Horse/Equine Farm Insurance

Horse Farm Insurance Guide: What You Need to Know About Equine Business Protection

Whether you own a commercial farm or a hobby farm, you need protection for your dwelling, your farm buildings, liability, and, if you have them, your horses. Farm owners who rear horses face a unique range of exposures that require the tailoring of personalized equine farm insurance. The good news is Hitchings’ agents can provide horse farm insurance. But what insurance do you need for horses, and how does equine farm insurance even work? Insurance is rarely straightforward, but this guide may help educate you on the ins and outs of insurance for horse farms and how it can help protect your operations.

What is equine farm insurance?

Equine farm insurance, or horse farm insurance, is an insurance package designed to cover members of the equine community, their horses, personal property relevant to horse ownership, personal property for horses, and even liability for horse-related activities.

Hitchings Insurance Agency’s horse farm insurance policies may cover you if your farm offers any of the following activities or services:

• Equine ownership
• Equine boarding
• Breeding operations
• Borrowed saddle animals
• Show horse training
• Pleasure training services
• Lessons for equine students (riding instruction)
• Agricultural fairs
• Horse clinics

Understandably, there is a unique risk for those in the equine business due to the wide range of activities and services that are associated with horse ownership, boarding, and training. In addition, our protection package covers non-owned horses that are being stabled in your care, control, or custody.

What does horse farm insurance cover?

Horse farm insurance is designed to cover hobbyists’ and commercial farmers’ personal property, horses, and liability if they offer a range of equine activities and services. Hitchings’ insurance for horse farms contains comprehensive coverage at an affordable premium and may include liability for your equine activities, coverage for personal property, equipment, and horse buildings (such as riding arenas).

To service professionals and hobbyists in the equine community, Hitchings Insurance Agency’s equine insurance package may include the following protections:

Equine activities liability

As a part of your equine farm insurance package, your liability for insurable equine activities is eligible for coverage. This includes activities that are conducted by the insured and may not cover contractual obligations, failure to render professional services, and activities in connection with a business other than equine activities. Your equine activities liability may cover riding lessons, boarding operations, breeding operations, borrowed, owned, or leased saddle animals, riding arena exposures, and pleasure and/or show horse training operations.  

Equine mortality insurance

Equine mortality insurance is a critical coverage component that is designed to cover your horse(s) from losses due to illness, disease, theft, humane euthanasia, accidents during transport, and certain accidents. Premiums may be based upon the horse’s current condition, including its age, breed, and what your farm uses it for. Equine mortality insurance may include several optional coverages, including loss of use (if your horse is no longer capable of fulfilling the function they are used for) as well as major equine medical procedures and even transport overseas.

Optional coverage for outbuildings, arenas, and barns

You may have the option of including coverage for any arenas, outbuildings, and barns that you use for your horses or services/operations related to your horses. This coverage may be subject to replacement cost terms and has the option to choose from special form coverage.

Blanket farm personal property coverage

Your equine farm insurance package may contain coverage for horses, tack, feed, medicines, equipment, and any supplies you use for your animals on a named peril basis. Depending on your policy, your personal property limits may vary.

Why do farmers need equine farm insurance?

Your farm may very well depend on your horses. They can be valuable assets, from being the pride of your breeding programs, the subjects of your training and riding lesson services, or a means of pleasure and fun for riding and show jumping. Of course, they require a lot of work, and horses take a fair bit of care, from feed and hygiene to medicines and exercise. They’re also not cheap.

This is where having equine farm insurance can come in clutch for your business. Next to the cost of a potential lawsuit due to an injury or accident with one of the services you offer, horse farm insurance is a small cost. Your equines are just as important to you as any other piece of machinery on your farm and having the right insurance package can provide you with the peace of mind you deserve as a horse owner. For equine farms, other coverage options may also help to round out their insurance protection, including the following list:

• Livestock insurance
• Farm property insurance
• Farm dwelling insurance
• Farm liability coverage
• Farm equipment insurance
• Commercial vehicles insurance
• Crop insurance
• Commercial umbrella insurance
• Business interruption insurance
• …and more

Every horse farmer runs their operations differently and may offer very different services. Hitchings Insurance Agency offers horse farm insurance for a wide range of equine activities and can help insure you however it is you use your owned, boarded, borrowed, or leased saddle animals. Discuss with our experts if you have any further questions about equine farm insurance.