Insurance for saddlers, leather goods makers and upholstery saddlers in Germany
A girth snaps at a canter, a car seat comes back from the workshop with a burn mark, and the store holds half a year's leather: saddlers, leather goods makers and upholstery saddlers are liable for riders, horses and other people's property. This page explains what to cover in Germany and what it costs.
Am I liable if a rider falls because of a girth I stitched?
Yes, if the fault lay in your work or material, and under the Product Liability Act even without fault. Riding accidents quickly involve serious injuries and loss of earnings. General liability with product liability pays justified claims and defends unjustified ones.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Riding accident
A snapped girth, a torn billet or a pinching saddle: if the rider falls, it is about hospital, damages and sometimes an injured horse.
02
Customers' items
A burn mark in a classic car seat, a miscut boat cushion, a saddle with the wrong tree width: damage to other people's property is expensive.
03
Leather stock
Good hides are valuable and flammable; water or smoke can ruin a whole store.
04
Burglary
Finished saddles and designer bags are easy to sell and a tempting target.
05
Glue and knives
Solvent based glues burn, and round knives and skiving machines cause cuts.
06
Online sales
Returns, warranty and warning letters about product descriptions hit small workshops too.
Premiums depend on turnover, type of work and the values in the workshop. Riding saddlers and vehicle upholsterers usually pay more than pure bag makers because of personal injury and damage to items being worked on.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
Bag and leather goods workshop, one or two people
around €200 to €500 a year
Business liability
Riding saddler with saddle fitting and repairs, €5 million cover
around €400 to €1,200 a year
Business liability
Vehicle and boat upholstery with cover for items worked on up to €50,000
around €500 to €1,400 a year
Business contents
Workshop with machines, leather and goods worth €120,000
around €300 to €900 a year
For comparison: Liability and contents cover for a small saddlery cost roughly as much a year as a new girth and two bridles.
Guide figures from our quoting, as of October 2026, excluding German insurance tax.
The sources support the legal statements on this page; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Six things that really happen to saddlers, all on one Saturday. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€84,800
At a show a newly stitched girth snaps; the rider falls and breaks her collarbone.
€28,000 · Paid by: Business liability
A classic car seat is damaged by the heat gun during recovering; the original leather is no longer available.
€6,500 · Paid by: Business liability
A customer disputes the fit of a made to measure saddle and wants his money back; an expert is needed.
€2,800 · Paid by: Business legal expenses
Three saddles fall out of the unsecured trailer on the way to a show.
€7,500 · Paid by: Cargo insurance
The online shop is hacked and customer data has leaked.
€8,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance
Burglars take finished saddles and customers' saddles from the workshop.
€32,000 · Paid by: Business contents
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €84,800
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Have damage to customers' items being worked on expressly included, especially for vehicle, classic car and boat upholstery.
Choose at least €5 million product liability; riding accidents with lasting injuries become very expensive.
Document saddle fittings with photos, measurements and advice to the customer; it helps in disputes about the cause.
Insure leather stock and customers' saddles at their real value and check the burglary protection.
If you work at the customer's stable, include damage caused by horses and to other people's facilities in liability.
Check warning letter risks for your online shop and cyber cover with help after a data leak.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We know riding and the workshop
Personal injury from riding equipment and damage to customers' items are the two big issues. As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert obtains quotes from several insurers and compares exactly these points.
Claims handling seen from the inside
From boat insurance, including cushions and covers, we know claims handling from our own work. That helps to set sums and records when the policy is taken out.
Workshop, horse and family in one place
Business, vehicle, your own horse and private cover come together with one contact who can explain German policies in English.
The Nammert family has arranged insurance since 1989
Many saddleries are family businesses, and so are we. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Do I need a master qualification as a saddler?
No.
Saddlers and fine leather goods makers are listed in Annex B section 1 of the Crafts Code and need
no master qualification.
Is general liability compulsory for saddlers?
Not by law.
Because of liability for riding accidents and customers' items it is still the most important
policy for the workshop.
Does liability pay if I damage a customer's seat while recovering it?
Only with an extension for items being worked on.
Without it, such damage is excluded in many policies.
What does insurance cost for a small saddlery?
In our quoting, liability and contents usually come to €600 to €2,500 a year,
depending on riding work, vehicle work and values in the workshop.
Are customers' saddles covered in a burglary?
If your contents insurance includes third party property and the sum is high enough.
Are my employees covered for accidents?
Yes, employees are insured by law under Social Code Book VII through the responsible
Berufsgenossenschaft.
NAMMERT insurance broker
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