That's a much different and much narrower instance of giving up one's rights. In the case of the riding academy, the consumer can still go to court and argue t

That's a much different and much narrower instance of giving up one's rights. In the case of the riding academy, the consumer can still go to court and argue that an injury was caused by negligence on the part of the business and get the waiver invalidated. Taking a company to court over a contract dispute when there's an arbitration clause involved is most likely to get the case dismissed in favor of arbitration. Arbitrators have no real requirement to actually follow any laws, and rarely do they allow any appeal, so you're essentially at the whim of the arbitrator.