Equine Insurance Buying Guide
Our complete guide to buying equine insurance can help get you on the right track.
By Rachel Kosmal McCart
Where to find Equine Insurance
Despite the most careful planning, accidents happen, and that is why you need insurance. The array of equine insurance options can be intimidating and of the many different types of coverage available, only some choices may be appropriate for you. When evaluating insurance products, consider what risks you have for liability and loss, and then match those risks against the types of coverage available.
Target audience: Boarding stables, breeding farms, trainers and other commercial equine operations who take on the responsibility of caring for others’ horses
Typically covered: Risk of loss or injury to another person’s horse in your care.
Example: Your ranch hand doesn’t latch the gate securely, the boss mare lets the other horses out into the alfalfa field and several horses founder as a result.
Not typically covered: Risk of loss or injury caused by horses in your care, loss or injury to your own horses.
Example: Those same loose horses get into the parking lot and chew the paint off of several boarders’ cars.
Companies offering CCC coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
Equisure, Inc.
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Target audience: Horse-related businesses, including boarding stables, breeding farms, trainers and sales barns
Typically covered: General liability relating to operating your equine business.
Example: While on your property, a client drives over some used nails you left in the driveway, resulting in six blown tires on your client’s truck (unfortunately for you, the truck was a dually!).
Not typically covered: Risk of loss or injury to another person’s horse in your care. Example: One of your client’s horses walks over those same nails and gets one stuck in her hoof, causing an abscess.
Companies offering Commercial Equine Liability coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
Equisure, Inc.
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Target audience: Farm and ranch owners
Typically covered: Loss to real and personal property.
Example: While you are away at a show, someone enters your property and steals your manure spreader and several thousand dollars’ worth of feed.
Not typically covered: Loss of livestock, general liability.
Example: The same burglar steals several of your horses and then on the way out, backs into your client’s trailer, which you charge her to park on your property.
Companies offering Farm and Ranch coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
Equisure, Inc.
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Target audience: Employers
Typically covered: Injuries to employees incurred as part of their job.
Example: Your assistant trainer is long-lining a squirrelly 2-year-old stud colt, who kicks out and breaks her jaw.
Not typically covered: Losses caused by your employees.
Example: The same squirrelly colt then gets loose from your assistant and wraps the trailing long lines around a pipe, pulling it loose and causing a flood.
Companies offering Workers’ Compensation coverage:
Target audience: Employers
Typically covered: Injuries to employees incurred as part of their job.
Example: Your assistant trainer is long-lining a squirrelly two-year-old stud colt, who kicks out and breaks her jaw.
Not typically covered: Losses caused by your employees.
Example: The same squirrelly colt then gets loose from your assistant and wraps the trailing long lines around a pipe, pulling it loose and causing a flood.
Companies offering Workers’ Compensation coverage:
Target audience: Owners of valuable horses
Typically covered: Theft and death not caused by the owner’s negligence or willful misconduct.
Example: Your horse is struck by lightning while out in the pasture.
Not typically covered: Death caused by the owner’s negligence or willful misconduct.
Example: You feed your horse moldy hay by accident, he colics and dies.
Companies offering Equine Mortality coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
Equisure, Inc.
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Larry Viegas Insurance, Inc
Markel Insurance Company
Target audience: Owners of valuable horses
Typically covered: Certain types of surgery and other expensive medical procedures.
Example: Your horse develops a tumor that must be removed, requiring major surgery.
Not typically covered: Routine medical procedures. Example: There is an outbreak of a rare disease in your area and your veterinarian recommends an expensive vaccine.
Companies offering Major Medical and Surgical coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Target audience: Owners of valuable performance horses
Typically covered: Permanent disability.
Example: Your reining horse steps into a gopher hole in the pasture and fractures his coffin bone, causing permanent lameness.
Not typically covered: Temporary disability, death. ‘
Example: The same horse gets a splint, causing temporary lameness.
Companies offering Loss of Use coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Target audience: Breeding stallion owners
Typically covered: Permanent loss of fertility/breeding ability.
Example: You purchase a Breeders’ Cup winning stallion. Two years into your breeding program, he becomes sterile.
Not typically covered: Death.
Example: The same stallion colics and dies.
Companies offering Stallion Infertility coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
First Choice Insurance Services
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Target audience: Horse owners who don’t want (or can’t get) coverage under mortality or major medical coverage
Typically covered: Death from certain causes, e.g., fire.
Not typically covered: Death from illness.
Companies offering Named Perils Coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Specialists
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Larry Viegas Insurance, Inc
Target audience: Horse owners hauling their horses on a short-term basis who don’t have mortality or major medical coverage.
Typically covered: Death during transit.
Not typically covered: Injuries during transit.
Companies offering Short-term Transit coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Equine Insurance Specialists
First Choice Insurance Services
Larry Viegas Insurance, IncC
Target audience: Horse owners concerned about being liable for their horse’s actions.
Typically covered: Injuries or property damage caused by your horse.
Example: Your horse kicks a mountain biker while on the trail.
Not typically covered: Business activities relating to your horse.
Example: You use your horse for giving riding lessons and one of your students is injured.
Companies offering Horse Owner Liability coverage:
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Target audience: Racehorse owners
Typically covered: General liabilities associated with race horse ownership.
Example: Your young colt jumps into the grandstand during his maiden race, injuring several spectators.
Not typically covered: Injury/loss of the horse, liability associated with activities that are more than mere ownership.
Example: While jumping into the grandstand, the colt you’ve been training breaks his leg, ending his racing career.
Companies offering Race Horse Liability coverage:
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Target audience: 4-H clubs, pony clubs and other horse-oriented clubs that host mounted activities
Typically covered: Injuries, losses and property damage that occurs during club activities.
Example: While out on a hunt, a member’s horse throws him and runs through a tomato field on his way back to the barn, causing damage to the farmer’s tomato crop.
Not typically covered: Contractual and other disputes relating to club events.
Example: The roach coach operator’s contract states that your club must make up the difference in cash if he doesn’t sell $1500 of food and beverages during the show. Unfortunately, it snows on the day of the show, so the turnout is poor and he only makes $500.
Companies offering Riding Club and other Group coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
Equisure, Inc.
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
Larry Viegas Insurance, Inc
Markel Insurance Company
McNamara Company
Morningstar Insurance Brokers, Inc. LLC
Target audience: Operators of horse shows, clinics and other events.
Typically covered: Injuries, losses and property damage resulting from club activities.
Example: The loudspeaker squeals loudly during your dressage clinic, causing several horses to spook and throw their riders. Chaos ensues, during which several riders are injured.
Not typically covered: Contractual and other disputes relating to events.
Example: One of the instructors for your dressage clinic does not show up, and some participants demand a refund.
Companies offering Show and Event coverage:
Ace Insurance Services, Inc.
Asset Equine Insurance, Inc.
Cheval Insurance, Inc.
Equine Insurance Center
Equine Insurance Specialists
Equisure, Inc.
First Choice Insurance Services
Fry’s Equine Insurance Agency, Inc.
Hallmark Equine Insurance Agency
Horse Insurance Specialists, Inc.
Jorene Mize Insurance Agency
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Written by: Rachel Kosmal McCart
Rachel Kosmal McCart is a lifelong horsewoman and the founder of Equine Legal Solutions, PC, an equine law firm based in the Portland, Oregon area. Rachel is a member of the New York, California, Oregon and Washington State bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Rachel currently competes in three-day eventing.
