When you own livestock as valuable as a horse, it deserves the right protection. Whether your horse is owned commercially as part of a farm or as a personal pet, you still need the proper coverage to keep it safe. Fortunately horse insurance is designed to care for these unique creatures and protect their owners from devastating losses.

Better yet, South Carolina independent insurance agents can help you get set up with the right horse insurance for your needs. They’ll make sure you walk away with all the coverage you need to feel like your horse is secure. But before that, let’s take a closer look at this critical coverage.

Horse Insurance in South Carolina

Horse insurance in South Carolina is designed to meet the needs of horse owners. But the specific type of policy you get will depend on how your horse is owned and used. Commercial, personal, and professional horse liability insurance policies are available. For pet horses or race horses, you’ll want either a personal horse insurance or professional liability policy. But if your horse is part of a profitable farm, you’ll want to get horse farm insurance. More on this next.

How to Insure a Horse in South Carolina

To ensure that your horse is equipped with the right protection, you’ll need to work with a South Carolina independent insurance agent. After telling them your specific animal’s purpose, they’ll be able to get you the correct coverage, whether that’s horse farm insurance or a personal or professional horse liability policy. They’ll make sure you have all the coverage necessary to guard against your specific horse’s biggest risks.

What Does Personal Horse Insurance Cover in South Carolina?

Horse insurance, also sometimes called equine mortality insurance, is designed like a special life insurance policy for horses. Coverage reimburses for the passing of the animal by paying the owner a death benefit. You can insure as many horses as you want under one policy.

Personal horse insurance also covers medical treatment of the animal and theft if your horse gets stolen. Horse insurance often covers the original purchase price of the horse, but this value can be increased over time if the horse wins awards, is a profitable breeder, etc.

What Does Commercial Horse Insurance Cover in South Carolina?

According to insurance expert Jeffery Green, commercial horse insurance or horse farm insurance in South Carolina provides coverage not only for your animals, but also for various aspects of your farm as well. Coverage includes the following:

A South Carolina independent insurance agent can help you find the right coverage if your horse is used for commercial purposes.

What Does Equine Professional Liability Insurance Cover in South Carolina?

Now, if your horse is used professionally, such as in horse races, you’ll need a type of policy known as equine professional liability insurance. This is just a specific type of professional liability insurance tailored to horse owners. Coverage protects the policyholder in the event their professionally used horse causes bodily injury or property damage to a third party that results in a lawsuit. Coverage pays for legal costs, including attorney and court fees.

What Doesn't Horse Insurance Cover in South Carolina?

The exclusions in your horse insurance policy in South Carolina will depend on which type of coverage you choose. If you have personal equine mortality insurance, it won’t include liability protection, since it’s basically just a life insurance policy. However, if you already have South Carolina farm insurance, liability protection would be included in that.

Equine mortality insurance also excludes coverage for abuse and neglect that causes the death of the animal. Certain policies may come with limited coverage, depending on which type you purchase.

Horse farm insurance, on the other hand, excludes the following:  

• Routine maintenance costs
• Wear and tear of farm equipment
• Intentionally malicious acts by employees
• Earthquake damage
• Flood damage

If your horse farm is located close to the coast in South Carolina, you may want to purchase a separate flood insurance policy to protect against flooding caused by hurricanes and other storms. A South Carolina independent insurance agent can help you find coverage.

How Much Does Horse Insurance Cost in South Carolina?

The cost of your horse insurance in South Carolina will depend highly on which type of coverage you select. Beyond that, several factors determine the cost of a policy, including:

Your South Carolina independent insurance agent can help you find exact quotes for each type of horse insurance in your area, as well as answer any other remaining questions you may have.

Here’s How an Independent Insurance Agent Can Help

When it comes to protecting horses and their owners against hazards like theft, fire, disease, and other disasters, no one’s better equipped to help than an independent insurance agent. South Carolina independent insurance agents search through multiple carriers to find providers who specialize in equine insurance and farm insurance, deliver quotes from a number of different sources, and help you walk through them all to find the best blend of coverage and cost.