# Insuring a riding stable or livery yard in Germany > A riding business in Germany carries three risks at once: liability for its own school horses, responsibility for other people's horses in its care, and the yard itself with arena, stables and feed. A private horse owner's liability policy covers none of this once lessons or livery are paid for. What matters is that the policy names every activity that actually happens on the yard. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-riding-stable-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-13 ## Is insurance compulsory for a riding stable in Germany? There is no general legal duty to insure. Anyone running a riding or carriage business on a commercial basis, or keeping horses commercially such as in a livery yard, needs a permit from the local veterinary office under section 11 of the German Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG). Liability is strict: the keeper of a horse is liable under section 833 of the German Civil Code (BGB), and whoever looks after horses under a contract is liable as an animal minder under section 834 BGB. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** no duty to insure, but a permit under section 11 TierSchG for commercial riding and livery - **School horses:** keeper liability under section 833 BGB, narrow defence for working animals - **Livery horses:** animal minder liability under section 834 BGB plus the livery contract - **Most critical point:** damage to clients' horses in your care - **Private horse liability:** excludes commercial keeping and use ## School horses and strict liability Under section 833 BGB the keeper of a horse is liable for the damage it causes, even without fault. For a riding school this weighs double, because school horses are ridden every day by different and often inexperienced riders. If a pupil falls because a horse shies, the claim lands on the business. German law allows a defence for animals that serve the keeper's trade or livelihood, provided the keeper shows proper supervision (section 833 sentence 2 BGB). The Federal Court of Justice reads this narrowly and has in principle refused it to a non profit therapeutic riding association (VI ZR 312/09). A riding business should never plan around that defence, but around a policy that expressly covers injured pupils. ## Livery horses: minder and custodian at the same time Taking in horses for a fee means taking over their supervision by contract. The yard is then liable as an animal minder under section 834 BGB for damage those horses cause to others, alongside the owner. German courts also treat a livery contract as a mixed contract in which care and custody of the horse come first. If a livery horse is injured in the field, caught in a fence or falls ill after a feeding error, the owner will claim against the yard. Many liability wordings exclude this care and custody damage or include it only up to a small amount per horse. With valuable sport horses a low limit does not go far, so this is the first point to check in any quote. ## Buildings, stock and income need their own cover Liability insurance protects against claims from others, not the yard's own assets. The arena, stables, horse walker, tack room and feed stocks need buildings and contents insurance, with attention to storm and snow load on large arena roofs. The yard's own horses can also be insured against fire, lightning and electrocution, or with equine mortality cover. If the business stops after a fire or an official closure because of an animal disease, costs continue while livery and lesson income stops. Business interruption cover is designed for this. Whether it pays off depends on how quickly clients would move their horses elsewhere. ## Farm or trade: the classification matters Whether a livery yard counts as agriculture or as a trade is decided case by case by the tax office and the statutory accident insurer. Agricultural horse keeping falls under the SVLFG, the farm accident insurer, while a commercial riding business may belong to BG Verkehr. That also shapes which insurance product fits. Many farms insure the riding business as a module of their farm liability policy, others through a dedicated riding stable policy. Both can work as long as the description is right: lessons, schooling, hacks, holidays and events must be named, or the activity that caused the loss may be missing. ## What is covered - Injury and property damage caused by the yard's own horses, including school horses - Claims by injured pupils, clients and visitors, where the yard is liable - Animal minder liability for livery and client horses - Damage to livery horses in your care, if included and up to the agreed limit - Riding instructors and other staff while working for the business - Property owner's liability for the yard, arena and fields - Legal defence against unjustified claims, in court if necessary ## What is not covered - Damage caused intentionally - Damage to the yard's own horses, buildings and equipment - Activities not described in the policy, such as carriage rides or riding holidays - Registered vehicles and horseboxes on public roads, which need motor liability cover - Contractual promises in the livery agreement that go beyond statutory liability, unless included - Care and custody damage above the agreed limit per horse ## Who needs it - Riding schools with their own school horses - Livery yards and equestrian farms with boarded horses - Training yards that school other people's horses - Yards offering hacks, riding holidays or therapeutic riding - Farmers keeping livery horses as a sideline ## Who does not need it - Private owners who only let others ride their own horse without payment, a horse liability policy is enough ## What it costs There are no published average premiums for riding businesses in Germany that could be compared fairly. Insurers usually rate by the number of horses and by the activities on the yard. A pure livery yard and a riding school with the same number of horses can be far apart. **What drives the premium:** - Number of own horses and livery horses - Type of business: livery, riding school, schooling, breeding, hacks - Care and custody limit per horse - Sum insured and deductible - Buildings, contents and business interruption included - Claims history _We do not publish sample premiums, because public comparisons only cover private horse owners. Your premium is fixed only in the quote we obtain for you._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Module of a farm policy:** The riding business as an add on to the farm liability policy. Affordable and suitable for small livery yards, but damage to livery horses is often covered only up to a small amount or not at all. - **Dedicated riding stable liability:** A specific policy with lessons, animal minder liability and care and custody cover per horse. The right approach for most riding schools and livery yards. - **Yard package with property and income:** Liability, buildings, contents, own horses and business interruption from one insurer. For larger yards with an arena and many livery clients. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Activities described | livery and lessons named | also schooling, hacks, holidays, events and therapy | Activities that are not named are often not covered when a claim comes. | | Damage to livery horses | included with a fixed limit per horse | high limit per horse and per year, no separate deductible | The value of a sport horse quickly exceeds small limits. | | Injured pupils | claims by clients from the riding business included | expressly including minors, hacks and vaulting | Falls during lessons are the most common injury claim. | | Animal minder liability | included for livery horses | also for client horses in lessons and schooling | The yard is liable under section 834 BGB for horses it supervises. | | Sum insured | combined single limit for injury and property damage | high combined limit including financial loss | A seriously injured rider can generate lifelong claims. | | Escaped horses | damage outside the yard included | no sublimit, road traffic included | A horse on the road can cause a serious traffic accident. | | Staff and helpers | employed instructors and riders | also freelance instructors, interns, volunteers and sharers | Yards rely on helpers without an employment contract. | | Cover for new risks | provisional cover up to a limit | high limit and an innovation clause | A new outdoor arena or a new offer is otherwise uninsured until reported. | ## Insurers on the German market In Germany riding businesses are written by specialists in animal risks and by farm insurers, often as a module of a farm policy. The large property insurers mostly cover them through commercial or agricultural packages. The list describes the German market; it says nothing about which insurers we work with. - **Uelzener**: mutual insurer specialising in animal and horse insurance - **R+V**: covers equestrian businesses through its farm line, rated by number of horses - **Allianz**: commercial cover with offers for riding instructors and schools - **Haftpflichtkasse**: mutual insurer specialising in liability, sold through brokers - **VHV**: broker insurer with a wide liability range - **Ammerländer**: mutual insurer from Lower Saxony, sold through brokers - **Gothaer**: commercial and farm clients through agents and brokers - **Württembergische**: part of the W&W group, commercial clients through agents and brokers 163 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Allgemeine Haftpflicht, Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **School horse shies, pupil falls** (a few thousand euros, six figures with lasting harm): The core case of riding stable liability. Medical costs, loss of earnings and damages for pain are covered where the yard is liable. - **Livery horse injured on a fence** (vet bill up to the horse's value): Care and custody damage. Basic wordings exclude it, strong ones pay up to the agreed limit per horse. - **Horses escape onto the road** (often five to six figures): Keeper and minder liability apply outside the yard too. Make sure there is no sublimit for escaped horses. - **Feeding error, several horses ill** (vet bills for several horses): Feeding damage to livery horses falls under care and custody cover, and some policies cap it further. - **Storm strips the arena roof** (five to six figures depending on the arena): This is damage to the yard's own building. Liability cover never pays, only buildings insurance does. - **Unreported holiday camp, child hurt** (a few thousand euros and more): If the activity is not described, only provisional cover for new risks helps, and only up to its limit. ## Myth or truth - „A private horse liability policy is fine for a few paid lessons." ✘ False, private policies exclude commercial use. Even occasional paid lessons need business liability cover. - „Only the owner is liable for a livery horse." ✘ False, the yard takes over supervision by contract and is liable as animal minder under section 834 BGB alongside the owner. - „Commercial riding lessons in Germany need an official permit." ✔ True, a commercial riding or carriage business requires a permit under section 11 TierSchG from the veterinary office. - „School horses can count as working animals, which allows a defence." ✔ True, under section 833 sentence 2 BGB, if the horses serve the business and supervision was proper. Courts read this narrowly. - „A therapeutic riding charity can use the working animal defence like a business." ✘ False, the Federal Court of Justice has in principle refused that defence to a non profit therapeutic riding association (VI ZR 312/09). ## Common mistakes - Running the riding business on a private horse liability policy - Leaving out care and custody cover for livery horses, or setting the limit per horse too low - Not reporting new offers such as hacks, holidays or therapy - Relying on the working animal defence in section 833 sentence 2 BGB - Promising more liability in the livery contract than the policy covers - Not updating the number of horses over the years ## FAQ ### Does my private horse liability policy cover paid lessons? No. Private horse liability policies in Germany exclude commercial keeping and use. As soon as you offer lessons, livery or hacks for money, you need business liability cover that names those activities. ### Am I liable for a livery client's horse? Yes, in two ways. If the horse harms someone else, you are liable as animal minder under section 834 BGB alongside the owner. If the horse itself is harmed, the owner can claim under the livery contract if you breached your duty of care. ### What is care and custody damage? Damage to property or animals of others that are in your care, for a livery yard mainly the clients' horses. Many liability wordings exclude it. Riding stable policies include it with a separate limit per horse. ### Can a riding school rely on the working animal defence? Possibly, if the horses serve the business and the yard proves proper supervision. German courts interpret the exception narrowly, and the Federal Court of Justice has in principle refused it to a non profit therapeutic riding association. It is no basis for insurance planning. ### Do I need a permit to run a riding business in Germany? Yes, if you run a riding or carriage business or keep horses commercially, for example as a livery yard. The permit under section 11 TierSchG comes from the local veterinary office, which checks your expertise. You may only start once it is granted. ### Are volunteers and horse sharers covered? Only if the policy names them. Good wordings expressly include volunteers, interns and horse sharers. Ask for written confirmation before you sign, because yards depend on helpers without employment contracts. ### Is my indoor arena covered by the liability policy? Liability cover only pays claims by others, for example if a visitor is hurt in the arena. Damage to the arena itself from storm, snow load or fire needs buildings insurance. ### Why use a broker for a riding stable? Because the differences sit in the modules: care and custody limits, described activities, helpers and escaped horses. We compare the wordings with your yard and support you when a claim comes. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## Request quotes We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-riding-stable-insurance.php#anfrage --- Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.