Horse & Equine Insurance: An Overview

For pet owners, insurance is a choice that crops up and many choose to opt for. For most pet owners, the choice makes sense. Having pet insurance can be very cost effective, and can save owners a considerable amount of money on trips to the vet. For horse owners, insurance is even more important than say with car and dog owners. While bringing a cat or a dog to a vet or specialist pet health expert may seem expert, the cost of doing the same for a horse is considerably more. Horses are never cheap to keep, and this is considerably more expensive when vet bills, treatments and surgeries are factored in. So, for horse owners thinking about taking out equine insurance, what are some of the key things to look out for? Vet Bills:This is probably the single most important thing in a pet insurance policy and the reason that most people end up insuring their horses. Veterinary bills cover typically cover pet owners against a set amount of treatments per year, depending on the insurance policy. This generally means that the pet owner ends up paying the cost of the treatment initially and is then able to claim the amount back from their pet or equine insurance company. Advertising & Reward: If your horse goes missing, which many seem to do, advertising & reward covers the costs of finding the horse. Although it may seem surprising for a horse to go missing, these things do happen, and having the incentive of a reward ensures whoever finds your horse is happy to return it to you. Death:Although this will depend largely on your horse insurer's terms and conditions, this will cover you in the event of accidental death. Many policies will also include cover for disposal, which covers the costs of your horses burial or disposal. Personal Accident & Public Liability:Liability is an important part of a horse insurance policy. No matter how careful you are, horse riding can still be dangerous and should you get into an accident - or cause an accident - it's nice to know that the financial costs of medical or legal attention are covered by your policy. Other policies will often include additional extras such as cover for loss of entry fees, optional horse box or trailer cover and more. It's important to note that most horse insurance companies will only cover horses up to 15 or 16 years of age. For older horses, you will need to look for equine insurance companies which provide a mature horse insurance policy.