Who pays for Barn Owner's liability insurance?

[JT_s_Bank]

I’ve done multiple searches and can’t come up with the information I need. My barn owner is requesting that the tenants have liability insurance. So I got the insurance through USEF. This is personal liability insurance that covers me in case my horse were to hurt someone or something. Now barn owner says that he wants his name written into the insurance policy; in other words, he wants me to have a policy that covers him in case my horse were to hurt someone.

I haven’t ever been asked that before since I thought it was the barn owner’s responsibility to carry commercial horse liability insurance if they are leasing the property to horses. I can’t figure out what kind of insurance I am supposed to get and the barn owner, who isn’t a horse person, doesn’t seem to be of much help.

Anyone know what I should do?

[Equibrit]

On commercial business policies the landlord renting a building to a business occupant would expect to be named on the policy. I don’t think the same thing happens when animals are involved. The BM should have a care and custody policy. I don’t know if this would cover the barn owner they rent the facility from.
I am assuming there are three parties involved in the scenario, Horse Owner, Barn Manager (facility renter) and Barn Owner.

This may help; http://bluebridle.com/blog/equine-liability-insurance-topic-certificate-of-insurance/

[wsmoak]

I believe it’s called adding a ‘named insured’ to your policy. Call your insurance agent and ask what the options are.

[LauraKY]

He wants to be listed as an additional insured or a named insured. That’s not at all unusual (maybe not in horse boarding, but in other industries) but the BO should also carry his own liability insurance.

For example, my gym leased out the facilities for a couple of days to another gymnastics team and we required them to add us to their policy as an additional insurance. I think it’s probably highly unusual for a BO to require it though. You might want to question him more thoroughly about his insurance policies.

[Coreene]

IIRC, the USEF insurance is supplemental. At our barn, we need to carry a one million dollar liability policy with the barn and city added as named insured (our barn is on city property).

[Equibrit]

Private Hose owner Insurance; http://bluebridle.com/equine-liability-insurance/private-horse-owners-liability-insurance/
“Private horse owners can obtain equine liability insurance for their activities related to the personal use of their privately owned horse while on or off their property. All owned horses must be declared on the insurance application regardless of their location. The private horse owners liability insurance policy is not available to anyone in a commercial equine business or if your horses are used commercially such as in a lesson program. (Note that a Homeowner policy may exclude or limit coverage for equine liability.)”

(This could differ by State)

[Fairfax]

It is the owners responsibility. PLPD.

I have it for the commercial dog kennel, the buildings and also the horses…they are covered under one policy payable by me and protecting me.

In the case of a stable, the owner MAY assign a rent increase to cover the cost of the policy…usually around $700 per year… but it would be difficult to work with horses coming and going…

Usually costs like that are worked into the total board fee.

[oldernewbie]

To answer your question, the barn owner typically pays for their own insurance.

My cynical side senses that your barn owner is trying to get his tenants to pay for it with some kind of crazy idea he read about on the interwebs.

If I were you, I would contact one of the many reputable equine insurance agencies that advertise in the Chronicle or any other horse mag (Markel, Broadstreet, and many others) and have a chat with them.

I had to carry a liability policy when I was self employed - only way to understand the whole thing is to talk to a competent agent.

Good luck!

[Coreene]

Insurance companies go after more than just the owner of the horse when someone is hurt.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=Coreene;7200040]
IIRC, the USEF insurance is supplemental. At our barn, we need to carry a one million dollar liability policy with the barn and city added as named insured (our barn is on city property).[/QUOTE]

I have never heard of a city being listed as a co-insured on any policy other than when a sub contactors does work for the city… does the city ask that they be listed as co-insured on your auto and home owners policy ?

[SLR]

I don’t see a problem with it. As others have said its called “named insured” If a accident happens, the lawyers will go after anyone remotely connected. The trainer at our farm has the farm as a “named insured”, even though he carries his own insurance, and we carry ours. Our local riding assoc. uses a county park for their shows and has to include the county as a named insured. I really don’t think it costs extra. They just send a document stating that.

[mvp]

OP, are you buying liability insurance as a private HO or will you run a business out of his farm?

The “named insured” thing that everyone else mentions is easy-peasy to do with your agent. It’s reasonable for a BO to want this. But it seems weird that the BO would want a bunch of boarders to individually buy a liability policy and also name the BO as an insured.

If you aren’t running a business at the barn, I’m confused.

[Coreene]

[QUOTE=clanter;7200187]
I have never heard of a city being listed as a co-insured on any policy other than when a sub contactors does work for the city… does the city ask that they be listed as co-insured on your auto and home owners policy ?[/QUOTE]If you board at that my barn, which is on land leased from the city, then you will be required by said city to have them on your liability insurance as a named insured.

[Coreene]

[QUOTE=mvp;7200258]
OP, are you buying liability insurance as a private HO or will you run a business out of his farm?

The “named insured” thing that everyone else mentions is easy-peasy to do with your agent. It’s reasonable for a BO to want this. But it seems weird that the BO would want a bunch of boarders to individually buy a liability policy and also name the BO as an insured.

If you aren’t running a business at the barn, I’m confused.[/QUOTE]Personal liability insurance for horse owners is a very normal thing that many boarding facilities require people to carry. Say you fall off Flicka, who then bolts home and runs into someone in the process, injuring them. Who do you think is paying for that, the insurance of the person who was hurt? Because their insurance company is going to come after you as horse owner. And then the stable owner. And the property owner. Etc.

[JT_s_Bank]

Thank you for all of the replies. The barn owner is the land owner. I am just keeping my horse on his property for grazing and pasture riding. I am not a trainer. I tried calling my home owners insurance (State Farm) when first trying to get my liability insurance and they don’t do that. So that’s why I went with USEF. I am guessing that he wants me to carry a policy as if I were commercial? I don’t really understand all of this. I think “Oldernewbie” is right and he is trying to get us to cover him, but then why would each one of the tenants have to get insurance to cover him. Why doesn’t he just get his own liability insurance and roll that cost into the cost of boarding? I guess I will have to call the insurance companies you listed. I hope they can help. This is all becoming expensive.

[JT_s_Bank]

RE “Coreene”: Yes, I got personal liability insurance through USEF but that covers me in case of accident. He wants me to buy something to cover him which I don’t get since I’m not a commercial entity or trying to run a business.

Also, from other posts on COTH, I got that the USEF insurance may be supplemental, but in the absence of other insurance, would still cover you. Which company do you get your insurance from if you don’t mind sharing?

[JT_s_Bank]

[QUOTE=Equibrit;7200037]

This may help; http://bluebridle.com/blog/equine-liability-insurance-topic-certificate-of-insurance/[/QUOTE]

Thank you, I have contacted them and will hopefully get some information.

[SMF11]

It isn’t clear to me if the BO is trying to get you to pay for “his” liability insurance. It sounds as if he is asking to be named on your policy, which is different. He can have his own policy and also ask to be named on yours.

Other barns ask horse owners to indemnify them. Which means, in Coreene’s example, that Flicka’s owner indemnifies (or pays) for any liability caused by Flicka to the BO. (That is, if the BO gets sued by the injured person because Flicka ran into them, Flicka’s owner pays the BO’s costs etc).

The two concepts are very similar.

[Coreene]

Private Horse Owner Liability Policy. And the barn owner is included as a named insured.

[SonnysMom]

[QUOTE=JT’s Bank;7200381]
Thank you for all of the replies. The barn owner is the land owner. I am just keeping my horse on his property for grazing and pasture riding. I am not a trainer. I tried calling my home owners insurance (State Farm) when first trying to get my liability insurance and they don’t do that. So that’s why I went with USEF. I am guessing that he wants me to carry a policy as if I were commercial? I don’t really understand all of this. I think “Oldernewbie” is right and he is trying to get us to cover him, but then why would each one of the tenants have to get insurance to cover him. Why doesn’t he just get his own liability insurance and roll that cost into the cost of boarding? I guess I will have to call the insurance companies you listed. I hope they can help. This is all becoming expensive.[/QUOTE]
That is interesting that State Farm said they don’t do that. I have a policy through State Farm that is an umbrella liability policy and specifically spoke to my agent about if my horse got away from me and hurt somebody and he assured me it would be covered. I am in PA. I wonder if it varies from state to state on what State Farm will cover. I might re-address them as I have a new agent. Mine retired.