Horse insurance in New Zealand

Equine insurance in NZ is structurally different from dog and cat cover. Specialist providers (Petplan Equine, PetNSur's equine line, and a small number of underwriters sitting behind broker-distributed cover) write the market. The cover structure typically spans Death from Accident or Illness, Loss of Use, Veterinary Fees, Third-Party Liability, and Tack & Saddlery.

Premiums depend on the horse's discipline (eventing, dressage, racing, breeding, recreational), age, valuation, and the cover sections you select. We don't quote ranges here — these are specialist underwritten policies and the figures only come from a full quote with the specialist insurer.

Things to look for in equine wordings

• Discipline carve-outs. Racing and high-level eventing are commonly excluded or rated heavily. Confirm your usage is in-scope.
• Loss of use definition. "Permanent & total loss of intended use" is a high bar; the wording matters more than the headline benefit.
• Vet-fee sub-limit. Separate from the Death benefit, usually capped well below the horse's valuation.
• Pre-existing handling. Equine policies use lookback windows similar to dog/cat cover, but specifics vary.
• Loss of saddlery + tack. Often a separate section with its own sub-limit.

Our pet-vertical data layer currently indexes dog + cat policies (8 insurers, 11 products). Equine wordings aren't in scope yet — for an indexed equine wording set, contact a specialist broker.