Your Complete Guide to Horse Insurance ­with British Pet Insurance

Thanks to our friends at British Pet Insurance for clarifying the bewildering array of options available when insuring your horse.

What is horse insurance? What are the different types of cover available?

When it comes to insurance, it’s common to feel intimidated by jargon and to find yourself overwhelmed by the different options available. Understanding what’s a legal requirement and what’s recommended isn’t always obvious, and it can be hard to discern the level of insurance cover that’s best for you and your budget.

With over 40 years of experience insuring horses here at British Pet Insurance, we want to answer all of your equine insurance questions, and even address some you hadn’t yet considered.

Through our collaboration with Horslyx, we will be sharing our knowledge with you in a series of articles, so that when it comes to insuring yourself, your horse, and your equine equipment, you know you’re covered.

So, what is horse or equine insurance?

At its simplest, horse or equine insurance refers to coverage for anything to do with you and your horse. An insurance policy will make sure you are compensated in the event you experience a financial loss to do with your horse.

What are the different cover types?

Horse insurance can be broken down into several different cover types:

• Mortality, theft, and straying
This is the bare minimum covered by most horse insurance policies, including all British Pet Insurance policies. If you no longer have your horse, whether due to death (injury or illness), theft, or straying, either the insured or the current market value of the horse will be paid out.

• Advertising & reward
If your horse goes missing or is stolen, funds can be provided to cover the cost of making posters, putting up advertising and offering a reward for the safe return of your horse.

• Vet fee coverage
  Whether your horse is a financial investment, a beloved pet, or both, vet fees can add up quickly on a large animal like a horse. Vet fee coverage means that your insurance policy will cover treatment, medication, and surgery for injury and illness up to the limit specified in your policy.
• Complementary treatment
  During the policy year, the cost of complementary treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, will be paid up to the value specified in your policy to treat injury or illness. It’s important to note whether the amount claimable for complementary treatment will be deducted from your veterinary fee cover for the year.
• Hospitalisation & transportation
  If your horse needs to go to a veterinary college or hospital for treatment, the livery charges and transportation costs to and from can be covered.
• Personal accident
  Unfortunately accidents can happen when riding, but you can get financial cover if the rider of your horse is injured (including the cost of emergency dental treatment) or killed.
• Loss of use
  If your horse is insured for a specific activity and something happens that prevents it from ever doing that activity again, your policy can cover the financial impact up to a certain amount. Often the pay out is a % of the current market value of the horse or the sum it is insured for.
• After-death disposal
  While it’s a horrible thought to consider, if the worst were to happen, the cost of body disposal can be covered by horse insurance policies.
• Equine saddlery & tack cover
  Horses require a lot of extra equipment to not only keep you safe, but also to keep them comfortable, and this equipment can be costly. Cover can be provided if your saddlery or tack is damaged, stolen or destroyed.
• Public liability insurance (also known as Third Party)
  Accidents can happen no matter how careful you are, and if someone else is involved, you could find yourself on the receiving end of a compensation claim. Public liability insurance can financially cover you for any damage or injury you are legally responsible for and compensation as a result of your horse.

  Future articles in this series will focus on liability insurance in more detail, what to look for when taking out horse insurance, common claims and how to prevent them, and more. Keep an eye on the Horslyx website and on social media for updates.

Reach out to British Pet Insurance
We’re here to provide the support you and your horse need, whether it is with your insurance cover, making a claim or just helpful advice along the way. Visit britishpetinsurance.co.uk to get a free quote online or call our friendly Sussex based team on 01444 708840 – they’ll be happy to help and answer any questions you may have.