Is Horse Insurance Worth It?

Horses are expensive to keep, and as much as we horse owners might all love them, there is no getting around how much it costs to keep them.

For that reason, many of us try to cut out all the costs we can that are not completely necessary.

Sometimes, though, it can be hard to decide what is and is not necessary.

Horse insurance, for example, is one that friends are always asking me about—is it worth it?

Do I need it?

Well, is horse insurance worth it?

The simple answer is that it depends on what you’re doing with your horse. Horse insurance is great for avoiding massive, unexpected vet bills. But if your horse doesn’t get out much but just spends its days hanging out in its field, you may end up paying more in premiums than you would in vet bills.

So, for any horse that is at major risk of being injured, naturally, horse insurance is well worth it.

Paying out of pocket for treatment can be prohibitively expensive, to say the least.

For less active horses, it may not be so necessary.

Let’s look further into this.

Should I get my horse insured?

For a horse that is just an animal companion that lives on your homestead or farm, and does not go out riding or do any kind of particularly hazardous activity, you may well be fine without insuring them.

Horses are hardy creatures, and they don’t become ill all that often, as long as you take good care of them.

Your horse could be insured for 20 years, and you may never have to make claim in that period.

In this case, the cumulative costs of paying those premiums over the years will almost certainly be more than you would pay in any single vet bill.

So, as you can see, it is a balancing act.

It would be perfectly reasonable for you to insure your horse on the basis that you don’t want to have to pay out of pocket for any treatment—paying small premiums each month, while cumulatively may be more expensive, is more achievable than paying out potentially thousands of dollars for treatment.

So, it will all depend on your individual needs.

Should I get my racehorse insured?

For racehorses, the answer is absolutely yes, you should insure it.

Many racing commissions will require you to insure the horse in any case, so most of the time you won’t have a choice if you want it to race in serious competitions.

Regardless, there are countless things that can go wrong during a horse race.

Injuries and accidents are common, and though the perception is that most injuries for racehorses result in their death, they are actually much more often treatable.

Racing is a very accident-prone environment, in any case, so you should absolutely insure your racehorse.

Should I get my trail horse insured?

Our best advice would be simply yes, insure your trail horse.

Whether it’s a work horse or a recreation horse, trail riding, though leisurely and calming, is not without its potential risks.

Though, for the most part, horses and their riders are smart enough and safe enough to avoid injury, things beyond your control can always happen.

If your horse is seriously injured, having it treated could potentially be prohibitively expensive.

So, again, you should really use your own discretion.

If you walk only on a trail with virtually nowhere for the horse to get injured, then insurance may not be necessary.

Just think, though, about whether you would be able to afford to pay out of pocket for costly treatment.

It’s always a balancing act, determined by your unique situation.

Should I get my dressage horse insured?

Again, the best advice is yes.

Dressage horses are at a greatly reduced risk of injury compared, say, with race horses, but the risk is not non-existent.

Again, unexpected things can always happen, so you’ve got to decide if you would be able to pay out of pocket for the treatment in that case.

Dressage horses, like race horses, are often required to be insured by the commissions anyway.

This is less common in dressage than it is in racing, but it is still often the case.

Dressage horses can be worth a great deal of money, and you don’t want to put that at risk—it’s best to insure your dressage horse.

So, again, the simple answer is just that it depends. In many cases, you should absolutely insure your horse, and you would be negligent not to.

Any kind of show horse is at great risk of injuring itself on every race or show, no matter how confident you might be.

There is always the chance that they will get hurt.

Vet bills, out of pocket, can be extremely high in these cases.

On the other hand, if your horse doesn’t put itself at risk much—you’ll probably be fine!

Use your own discretion.