BE / Riding Club Members Insurance

[Lyndsay]

Im hoping someone can clear this up for me...

I have recently started riding out for a new yard where I have been advised that I should have my own insurance. It is not an eventing yard therefore I was wondering if my BE or Riding Club members insurance would cover me or if I will have to get another form of insurance?

Soup and some minstrels for anyone who can help.

 

[SpottedCat]

RC insurance only covers you at RC events (and possibly on the way to and from them) - it's not a blanket 3rd party public liability insurance.

The BE insurance covers you always but has a high excess - you need to decide whether or not you're comfortable with that. (Currently the excess is £250 - in the past it has been as high as £1000 - you need to keep an eye on who they are using to provide cover and therefore what the excess is).

If you take out BHS gold membership that gives you 3rd party public liability with no excess, which is the route I have gone down.

 

[ihatework]

Im hoping someone can clear this up for me...

I have recently started riding out for a new yard where I have been advised that I should have my own insurance. It is not an eventing yard therefore I was wondering if my BE or Riding Club members insurance would cover me or if I will have to get another form of insurance?

Soup and some minstrels for anyone who can help.

Firstly, I think you need to clarify with the yard exactly what insurance expectations they have.
Are you paid for riding for them - if so are they expecting some form of professional insurance/indemnity?
Or are they just meaning 3rd party liability? If so BHS Gold membership would be best way forwards

 

[Lyndsay]

Are you paid for riding for them - if so are they expecting some form of professional insurance/indemnity?

Ihatework - I am paid to ride for them and will be riding out 1 or 2 days a week. I was advised to have personal accident/injury insurance in case anything happened.

 

[SpottedCat]

Ihatework - I am paid to ride for them and will be riding out 1 or 2 days a week. I was advised to have personal accident/injury insurance in case anything happened.

Then none of the options above will cover you. You need professional insurance - the BHS does offer this option I think, perhaps under the grooms membership?

The BE insurance covers people working for a member - but that doesn't help you unless your employer is a member. However the BE insurance does have personal accident insurance attached - you'd need to read the small print to see if it covers you when working, but I'd guess not.

I think you need to ring a few people to see what cover they can give you, because 'member benefit' insurances such as those with BE or the BHS very rarely cover you if you are doing the riding professionally.

 

[ihatework]

Ihatework - I am paid to ride for them and will be riding out 1 or 2 days a week. I was advised to have personal accident/injury insurance in case anything happened.

So essentially what these people are saying is the following ..
'If my horse dumps you I do not want to be held financially responsible for your broken bones and inability to work"

So you are infact now coming under more of a freelance arrangement, in which case a basic 3rd party insurance (whilst also very good to have and still advisable) is not the kind of policy that would really cover this scenario. The personal accident cover that is tagged on to some broad spectrum policies is woefully inadequate.

 

[ihatework]

On the other aspect, It would also be worth asking yourself
'If I inadvertntly do something negligent whilst being paid to ride this horse, that results in an accident, will the owners try to obtain financial recompense from me and if so how can I protect myself?'

 

[Lyndsay]

Thank you very much for all your replies. It is a racing yard so the trainer isn't a BE member! I will have a look into other companies, types of insurance etc. Will also look at what the British Horseracing Authority have to offer.

 

[Horlicks]

I was under the impression that being a member of a BRC does not give you insurance - it insures the club for events and that is all. There have been lots of questions recently about the coverage of BHS third party insurance - worth searching this forum. I think if you are freelance you are better off getting your own third party /rider insurance.