Oak Springs Insurance Group proudly provides Horse Insurance, Liability Insurance, Horse Mortality Insurance, and more for Horse Farms, Riders, Trainers, and of course Horses in the state of Florida.

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Equine Professional Liability

 Adapted from Ark Agency Animal Insurance Services

        By G Renae Estes, Agent/Owner Oak Springs Insurance Group, LLC

 1-888-308-6914

Equine Professional Liability

 If you are a highly trained, skilled, experienced equine professional, you have professional liability exposure that is not easily insured by many insurance companies.  Professionals who should consider this coverage include: 

Horse Riding & Driving Instructor

Riding Instructor

Riding Instructor for the Disabled

Horse Trainer

Horse Training Instructor

Equine Assisted Services Professional to Licensed:

 Certified Therapists

 Therapeutic Services Provider for Horses

 Accredited Farrier, Blacksmith & Assistants

 Horse Show Officials and Judges

 Horse Program Fee Consultant

 Horse Farm & Show Facility Design Consultant

 Equine Assisted Growth & Development Services Provider

 Professional Horse Groomer

Equine Professional Liability generally pays for those sums the insured professional becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of “bodily injury,” “property damage,” “personal injury,” “prize money losses” or loss of value of a horse to which coverage applies caused by a “professional incident.” A “professional incident” usually involves an improper professional judgment by the Insured, as they provide a service for which there is higher than average expectation of outcome according to the high qualifications of the professional.  

• Legal Defense Costs: These days court costs and hiring of a lawyer can quickly mount to $50,000 or more; an expense you do not want to come out of your pocket if you are sued and must hire a lawyer.  If sued in relation to an insured professional service, the policy provides legal defense whether the case has merit or not.
• Settlement or Claim Costs: For bodily injury, property damages, personal injury, prize money, or loss of value to a horse for which you are responsible and held negligent to some degree in carrying out your professional services.

Professional Liability Insurance does not take the place of General Liability Insurance, but it can be complimentary to it. General Liability for commercial equine operations protects you  from financial loss should a client/customer or therapy subject become injured, or their property be damaged in relation to your horse activities and the damaged client attempts to hold you responsible for negligence. 

 Some Equine Professional Liability Claim incident examples are:

1.  A Horse Show Steward gives an improper command during a class that results in a chaotic response from participants, causing injury to some.

2.  A Horse Show Judge makes a decision in a class that a participant believes to be unfair. The decision results in the judge being sued for the loss of a horse and handler’s reputation, loss of prize money, and lowered value of the animal.

3.  A student or parent of a student wants to progress rapidly and put pressure on the Professional Riding Instructor to accelerate training.  The Instructor pushes the student to perform a movement that the professional knows may be beyond the student’s capability to carry out and control, and the student is injured.

4.  A Professional Riding Instructor teaches a student an unusual control technique when a more accepted technique would have been safer and more appropriate; both the horse and rider suffer injuries because of it.

5.  A Special Needs Client suffers additional or aggravated injury in relation to the condition for which they are seeking therapy benefit due to improper judgment and application of therapeutic principles by the therapist.  The Riding Instructor or Equine Assisted Services Provider is drawn into the law suit.

6.  A Horse Handler for Equine Assisted Services makes an improper judgment that causes a horse to react in an unexpected way, causing injury to a subject who is present for treatment.

7.  A Farrier / Blacksmith injures a horse due to improper shoeing or trimming, ruining future chances for the horse in high level competition.

8.  A Trainer applies a brutal and stressful teaching technique to a horse instead of a gradual and humane method that would have been safer and more effective. Horses have long memories for traumatic experience, so the animal’s training cannot be furthered for its intended purpose.

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Although we often say we “love” our cars, boats or homes, the emotional reasons for insuring them are slight compared to the deep loss we would feel should we lose a horse.  Because our hearts become involved, we may spend large amounts of money trying to save a horse that may ultimately need to be euthanized.  Mortality Insurance helps recover some of those financial costs, allowing us to concentrate on healing our emotional loss.  It covers death by any cause, anywhere.

While most high-end horses are insured due to the large investment associated with their purchase & care, it is smart to insure horses for other reasons as well.  Parents of young, first-time horse owners find Mortality Insurance especially practical should this loss occur.  In addition to parents and the owners of high-end horses, we recommend Mortality Insurance for horse owners who lease their horses for others to ride.

Besides covering loss by death, Mortality Insurance covers theft and emergency colic surgery.  Colic is the leading cause for the humane destruction of horses by veterinarians.  When surgery is recommended, it must be done immediately to save the horse’s life.  The surgery can be expensive, leading to a difficult decision for the owner. Having Mortality Insurance in place makes that decision easier and may prevent unnecessary death.

You can find Mortality Insurance and determine the amount of coverage you’ll need for your horse by simply speaking with a qualified agent.  Some of the things a good agent will consider are the purchase price, discipline, age, breed and training.  There are several insurance companies who provide Mortality Insurance.  When you call an Oak Springs agent, we can help you find the best Mortality Insurance and rates for your horse.   Contact our Oregon office for referral to an agent near you: 503-363-1975

Written by Janet Spingath,  Agent for Oak Springs Insurance Group, LLC

Personal Liability Insurance is designed for people who do not use their horses for anything they get paid for.  It is not intended for anyone who trains horses, gives riding lessons, breeds horses for sale, or shows horses professionally. This is like auto insurance for your equine ride.  If your horse injures someone or damages property, you can be held liable, just as if you had injured someone or damaged property with your car.  The main difference being that unlike your car, a horse can think for itself and cause trouble while you may be miles away!  The insurance will pay for damages or defense up to the limit of the insurance.

The horse boarding business can be risky and more barn owners are getting smart and asking clients to carry their own liability insurance for their horses.  This protects the owner from potential lawsuits for damages or injuries caused by their boarders’ horses.  Barns are notorious places for human and animal injuries, personal property damage and other barn “dramas”.   Owners protect themselves by posting rules, having signed liability waivers, carrying liability insurance and requiring boarders to carry different insurances such as personal liability and mortality/emergency colic insurance. 

Personal Liability Insurance is not limited to just the barn location; it covers your horse wherever it goes.  If you’ve owned a horse for any amount of time, you are probably familiar with what might happen.   Problems are limited only by a given situation and a horse’s imagination.  This insurance stays with your horse while you own it.

The premium is paid for the year, and varies in price depending on how much coverage you want.  Coverage ranges from $100,000 to $1,000,000 per occurrence per year.  It will pay for medical care, property damage and/or legal defense.  The price is typically from $150 to $450 per year.

This insurance is easy to get quickly.  There are no statements of value, vet checks or performance records to submit.  It is one of the essential insurances for horse ownership along with mortality insurance.  Together they protect you from potential financial loss associated with owning a horse.

Written by Janet Spingath,

Agent for Oak Springs Insurance Group, LLC

Oak Springs Insurance Group attended the 5th Annual Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch Information Clinic.

Crystal Peaks’ Rescue Horses

Over 150 attendees from around North America and Australia attended the popular event designed to provide information and resources about starting a horse ranch for youth.

Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is located in Bend, Oregon and until recently was the only program of it’s kind.  Through the annual information clinic, now in it’s fifth year, it has been able to teach others from around the world how to establish similar horse ranches for the benefit of youth and horses.

Oak Springs Insurance Group was on hand to serve as an informational resource regarding horse insurance.  Oak Springs Insurance specializes in equine insurance for horse farms, ranches, individual horse owners, riders, trainers, and more.

“When we got our first horse, we realized it was more difficult to find the proper insurance coverage for the horse facility where he was boarded,” stated owner Renae Estes.  “Because of that, we ended up specializing our agency in horse insurance and equine related insurance products.”

The 4 day event focused on informational areas such as:

Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch

· Obtaining a 501(c)(3)
· Legalities of non-profits
· Child & Horse Safety
· Communicating with Kids
· Basic Natural Horsemanship
· Equine Herd Management
· Daily Infrastructure
· Staff & Volunteer Programming
· Fundraising

“It was a real pleasure to attend the clinic and be a resource for those interested in starting their own youth ranch ministry,” added Estes.  ”We know that it can be difficult to find the coverage that they need through normal insurance channels, and since we’re horse people ourselves we love working with other horse lovers and solving their insurance needs.”

The 2009 Crystal Peaks Informational Clinic was well attended and a huge success for all.