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 for sale or shows 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 boarder’s 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. Stories are traded daily. 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 are wanting. 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