Horse insurance

Compare your options for horse insurance and get cheap quotes from our partner Animal Friends[1]

  • Animal Friends offer different levels of horse insurance cover with vet fees ranging from £2,000 up to £6,000. You can also customise your cover with bolt-on extras, letting you build a bespoke policy with benefits to suit the needs of you and your horse. Animal Friends also offer cover for riders to help protect you from accidents, Third Party Liability and Custodial Liability.

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What type of horse insurance do I need?

The type of horse insurance you’ll need depends on your own circumstances and the level of cover you want. It depends on your horse’s age, breed and what you do with them, whether that’s riding, driving, work or showing.

For example, if your horse’s breed is prone to certain medical conditions you might want to find a policy with adequate veterinary cover for that condition, just in case they’re diagnosed in the future. 

There are a few cover options to choose from:

Standard cover

A regular horse insurance policy will usually cover one aspect as standard, say the vet fees, and then offer a range of optional extras you can add to your policy, like cover for death, straying or theft.

You can get cover for your own horse or for one you have on loan. It'll also usually cover your family for riding your horse.

But if you ride other horses that don't belong to you, you might want to think about a rider policy.

As with all pet insurance, you need to think about the level of cover that’s right for you and your horse and check you can afford to pay the excess if your horse does need treatment.

Standard cover usually has age limits, for example for foals as young as 30 days, up until your horse is 20 years old. 

Pre-existing conditions won’t be covered, but you still need to tell the insurer whether your horse has any when you take out a policy.

Cover for older horses

You can get vet fee cover for injuries for mature horses aged 20 years and over – just check if there are any maximum age limits on your policy. 

Make sure you read your policy carefully to see how much it'll pay out if your horse is injured or dies before you decide whether to insure your older horse.

Just like with standard cover, you can choose some optional extras for mature horse insurance.

Horse rider cover

Rider insurance includes cover for personal accident and dental fees, third party liability and custodial liability as well as emergency vet fees if you have an accident while riding a horse. 

Rider cover might have an age limit, say 18 to 75 years old, but you can also get young rider insurance for children. These policies will probably have age limits too, usually between five and 18 years old.

Any pre-existing conditions that you or your horse have won’t be covered. 

Regardless of which cover type you choose, always check the terms to make sure you’re covered in the way you expect. 

What else can horse insurance cover?

As well as cover for vet fees, most horse policies will offer optional extras to upgrade your policy for an additional cost: 

  • Compensation if your horse dies, is stolen or strays – a contribution towards the cost of finding your horse, or reimbursing the cost if they die or can’t be found
  • Public liability – covers injury to other people and damage to their property because of an incident involving your horse
  • Loss of use – compensation if you can’t ride, drive or work your horse while it’s injured or unwell
  • Riding equipment – you'll have cover up to a specified amount for your saddle, bridle and other tack if they’re lost, stolen or damaged
  • Horsebox – you'll be reimbursed up to a specified amount if your horsebox is lost, damaged or stolen
  • Personal accident and dental cover for the rider – The policy pays out a set amount of compensation for certain injuries you suffer while riding, or if you’re killed. 

The add-ons that are available vary – some horse insurance policies don’t include vet fees as standard and instead cover theft or public liability, with vet fees available as an add-on.  Any optional extras will increase the cost of your policy, so only get ones you really need. 

How much is horse insurance?

The price of horse insurance depends on factors like the age, breed and health of your horse, plus where they’re kept and what activities you use them for. 

The type of cover you want and adding in optional extras will make your horse insurance more expensive. It’s worth comparing a variety of cover options to see what works best for you. 

Will my horse trailer be covered?

Some policies will cover your horsebox as standard, while others might offer it as an optional extra for an additional fee.

You can also buy standalone horsebox insurance, which might offer a higher level of protection but could be more expensive than a policy add-on. 

If you want to protect your horsebox, we’d suggest comparing a range of horse insurance policies that offer cover with standalone cover to see which works out the best for you. 

Do I need to pay an excess when I claim on my horse insurance?

Usually yes, but it depends on the terms of your policy. 

An excess is a set amount that you pay when you make a claim. The excess amount is deducted from the amount paid by the insurer. For example, if you claimed £1,000 for vet fees, and your excess was £100, the insurer would pay out £900. 

Co-payments on horse insurance

A co-payment means that you and your insurer both contribute towards the cost of a claim. It’ll usually be a percentage of the claim amount, after the excess has been deducted. 

For example, if you want to claim £1,000 for vet fees:

  • Your 20% co-payment - 
  • Your claim amount, minus £100 excess: £900
  • Your contribution towards the vet fees (20% of £900): £180
  • Your insurer’s contribution: £720

Frequently asked questions

You might need a specialist horse insurance policy for high value or sports horses. The amount paid out with standard cover is usually limited, so it might not be enough for your prized steed.

Insurers sometimes ask for proof of value – a vet certificate or x-rays of your horse’s legs, for example – if you declare they’re worth over a certain amount.

Yes, cover for older horses is available but some providers will have an age limit, usually around 20 years old, so you might have to get a specialist policy.

No it’s not a legal requirement, unless you use your horse commercially, for example as part of a riding school.

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[1]We do not offer a full comparison service on horse insurance at GoCompare but instead introduce you to Animal Friends to provide quotes. Please remember, as different companies offer different policies, it is up to you to choose the one that best suits your needs. Animal Friends is a trading name of Animal Friends Insurance Services Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Gocompare's relationship with Animal Friends is limited to that of a business partnership, no common ownership or control rights exist between us