NZ pet insurance comparison
Horse Insurance New Zealand
Equine cover compared across five NZ providers — direct insurers and bloodstock specialists. Editorial overview, not personalised advice.
How NZ horse insurance is structured
Horse insurance in New Zealand is sold separately from cat and dog cover, and most of the eight insurers we index for pets do not write equine business. Five providers publish horse cover for the NZ market today:
- PetNSur and Petcover NZ — direct insurers writing recreational and competition horses.
- FMG — NZ rural mutual, four age-banded tiers from accident-only to broad vet-fee cover.
- NZB Insurance and NZB Standardbred — bloodstock specialists for thoroughbred and standardbred owners, studs and racing stables.
Brokers (Aon, Gallagher, Taylor Perry) also place equine business with specialist underwriters and are the typical channel for high-value sport horses, breeding stock or unusual disciplines. We don't compare broker-placed cover on this page because the wording depends on the underwriter the broker chooses.
NZ horse insurers at a glance
Sourced from each insurer's public product page on 2026-05-20. Quote direct for binding terms.
PetNSur
Direct insurer · in our pet-vertical wording index
Cover sections
100% NZ-owned. Equine cover underwritten by Beneficial Insurance Ltd; wording published on beneficial.co.nz. Saddlery/tack and float/trailer are extensions.
Ingested wording
Source: https://www.petnsur.co.nz/plans/horse-insurance/ · verified 2026-05-20
Petcover NZ
Also known as: Petplan NZ (legacy brand)
Direct insurer · in our pet-vertical wording index
Cover sections
Age eligibility
30 days to just before 30th birthday. Adult plans run to just before 17th birthday; Veteran plans cover 17 to just before 30th.
Mix-and-match benefit options. Vet/medical expenses are not linked to the death-cover amount (a wording distinction from many international equine policies).
Ingested wording
Source: https://www.petcovergroup.com/nz/horse-insurance/ · verified 2026-05-20
FMG
Direct insurer
Cover sections
Published tiers
| Tier | Age eligibility | Key inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Horse Primary | 1 to 16 years | vet costs (colic + external injury) |
| Horse Plus | 24 hours to 16 years | vet costs (broader than Primary) |
| Horse Deluxe | 3 to 10 years | broadest tier |
| Horse External Accident Only | 1 to 21 years | external accidental injury only |
NZ rural mutual. Four-tier horse cover structured by age + breadth. Direct quote required.
Ingested wordings
Source: https://www.fmg.co.nz/what-we-cover/horses · verified 2026-05-20
NZB Insurance
Bloodstock specialist
Cover sections
Thoroughbred bloodstock specialist (studs, racing, breeding). New Zealand Bloodstock subsidiary. Aimed at owners/breeders rather than recreational riders.
Source: https://www.nzb.co.nz/insurance · verified 2026-05-20
NZB Standardbred Insurance
Bloodstock specialist
Cover sections
Standardbred specialist (harness racing). Sister entity to NZB Insurance.
Source: https://www.nzbstandardbred.co.nz/insurance · verified 2026-05-20
Cover sections explained
Horse policies stack multiple cover sections. Each has its own sub-limit, excess and wording. The same label can mean materially different things across insurers — read the policy document, not the marketing page.
- vet fees
- Veterinary fees from accident or illness, subject to sub-limit and excess.
- external injury
- External accidental injury only (excludes illness).
- death
- Death from accident or illness, paid up to the insured value.
- mortality
- Death cover only — typically the bloodstock-specialist starting point.
- loss of use
- Permanent and total inability to perform the horse's intended use (eventing, racing, breeding). High threshold to claim.
- theft
- Theft of the horse.
- saddlery tack
- Loss or damage to saddlery and tack; separate sub-limit.
- float trailer
- Horse float / trailer cover (often a separate section or standalone policy).
- public liability
- Third-party liability arising from the horse (e.g. injury or property damage caused by the horse).
- fertility
- Infertility / loss of breeding-stock function (bloodstock segment).
- specified perils
- Named-peril cover (e.g. fire, lightning, transport accidents) rather than all-risks.
- illness
- Illness-related veterinary treatment (distinct from injury-only cover).
- injury
- Accidental injury (distinct from illness-only cover).
What to ask at quote time
Discipline carve-outs
Racing, polo, high-level eventing, hunting and rodeo are commonly excluded or rated heavily on direct policies. Confirm your horse's actual usage is in-scope before binding cover. If you race or compete at high levels, a broker-placed specialist policy is usually the right fit.
Loss-of-use definition
"Permanent and total loss of intended use" is a high bar — a horse that can still be a paddock companion may not qualify. The wording around "intended use" and the permanence test matter more than the headline benefit amount.
Vet-fee sub-limit
Vet fees sit under a sub-limit that is typically separate from — and well below — the horse's insured value. Petcover NZ explicitly notes medical expenses are not linked to the death cover amount, which is a meaningful wording distinction.
Pre-existing conditions
Equine policies use lookback windows similar to cat and dog cover. Established conditions (laminitis history, prior colic surgery, navicular changes on imaging) are almost always excluded or rated. Disclose at application — non-disclosure voids cover at claim.
Breeding stock and bloodstock
If you breed, stud, or own racing stock, the direct retail policies are unlikely to be the right fit. NZB Insurance (thoroughbred) and NZB Standardbred are the specialist routes; broker-placed cover via Aon AgriBusiness, Gallagher or Taylor Perry is the alternative.
Saddlery, tack and float
Tack and float cover are often separate sections with their own sub-limits. Petcover NZ allows these as standalone policies. Check whether the section is automatic or an extension you have to select at quote.
Get a quote
Horse insurance is specialist underwritten — pricing comes from the insurer once they have your horse's age, value, discipline and history. Quote direct with the three published-policy providers below.
Direct insurer
PetNSur
injury · illness · death · theft
Get a quote →Direct insurer
Petcover NZ
vet fees · death · theft · loss of use
Get a quote →Direct insurer
FMG
vet fees · external injury · death
Get a quote →For thoroughbred or standardbred bloodstock, see NZB Insurance and NZB Standardbred.
Frequently asked questions
Which insurers offer horse insurance in New Zealand?
Five providers publish horse cover for the NZ market: PetNSur and Petcover NZ (direct, recreational and competition horses), FMG (rural mutual, four age-banded tiers), and NZB Insurance plus NZB Standardbred (bloodstock specialists for thoroughbred and standardbred owners and breeders). Brokers including Aon, Gallagher and Taylor Perry also place equine cover with specialist underwriters.
What does NZ horse insurance typically cover?
Cover sections vary by provider, but the common building blocks are: veterinary fees from accident or illness, death from accident or illness, theft, loss of use (permanent and total inability to perform the horse's intended use), public/third-party liability, saddlery and tack, and horse float or trailer cover. Bloodstock-specialist policies focus on mortality, loss of use and fertility/breeding cover.
How is horse insurance different from dog and cat insurance?
Equine policies are specialist underwritten. They typically value the horse explicitly (most dog/cat policies do not), have stricter discipline-based carve-outs (racing and high-level eventing are often excluded or rated up), use age bands more aggressively, and include sections like loss of use and public liability that have no equivalent in cat or dog cover.
What is "loss of use" cover and is it worth it?
Loss of use pays out when the horse can no longer perform its intended use (eventing, racing, breeding, etc.) on a permanent and total basis. The threshold to claim is high — a horse that can still be a paddock companion may not qualify. Read the wording carefully: the definition of "intended use" and the permanence test are where the value sits.
Does FMG cover horses?
Yes. FMG publishes four horse cover tiers — Horse Primary (1 to 16 years, vet costs for colic and external injury), Horse Plus (24 hours to 16 years, broader vet costs), Horse Deluxe (3 to 10 years, broadest tier) and Horse External Accident Only (1 to 21 years, external accidental injury only). FMG is a rural mutual and quotes direct.
What age can I insure my horse?
Age caps vary. Petcover NZ publishes 30 days to just before the 30th birthday (adult plans to 17, veteran plans 17 to 30). FMG's four tiers each have their own age band. PetNSur does not publish an age cap on their public product page — confirm at quote. Bloodstock specialists set age and value bands per submission.
Not personalised advice. Editorial overview only. Equine cover is specialist underwritten — quote with a specialist provider or broker for pricing applicable to your horse, its age, value, discipline and history.
Insurer details verified from public product pages on 2026-05-20. Page generated 2026-07-05.