01
Basic
Lower cover, other riders excluded or tightly limited. Only suitable if nobody but you ever rides the horse.
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Horse liability insurance in Germany: you are liable even when someone else is riding
Under German law, the keeper of a leisure horse is liable for the damage it causes, whether or not they did anything wrong, and without a cap. Personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) excludes horses. Nothing makes horse liability cover compulsory, which is exactly why some owners only find out they lack it after an accident.
The question almost everyone asks first
Do I need horse liability insurance in Germany if it is not compulsory?
Yes. Section 833 of the German Civil Code makes you liable for damage caused by your horse even when you took every care, with no upper limit. A horse that gets onto a country road can cause a crash with serious injuries. Your personal liability policy will not pay. According to Finanztip, good horse policies cost roughly 35 to 280 € a year.
Leisure horse or working animal: why German law treats them differently
German law splits animals into two groups. If you keep a horse for pleasure, you are strictly liable for any damage that results from typical horse behaviour, however careful you were. Only someone who keeps the horse for their job or livelihood, such as a farmer or a riding school, can escape liability by proving they supervised it properly.
Almost every private owner falls into the strict group. It is enough that the horse shies, kicks or wanders from its paddock onto the road. Whether your fencing was sound matters for the argument afterwards, not for whether you are liable.
Shared riders and other riders: where good and weak policies part ways
In Germany it is common to share a horse with a rider who pays towards its keep, known as a Reitbeteiligung. Legally that rider is a third party. If they fall and are hurt, they can claim against you as the keeper, and their health insurer can recover its costs from you too. In one case a higher regional court split the loss and made the keeper pay half, because the rider had taken over part of the supervision.
Good policies therefore cover claims by other riders and also protect those riders if they injure someone while riding. Some insist that the shared rider is named in the policy or wears a helmet. One gap remains with almost every policy: if the shared rider injures your horse, your own liability cover will not pay, because the horse is yours. The rider needs separate cover for that.
How this differs from dog liability and horse surgery insurance
If you keep both a dog and a horse, our page on dog and horse liability insurance explains the state rules for dogs. This page is about horses only, because the questions are different: height and use instead of breed lists, other riders instead of dog sitters, crop damage and carriages instead of lead rules.
Liability cover never pays for your own horse. Colic, injuries and clinic treatment are covered by horse surgery insurance, which complements liability cover rather than replacing it.
What is covered
- Injury, property damage and resulting financial loss your horse causes to others
- Checking claims and defending unjustified ones, including in court
- Claims by other riders and shared riders against you, depending on the policy
- Liability of other riders towards third parties while riding your horse, depending on the policy
- Damage to fields, meadows and tracks
- Damage to a rented stable, box, indoor arena or borrowed trailer, depending on the policy
- Foals at foot up to a set age
- Unwanted covering of another owner's mare, depending on the policy
- Shows and carriage driving, if included
What is not covered
- Damage to your own horse, saddle, tack and trailer
- Damage a shared rider causes to your horse
- Commercial use such as paid riding lessons or running a livery yard
- Races and competitions, unless the policy includes them
- Damage caused deliberately
- Vet and surgery costs for your own horse
Who needs it
- Every private horse and pony owner, including companion horses that are not ridden
- Owners who have a shared rider or let friends ride
- Competition riders and carriage drivers, with the right add-on
- Owners with a foal or a mare that is to be bred
Who does not need it
- Riders without their own horse: no horse liability needed, but cover for damage to the horse they ride
- Pupils at a riding school: the school is the keeper
Wheel of misfortune
Spin the wheel of bad luck
Six things that really happen. The wheel picks yours and shows who pays.
Cost:
Budget policy
Strong policy
See all six cases
- Loose horse hit by a car, five figures, with injuries six or seven. Budget policy: pays, Strong policy: pays. The classic big claim. Every policy pays; what matters is whether the cover amount is high enough.
- Shared rider falls and breaks a leg, five figures, plus health insurer recourse. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. Without an other riders clause the keeper pays damages and recourse personally. Good policies pay without a list of names.
- Horse kicks through the stable wall, about 500 to 3,000 €. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. The box is rented, so this is damage to rented property. Not every policy includes it; good ones do, with their own limit.
- Hack across a freshly sown field, a few hundred euros. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays. Crop damage is named in many policies but not always in basic cover. Strong policies say so explicitly.
- Stallion covers the neighbour's mare, about 1,000 to 5,000 € for vet and loss of value. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. Unwanted covering is a clause of its own. Without it the keeper pays.
- Shared rider injures your horse, vet bills up to four figures, more if the horse is lost. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: does not pay. Liability cover never pays for your own horse. The rider's own cover or horse surgery insurance fills this gap.
What it costs
Horse liability costs more than dog liability but is still a small item next to livery and the farrier. Policies differ widely in price and even more in how they treat other riders.
| Example | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Horse not ridden, 150 € deductible | from about 35 € a year |
| Leisure horse with other riders, good cover | about 35 to 280 € a year |
What drives the premium
- Number of horses and height
- Use: leisure, competition, breeding or not ridden
- Whether other riders and shared riders are covered
- Cover amount and deductible
- Add-ons such as carriage driving, shows, unwanted covering
Ranges from the Finanztip horse liability comparison, 2026. Your premium is fixed only in the quote.
The policy levels on the market
02
Standard
At least 10 million € combined, other riders and shared riders, rented stables, crop damage and foals included. Right for most leisure riders.
03
Premium
Higher cover, shows, carriage driving, unwanted covering and cover for claims you cannot collect. For sport riders, drivers and breeders.
How to recognise a good policy
| Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover amount | 5 million € combined | 10 million € or more combined | A road accident caused by a loose horse can lead to injury claims in the millions. |
| Claims by other riders | excluded | included, no list of names required | A fall by a shared rider is one of the most expensive typical horse claims. |
| Helmet clause | pays only if a helmet was worn | no reduction without a helmet | Otherwise a rider's forgotten helmet decides whether you are covered. |
| Rented property | not included | box, stable, arena and borrowed trailer | A horse kicking through a stable wall is an everyday claim. |
| Foals | up to six months | up to twelve months | Otherwise a new foal is uninsured from day one. |
| Crop damage | not mentioned | included | Farmers claim when a hack crosses a sown field. |
| Uncollectable claims cover | not included | included | If an uninsured person injures you, nobody else will pay. |
Insurers on the German market
Many German property insurers offer horse liability, and some specialise in animal cover. We also list direct insurers that do not work with brokers so you know the market.
| Insurer | Background |
|---|---|
| Uelzener | mutual insurer focused on animal and horse insurance |
| Haftpflichtkasse | mutual insurer specialised in liability, sells through brokers |
| VHV | broker-focused insurer with a wide liability range |
| Allianz | agents and brokers |
| R+V | insurer of the cooperative banks, strong in rural areas |
| Ammerländer | mutual insurer from Lower Saxony, sells through brokers |
| Die Bayerische | brokers and direct sales |
| Rhion | property insurer selling through brokers |
Compare the wordings of all tariffs 41 tariffs from 27 providers, as of 24 October 2026
From the BaFin register
127
127 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance.
(Allgemeine Haftpflicht)
Show all 127 names from the register
- ADAC Versicherung AG
- ADLER Versicherung AG
- AGILA Haustierversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Allcura Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Allianz Direct Versicherungs-AG
- Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE
- Allianz Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Alte Leipziger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Ambra Versicherung AG
- AMMERLÄNDER VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
- andsafe Aktiengesellschaft
- ARAG Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- AXA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- BA die Bayerische Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- Badischer Gemeinde-Versicherungs-Verband
- Baloise Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft Deutschland
- Barmenia Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- BavariaDirekt Versicherung AG
- Bayerische Hausbesitzer-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
- Bayerischer Versicherungsverband Versicherungsaktiengesellschaft
- BD24 Berlin Direkt Versicherung AG
- BGV-Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Concordia Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Continentale Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Cosmos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- DARAG Deutschland AG
- Debeka Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft Sitz Koblenz am Rhein
- Delvag Versicherungs-AG
- DEVK Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- DEVK Deutsche Eisenbahn Versicherung Sach- und HUK-Versicherungsverein a.G. Betriebliche…
- DFV Deutsche Familienversicherung AG
- Dialog Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Die Haftpflichtkasse VVaG
- DOCURA VVaG
- ERGO Direkt Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- ERGO Reiseversicherung AG
- ERGO Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Euro-Aviation Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- EUROPA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Fahrlehrerversicherung Verein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Feuersozietät Berlin Brandenburg Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- GARANTA Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Gemeinnützige Haftpflichtversicherungsanstalt Kassel
- Generali Deutschland Versicherung AG
- Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Gothaer Versicherungsbank VVaG
- Great Lakes Insurance SE
- GRUNDEIGENTÜMER-VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- GVO Gegenseitigkeit Versicherung Oldenburg VVaG
- GVV Direktversicherung AG
- GVV-Kommunalversicherung, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Haftpflichtgemeinschaft Deutscher Nahverkehrs- und Versorgungsunternehmen Allgemein (HDNA) VVaG
- Hamburger Feuerkasse Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- HanseMerkur Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- HanseMerkur Reiseversicherung AG
- HDI Global SE
- HDI Global Specialty SE
- HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- HDI Versicherung AG
- Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft AG Direktion für Deutschland
- Helvetia Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- HUK-COBURG Haftpflicht-Unterstützungs-Kasse kraftfahrender Beamter Deutschlands a.G. in Coburg
- HUK-COBURG-Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- HUK24 AG
- Hübener Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- IDEAL Versicherung AG
- INTER Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- Interlloyd Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- InterRisk Versicherungs-AG Vienna Insurance Group.
- ISSELHORSTER Versicherung V.a.G.
- Itzehoer Versicherung/Brandgilde von 1691 Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Janitos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- KRAVAG-LOGISTIC Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Landschaftliche Brandkasse Hannover
- LBN Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
- Lifestyle Protection AG
- Lippische Landesbrandversicherung AG
- Lucura Versicherungs AG
- LVM Landwirtschaftlicher Versicherungsverein Münster a.G.
- Mannheimer Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Markel Insurance SE
- Mecklenburgische Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
- MVK Versicherung VVaG
- MÜNCHENER VEREIN Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
- Neodigital Versicherung AG
- Newline Europe Versicherung AG
- nexible Versicherung AG
- NV-Versicherungen VVaG
- NÜRNBERGER Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- NÜRNBERGER BEAMTEN ALLGEMEINE VERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
- OKV - Ostdeutsche Kommunalversicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Ostangler Brandgilde, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (VVaG)
- Pallas Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Provinzial Nord Brandkasse Aktiengesellschaft
- Provinzial Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- PVAG Polizeiversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- R+V Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- RheinLand Versicherungs Aktiengesellschaft
- Rhion Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- S DirektVersicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- SAARLAND Feuerversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- SHB Allgemeine Versicherung VVaG
- SIGNAL IDUNA Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Stuttgarter Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- SV SparkassenVersicherung Gebäudeversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- TRIAS Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Uelzener Allgemeine Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
- Union Reiseversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- uniVersa Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- Versicherer im Raum der Kirchen Sachversicherung AG
- Versicherungskammer Bayern Versicherungsanstalt des öffentlichen Rechts
- Versicherungsverband Deutscher Eisenbahnen-Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Verti Versicherung AG
- VHV Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- VHV Vereinigte Hannoversche Versicherung a.G.
- VOLKSWOHL-BUND SACHVERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
- VPV Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
- Waldenburger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- WGV-Versicherung AG
- WWK Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Württembergische Gemeinde-Versicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Württembergische Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Würzburger Versicherungs-AG
- Zurich Insurance Europe AG
- Öffentliche Feuerversicherung Sachsen-Anhalt
Source: BaFin company database, 18 September 2026; EU insurers without a German office excluded.
Legal basis and sources
Products and add-ons
Horse keeper liability
The core policy for one or more horses and ponies, usually priced per animal.
Other riders add-on
Covers claims by shared and guest riders and protects them against claims from third parties.
Shows and carriage add-on
For competing at shows and for driving a carriage or sulky.
Cover for shared riders
For riders without their own horse: damage they cause to the horse they ride. Sometimes available as an extension to personal liability.
Myth or truth
True or false?
Five things people say about this insurance. Guess first, then see the answer.
If I keep my horse carefully, I am not liable for what it does.
This is false.
Wrong: for leisure horses German law imposes strict liability. You are liable because you keep the animal, not because you did something wrong. Only keepers of working animals can prove their way out.
A shared rider rides at their own risk and cannot sue the keeper.
This is false.
Wrong: German courts accept that only in narrow exceptions. Usually the loss is split, so the keeper still carries part of it.
There is no legal duty to insure a horse in Germany.
This is true.
True: no statute requires horse liability insurance. Because liability is unlimited, it is still standard among owners, and a livery yard may require it in its contract.
My horse liability policy will not pay if my shared rider injures my horse.
This is true.
True: liability insurance pays only for damage to others. Your own horse is not someone else's property. Only cover on the rider's side or your own animal insurance helps here.
A pony is small enough to be covered by personal liability insurance.
This is false.
Wrong: ponies count as horses and are excluded from personal liability policies just the same. Usually only the premium is smaller, not the risk.
Common mistakes
- Assuming personal liability insurance covers the horse
- Not naming the shared rider when the policy requires a list
- Forgetting to add a foal or a second horse
- Choosing on price and missing the other riders clause
- Competing although the policy excludes shows
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does my German personal liability policy cover my horse?
No.
Horses and dogs are excluded from Privathaftpflicht.
You need a separate horse keeper liability policy (Pferdehalterhaftpflicht).
How much does horse liability insurance cost in Germany?
Finanztip puts good policies at roughly 35 to 280 € a year.
The low end is for horses that are not ridden, with a deductible.
Other riders, shows and higher cover cost more.
Do I have to name everyone who rides my horse?
Some policies only cover riders named in the schedule.
Good policies do without a list.
Check this before you take on a new shared rider.
Are foals covered?
Many policies cover foals at foot free of charge up to a set age, good ones up to twelve months.
After that the young horse needs its own cover.
Am I covered at shows?
Not automatically.
Many policies include shows, some only for an extra premium, races almost never.
Check before you enter.
Why use a broker?
Because horse policies differ in the clauses on other riders, helmets and rented stables,
much more than in price.
We read the small print on your behalf; the insurer pays our fee.
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