Horse Insurance – What Do I Need to Insure My Horse For?

By Ellen Schmidt

A good insurance for keeping and driving a horse is a must. The driving sport is a very hazardous sport: we are dealing with a relatively slow moving vehicle and our “engine” is a rather unpredictable one that might at any time accelerate or change direction without our permission. We are taking part in public traffic and all general traffic rules also apply to us. On the other hand is modern traffic becoming faster and denser, resulting in careless and impatient motorized vehicle drivers. A lot of drivers simply are overwhelmed with the presence of a horse drawn vehicle taking part in traffic and simply do not know how to deal all of a sudden with this new situation: accidents will happen.

Consider the following options for your horse insurance:

Third party liability insurance

This is an absolute must: due to a decision in the Houses of Lords a horse keeper or owner is now liable for any injury or damage that his/her horse causes or does to other people regardless, whether s/he is negligent or not. Check, if this is covered and included in your household insurance policy.

Veterinary fees:

In case of an accident or a disease/medical condition that needs to be investigated more thoroughly, e.g. in a specialized clinic can hit horse owners unforeseen. Medical costs usually grow sky high in a very short time; veterinary examinations and visits, referrals to a clinic, special diagnostics, OP’s and stay over days to weeks in a horse clinic, expensive treatments and drugs etc…and finally a long recovery time, where a horse cannot be used.
It is recommended to insure your horse against:

All Vet Fees

If you get a vet bill, you, the insured, will usually have to pay an excess or a percentage of it and in general the amount of the cover for any particular condition is limited. After a condition was treated it may be excluded from the insurance policy in future years, especially if it is a recurring condition.

Catastrophic Vet Fees

These are veterinary surgeon’s fees up to £5000 (in the UK) per incident.
The premium for this type of insurance is extremely worthwhile. Buying this type of horse insurance might enable you to decide for treatment of your equine friend instead of euthanasia for financial reasons.

Loss of Use

Loss of use is classified into two categories:

• Accident or External Injury (=AEI)
• Causes other than AEI (e.g. spavin, arthritis, navicular disease)

The premiums for loss of use against AEI are very competitive and therefore worth to consider.

With premiums for loss of use other than AEI it may be difficult to proof facts of a certain condition; insurance companies require usually a full (5- level) vetting certificate at the time of application for a policy.
(And then again, a horse that gets a full vetting certificate will probably also in the near future not suffer from a condition that causes loss of use.)

Mortality Only Insurance

To insure a horse for this sort of cover, the insurer usually requires a 2-level-vetting certificate. To claim for an insurance case it is required that the insured horse suffers from an injury or disease or illness that is so severe that immediate destruction will be necessary to relieve incurable and excessive pain and that at that time no other option of treatment was available. In case that immediate destruction is not a justified option, the veterinary surgeon under whose care the horse is, should provide first-aid treatment, then request to contact the insurance company or, if this would fail, ask for a second opinion from another veterinary surgeon.

Note:

Before purchasing an insurance policy, please get advice from an insurance expert and read carefully the Terms and Conditions of your policy!

About the Author

Dr.med.vet. Ellen Schmidt.

I am a veterinary surgeon living and working in Scotland, United Kingdom. My passion are horses and horse driving for pleasure and recreation. In my spare time I am creating and writing on my website http://www.discover-horse-carriage-driving.com

This is an “Infoport” for hobbydrivers and horselovers who would like to get expert information about most aspects of equine driving.

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