girasole, an orthopedic surgeon, from seeking damages against Paws Up Luxury Ranch Resort because his injuries resulted from the inherent risks of horseback riding.

In this case, Girasole and his wife traveled to Montana in 2022 to vacation at the dude ranch east of Missoula. Girasole signed an assumption-of-risk agreement before he mounted Reba, who a Paws Up employee described as a "good, easy, steady-going horse" who had been safely ridden by children.

But roughly 20 minutes into the ride,

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