Horse insurance is a group of separate policies, not one product. Mortality coverage pays if a horse dies, major medical and surgical coverage help with veterinary bills, loss of use pays if a horse can no longer do its job, and liability coverage protects you or your barn from claims. Premiums depend on factors such as breed, bloodlines, age and use, so the only real price is a written quote, and nearly 80% of surveyed owners do not insure their horses at all.
Key takeaways
- Main types: mortality, major medical, surgical, loss of use and liability.
- Nearly 80% of surveyed horse owners do not insure their horses.
- Premiums depend on breed, bloodlines, age and use; get written quotes.
- Boarding contracts can make the owner responsible for insuring the horse.
- Read your policy and learn the claim steps before an emergency.
What types of horse insurance are there?
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) describes insurance policies as legal contracts, each with its own terms, conditions and requirements. The cards below summarize the main types of equine insurance, based on AAEP and on Extension Horses, a Cooperative Extension website.
Mortality
Paid if the horse dies, according to AAEP.
- Most companies require a veterinarian’s health certificate, and only healthy animals are covered.
- With agreed value you receive the amount set when you buy the policy; with actual cash value you receive the fair market value instead.
Major medical and surgical
Like health insurance, it offsets the cost of veterinary care for catastrophic conditions, says AAEP.
- Surgical policies cover only specific procedures, such as colic surgery.
- Major medical typically carries a deductible and a claim limit.
Loss of use
Paid on a percentage basis if a horse is permanently incapacitated for its intended use or purpose (AAEP).
- Extension Horses calls it an expensive coverage, added to a mortality policy or sold separately.
- The horse must be totally disabled, and on average 60% of the animal’s value is covered.
Liability
Personal horse owners liability covers bodily injury or property damage to third parties caused by your own horse, when it is not used commercially.
- Care, custody and control (CCC) is a separate coverage that protects a business if a horse owner sues over harm to that horse.
- Most liability policies do not include CCC.
AAEP also lists specified perils coverage, which covers listed causes such as lightning, fire or transportation, and breeding infertility coverage for stallions and mares. Coverage for vet bills, sometimes searched as equine vet insurance, is the major medical or surgical type above. For any decision about your horse’s health or treatment, ask your veterinarian; insurance only deals with the cost.
How much does it cost to insure a horse?
There is no standard price. According to Extension Horses, mortality premiums are based on breed, bloodlines, age and use, and extra coverages such as major medical or loss of use come with premiums of their own. Barnmap does not publish insurance rates because insurers set them for each horse, so ask for written quotes.
When you compare quotes, line up the same items so the numbers mean the same thing.
- Whether the payout is agreed value or actual cash value
- Which coverages are included: mortality, major medical, surgical, loss of use, liability
- The deductible and any claim limit
- What needs the insurer’s approval before it happens
- The veterinary exam or health certificate required to start the policy
Tip: AAEP advises reading the contract thoroughly before you apply and asking the representative to explain any word or provision you do not fully understand.
For the full picture of what keeping a horse costs, see our guide to how much a horse costs.
Is it worth insuring your horse?
It depends on how a loss would affect your finances and how much risk you are willing to carry yourself. A University of Kentucky survey of 4,915 horse owners in all 50 states found that close to 80% do not insure their horses.
Whether to insure, save or do both is a financial decision for you and a licensed insurance agent; Barnmap does not give financial advice.
Pros
- AAEP says wise planning can help reduce the economic impact when a peril befalls your horse.
- Liability coverage can protect you if your horse injures someone else.
- You choose the coverages: mortality alone, or with major medical or loss of use added.
Cons
- You pay premiums every year, on top of board, hoof care and other costs.
- Only healthy horses are covered, and most companies require a veterinarian’s health certificate.
- Deductibles, claim limits and approval rules can limit what a policy pays.
- Loss of use is expensive and requires the horse to be totally disabled.
Routine veterinary care is a separate budget line. Our guide to horse vet costs covers what vet care costs.
Can you get insurance for your horse?
Yes, if your horse meets the insurer’s conditions. Most companies require a certificate of health from a veterinarian, and only healthy animals are covered. Policies vary by company, so ask each one what it accepts.
- Define your needs
Decide whether you want mortality alone or added coverages such as major medical, loss of use or liability.
- List your questions
Write down questions for the agent, including what happens if your horse is ill, injured or dies.
- Book the veterinary exam
Ask your veterinarian for the health certificate the insurer requires.
- Compare quotes
AAEP says to look beyond cost to the longevity and reputation of both the agency and the carrier.
- Read the contract
Read it thoroughly before you apply.
What is the best horse insurance company?
None of the sources cited here ranks insurers, and Barnmap does not recommend any. The best fit depends on your horse and what you need covered. AAEP advises comparison shopping and looking at the longevity and reputation of both the agency and the insurance carrier.
Extension Horses adds two points that help you compare sellers. Brokers sell products from several companies, while agents work for one firm and offer only its products. Admitted insurers use state-approved rates and have a guarantee fund that covers clients until other insurance is found.
Do boarding barns carry insurance, and do you need your own?
Horse boarding insurance has two sides: what the barn carries and what you carry. Penn State Extension recommends that boarding operations hold three types of policies: fire and theft, commercial liability, and care, custody and control. Commercial liability protects against property damage or personal injury to third parties, and care, custody and control addresses death or injury to horses due to operator negligence.
Your side is separate. Penn State Extension calls it good management practice for a barn to require clients to have adequate insurance on their horses. Extension Horses’ guide to boarding contracts describes a risk-of-loss clause stating that insurance coverage is the responsibility of the owner and not the stable, and notes that some contracts require the owner to carry liability insurance at all times.
Some states limit the liability of boarding operations, but Penn State Extension says insurance remains advisable. Both sources recommend legal advice before you sign a contract.
- Which policies does the barn carry: fire and theft, commercial liability, care, custody and control?
- Does the contract say who is responsible for insuring the horse?
- Must boarders carry liability insurance, and is there an indemnity clause for damage the horse causes?
- What dollar limit applies to treatment the barn can authorize when you cannot be reached?
Watch out: A barn’s coverage is not the same as coverage on your horse. Care, custody and control responds to the operator’s negligence, and many contracts leave insurance on the horse to the owner. Get the answers in writing.
Browse barns in the Barnmap horse boarding directory, read our guide on how to choose a boarding barn, or see Barnmap Picks for recommendations.
What insurance applies when someone hauls your horse?
Horse transport insurance and horse hauling insurance are not one policy either. AAEP lists transportation among the causes a specified perils policy can cover, so check your own policy wording to see whether your horse is covered in transit. A hauler’s vehicle is a separate matter: Extension Horses describes property and commercial auto coverage for fire, lightning, wind and theft damage to vehicles, buildings, machinery and tack.
The horses in the trailer are another question. Extension Horses says care, custody and control coverage protects a business if an owner sues over harm to a horse, that most liability policies do not include it, and that a dollar value must be assigned to each horse.
- What coverage do you carry on the truck and trailer?
- Do you carry liability and care, custody and control coverage for horses on board?
- What dollar value is assigned to each horse, and what does the policy exclude?
- Can you send the coverage details in writing?
Across the US, Barnmap lists 50 haulers that publish a price per mile, from $0.30 to $4 with a median of $1.62, and 20 that publish a price per trip, from $25 to $450 with a median of $90. These are prices published by establishments and listed on Barnmap as of October 2026. A price says nothing about coverage, so ask. Compare haulers in the horse transport directory.
What else is in the monthly horse budget?
Major medical coverage is for catastrophic veterinary conditions (AAEP), so everyday costs such as board and hoof care stay in your regular budget. The chart shows the lowest, median and highest monthly board price for each board type across the US, with the number of barns in brackets. These are prices published by establishments and listed on Barnmap as of October 2026; confirm current prices with the business.
lowest to highest published price median
Among the 10 states with the most full-board barns, the median monthly price runs from $550 (Ohio) to $850 (Florida). Barnmap shows medians for 41 states; those with only a few barns swing widely, so read them with care.
| State | Barns | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 72 | $650 |
| Florida | 59 | $850 |
| North Carolina | 47 | $800 |
| California | 41 | $600 |
| Virginia | 40 | $700 |
| Pennsylvania | 35 | $610 |
| Washington | 34 | $735 |
| Ohio | 29 | $550 |
| New York | 28 | $646 |
| Georgia | 26 | $772 |
| All states | 752 | $650 |
Prices for other services:
| Service | Establishments | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farrier, per trim | 21 | $20 | $55 | $85 |
| Farrier, per set | 10 | $60 | $122 | $250 |
| Chiropractor, per session | 11 | $30 | $100 | $200 |
Find a farrier or an equine chiropractor, or browse all Barnmap guides.
What should you do before you need to file a claim?
AAEP says a crisis is not the time to interpret your policy’s fine print or look for phone numbers, and that a policy may require action from you, your veterinarian and your insurance company.
- Read the policy
- Save the insurer’s number
- Learn the claim steps
- Ask your vet what is needed
Watch out: Some actions need the insurer’s approval first. Extension Horses lists non-emergency surgery, castration, non-emergency euthanasia and nerving. AAEP says that if euthanasia is recommended, you should know what steps make a claim valid.
Treatment and euthanasia decisions belong to you and your veterinarian, so ask your vet how a policy’s requirements apply. You can find clinics in the Barnmap equine vet directory. This guide explains coverage in general terms and is not insurance, legal or financial advice; every policy has its own terms, so read yours and ask a licensed agent.
Sources
- Understanding Your Horse Insurance Responsibilities, American Association of Equine Practitioners
- Equine Business Resources: Insurance for Equine Businesses, Extension Horses (Cooperative Extension)
- Equine Boarding Stable Contracts, Extension Horses (Cooperative Extension)
- Boarding Horses, Penn State Extension
- University of Kentucky study explores horse owners’ preparation and preferences for veterinary care, University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
This guide is general information for horse owners, not veterinary or legal advice. Prices come from what establishments publish on their own websites, as listed on Barnmap on the date shown. How we check