[maybelle]

Does everyone insure their horse? I am thinking of not insuring my horse, I have never claimed with him. I have had him 4 years. I have public liability with the BHS 

[shetlandpaul]

we insure our cob for about £5 a month. the shetlands we don't.

[Roxy]

It was costing me a fortune having nine horses, and some of them were covered for vet bills.  Had insurance for years, never claimed.  Decided last year to stop all insurance, and am now covered as a Gold member of the BHS for public liability etc.  Yes, it will probably happen that one will have a costly illness, but will take my chance on that.

Really, its a necessity to have public liability at least, and I will never not have this, as with horses you just never know.

[Rosemary]

My Highland's insured and costs a fortune. My Shetland isn't. The only time I tried to claim on Smokey was for new treatment for sweet itch but because he'd ahd it for more than 12 months - and I'd paid for stuff myself - he wasn't covered. I wish I had th nerve to stop the nsurance.

[ellied]

I used to insure until I had 4 ponies at which point I took out BHS Gold membership and gave up the individual policies.  I had only ever made one claim for vet bills which came to over £100 and I ended up paying a £50 excess anyway so it really didn't seem worthwhile   I then got up to about 20 ponies so it would have been impossible

Only 16 now but no way would I insure any one of them, I prefer to have control over the big decisions myself and wouldn't be able to afford expensive operations or treatments but then I am far less likely to choose to impose these treatments on my animals than probably a lot of single horse/pony owners or folk sitting in an insurance company's call centre

[Rosemary]

I am far less likely to choose to impose these treatments on my animals than probably a lot of single horse/pony owners or folk sitting in an insurance company's call centre

I'm not sure life saving or enhancing treatments are necessarily an imposition.

[robert waddell]

with insurance (all types) you now go on line or phone to get cover that works as long as you don't claim(the basic principles of insurance is get policy's sold and money in and hope they don't have to pay out) once you claim that is when you find out you are not covered irrespective of house/buildings/car or animal and as time goes on and with ever increasing claims the payouts will diminish car insurance is a must house insurance is a legal requirement if you have a mortgage and public liability is highly recommended if you have animals/farming and not forgeting the tax element with insurance premiums

[doganjo]

Slightly different topic but similar in some ways - my car got trapped in flood water Friday night, a lot of my working gear lives on the floor in the back, water got into car - river and forest stuff, not nice clean fresh from the tap, so it all now stinks, plus I ripped my expensive duvet jacket getting out of the car.  Discovered there's a £200 limit on personal items in the car - that doesn't even cover the duvet jacket - and they need receipts - who keeps receipts for clothes and game bags on the expectation of them being almost drowned in muddy water? AND I don't get a courtesy car till after the garage has estimated the repair costs - tomorrow afternoon!

Insurance companies are a rip off brigade.  Unfortunately the law says we need it for cars.

On the other hand only my pup is insured, not the others, and had a £2000 bill last year for an operation my older bitch - she's still quite young, 9, fit and active so couldn't just kill her because of the money.  Rosemary did the same for her girls.

Don't know what the answer is!

[egglady]

oh this is an interesting thread!

We have 2 cobs and a pony and all 3 are insured.  My beloved cob Benson was diagnosed with severe articular ringbone last october and so far his vets bills have been about the £600 mark, what with x-rays and bute.  Insurers have picked up all but £140 of it (£140 being excess) and i suspect that he will have to PTS later this year.  Once again, I hope that the insurance will pick up for this.

I'm not brave enough not to insure my horses as I know I couldn't afford to pay huge vets bills.  I once had a horse needed an operation for a broken splint bone and it was thousands of pounds.  Had i not had insurance i would have had to have her PTS, luckily for me (and her) that wasnt the case and she is now a happy mare jumping big jumps and loving life!

Insurance is such a tricky business

[lachlanandmarcus]

It was costing me a fortune having nine horses, and some of them were covered for vet bills.  Had insurance for years, never claimed.  Decided last year to stop all insurance, and am now covered as a Gold member of the BHS for public liability etc.  Yes, it will probably happen that one will have a costly illness, but will take my chance on that.

Really, its a necessity to have public liability at least, and I will never not have this, as with horses you just never know.

Roxy I could have written that post myself. Never blinking claimed (have phobia of dealing with officious people who can decide whether to pay you or not!), eventually decided that if I did ever claim they would prob wriggle out of it because of all the minor non claimed things, so bit the bullet and cancelled. I like you have the BHS Gold and would never cancel that. Its a risk cancelling it, I still have insurance on the dogs and have claimed on that but horses are always doing minor stuff that then gives the insurer a get out that I just figured it would be better to handle it myself in the end.

[claire]

I have liability with E&L. but I've heard that they are nightmare to deal with if you try to claim so I am thinking of finding somebody else....need to be soon though as the policy is about to renew.

[jinglejoys]

E&L were the ones I used the very firs time I insured anything.I was taking Blue with the local Donkey group for their Spring Walk.I'd never insured anything before but everyone said I ought to so I did.We had barely gone 100yds down the village street (Very narrow,cars parked either side)when there was a lady vacuuming her car.A large dog came round the side of the car and Blue swung round to watch it backing into a side mirror on a car and breaking it! I rang to claim and was told I couldn't cos he mirror was only £50......last time I ever wasted my money insuring!
   They won't insure Blue and Picasso anyway as apparenly horses keal over and drop dead at about 15 and they don't take into consideration the fact mules live twice as long.I insure with the BHS gold membership but I'm hinking of changing to the one that allows you to ride out without bondage!

[loosey]

All of mine are insured. I've claimed over £5k of vets ills in the last 4 years through NFU Mutual. I'm too scared to cancel the policies!

[maybelle]

Lots of replys on this. I am still unsure of what to do. My pony has never had the vet out, I take him to the vets in the trailer for his injections. Insurance seems to be going up each year 

[Pony-n-trap]

2 of mine are insured, never claimed, the other 2 arent, am seriously thinking about cancelling at next renewal, I have BHS Gold Membership too so.........hmmmmm.