Posts Tagged ‘equine insurance’

The Best Cheap Horse Insurance for the Older Horse

July 30th, 2010

If you have an older horse, and by older horse I mean one that is 16 or more years old, then you likely cannot get horse insurance for her. You can get insurance for your horse equipment, but unless you were fortunate enough to have bought a mortality and medical insurance policy when your horse was much younger, and it’s a policy that can’t be cancelled when she reaches a certain age, then you have very few options to insure an older horse.

However, all is not lost! If you live in the U.K., then Petplan Equine will insure horses until they reach the age of 25, if you buy the policy before your horse is 20. They say it is economical, but they only pay out up to £1,500 for a death as a result of an injury and £1,000 for injury treatment. It may be cheap horse insurance, but it doesn’t pay out much. Still, any insurance is probably better than no insurance.

In the United States, Fry’s Insurance Company will write mortality insurance policies for horses up to the age of 20, and you can add on various levels of medical/surgical coverage for about $150-$475 additional. However, their policies are renewable on an annual basis, and as soon as your horse turns 20, they won’t renew the policy.  Is it really worth it?

Furthermore, most of the horse insurance plans from any company start at an annual premium of at least $200, and that is not cheap in my opinion, especially when you consider that they will drop you like a hot potato at the age of 20.

Probably your only option, and really it might even be the best option, is to save money toward emergencies. Put that annual premium into a savings account every month and hold onto it. Add any extra money that you can to it, whenever you can. Pay yourself a monthly premium for insurance. When the time comes that your horse needs expensive vet care, the money will be there. If she passes away, you’ll have a good start on the purchase price of a new horse.

As a horse gets older, more diseases and injuries happen so as your vet costs go up and the availability of insurance goes down. Because there are no laws mandating coverage, the insurance companies can get away with this. It seems that being self-insured is really the only way to go to ensure coverage of your horse in her declining years.

Horsebox Insurance: Why You Can’t Live Without It

July 16th, 2010

Horsebox insurance is more than just replacement or repair coverage for your horsebox (or horse trailer, as the Americans call it). The insurance available for your horse box includes these things, but also can include coverage for your horse equipment that you have stored in the horsebox, as well as road rescue that will transport and stable the horses in the event of a breakdown. In some cases, the insurance even covers the vehicle that is towing the horse trailer.

So let’s break it down go over the various aspects of insurance for horseboxes.

First there the simple property coverage that protects you in the event of theft, fire or accidental damage. It’s actually really easy to steal a horse trailer. All you need a truck with a hitch and a little bit of time with no one looking. The odds of finding your horsebox once it’s stolen are slim to none, as a quick paint job can disguise it easily. Fire doesn’t happen all that often, but it could, and of course accidental damage can easily happen while transporting your horse. People should drive more carefully when passing a truck that is towing a horsebox, but for some reason they don’t. They also like to gawk at your horses and otherwise drive stupidly. No matter how carefully you are driving, it seems like an accident is waiting to happen and you can’t respond quickly enough sometimes with a trailer in tow.

Some insurance policies also cover the vehicle that is towing the horsebox, which is a good thing. For example, I forgot the tailgate was down when I moved the horsebox to another location on the farm, and the hitch messed up the tailgate. After paying my deductible, I was able to get the repair covered!

For an additional cost, you can extend the horsebox insurance to cover your tack and equipment that are in the trailer when it gets damaged or stolen. It’s not a good idea to leave your best saddle in the trailer overnight, but if you did for some reason and it got stolen, you would get some money to buy a new saddle. They can’t help you buy a saddle that’s already broken in and helped you win countless shows, but at least they help with something.

The best part of horse trailer insurance though, in my opinion, is the optional road rescue coverage. Definitely sign up for that! It is cheap and priceless when you need it. I have broken down on the highway while hauling my horse, and I did not have road rescue coverage at that time. Luckily I wasn’t too far from home and we were able to get someone to bring another truck and haul the horses home with it, but what if you are hundreds of miles from home and don’t know anyone? What would you do then? The road rescue service will send someone to pick up your horses and put them in a nearby stable. All the worry is taken out of the situation. There is nothing scarier than breaking down with your precious horses in the trailer behind you.

Horses are expensive and sometimes it seems like insurance is an optional expense that could be cut in order to save money. Don’t do it! You really cannot live without horsebox insurance. If you need to save money, get some horse insurance quotes and see if you can find a cheaper policy.

Horse Insurance Quotes: Top 5 Reasons Not To Go Cheap on Equine Insurance

June 29th, 2010

Horse insurance quotes can be obtained for several different types of equine insurance needs: mortality insurance, health insurance, horsebox insurance and liability insurance. Some policies can be written to give you broad coverage for all three needs, and the cost of insurance is definitely related to how good the coverage is. Having adequate insurance coverage is probably one of the most important pieces of horse equipment you’ll ever have!

One of the most important reasons to buy adequate insurance for your horse is to protect yourself from being sued. Something about horses just brings out the lawsuit-happiness in some people! In spite of a multitude of state laws that are supposed to protect horse owners from being liable, people can still sue you. You need enough coverage so that the insurance company will represent your interests in a claim, and to pay any claim that either gets settled out of court or that you unfortunately lose. Don’t just get equine insurance quotes for the minimum amount of coverage thinking that this won’t happen to you. It can. It happens to horse owners all the time.

Another important reason to buy insurance is for the sad event when your horse dies. You have invested a lot of money in your horse. You’ve trained and stabled and fed him for years and when he’s gone, unless you plan to stop riding all together, you’ll want to replace him. You also might need a little help with the burial costs.

Some horse mortality insurance plans include an option that pays for colic surgery. If your horse colics and needs surgery, that insurance will pay for itself AND save the life of your horse! You can also get loss-of-use coverage added to a mortality policy that will pay you a percentage of your horse’s value if he becomes unusable for showing due to an injury. If you are serious about showing, you need this insurance.

The last reason you need to get a good policy for your horse is for major medical expenses. Horses do sometimes need to go to a horse hospital, and you are looking at a minimum of $1000 for a trip like that and more likely to be a lot more than that. Getting health insurance for your horse can make it possible for you to seek the appropriate medical care your horse needs without worrying about the bills. No one wants to be in the position of not being able to get treatment because we can’t afford it. Don’t let that happen to you or your horse. Get adequate horse riding insurance for your beloved friend. Shop around and get as many horse insurance quotes as you can before you decide on one policy, so you can be sure you’re getting the best policy for your money.