Breakdown cover and horse recovery

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blood_magik

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I was looking for advice re who to go to and who not to touch.

The horse recovery is more important than vehicle recovery :)

The AA still haven't phoned me back and the RAC were generally unhelpful when I phoned this morning :(
 
Is it for a wagon or trailer? I have the RAC Assist Trailer breakdown cover and it covers the horses being picked up if the car/problem isnt sorted. Not had to use it as yet but it costs £45 for the year. Not found them unfriendly or unhelpful though have to say.
 
OH is a greenflag recovery driver and mechanic, he'll get you some info tomorrow then I'll post here for you. Greenflag don't do recovery, but of course he knows those who do, as he has often been the nearest truck to a lorry or truck, and quite often got them going again. He actually got a 7.5 lorry going again yesterday with a couple of neddies in it, as long they didn't stop, they could get home...!
 
Just remember, some breakdown companies will NOT come out for an accident!
Had a few friends caught out by this & having to deal with police instead for assistance. (insurance will cover you for accident, but do find out what their cover is!)

Worth also checking out too when taking out cover - or at least carrying the numbers of transporters etc just in case......
 
We have our horsebox recovery through NFU. Have had them out to do tyres on the motorway before and they are great. Not mega quick (but hard to get someone with right equipment on a sunday!) were there for 2 hours, not too bad I don't think. but they did ring every half hour to check if us and horse were still ok, and if we needed a horsebox recovery to come and pick him up. :)
 
DragonSleigh-Bells said:
OH is a greenflag recovery driver and mechanic, he'll get you some info tomorrow then I'll post here for you. Greenflag don't do recovery, but of course he knows those who do, as he has often been the nearest truck to a lorry or truck, and quite often got them going again. He actually got a 7.5 lorry going again yesterday with a couple of neddies in it, as long they didn't stop, they could get home...!
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Aww, thanks again. We ended up on the hard shoulder again today on the way to th garage to sort the wipers :mad:
Dad managed to get it back to the yard but he couldn't go faster than 10mph. Of course, it ran fine once the guy from DAF aid turned up :rolleyes:
Turns out theres an issue with exhaust valve so they're going to sort that and my wiper linkage at the same time.
shame they don't do a recovery service as they're my local DAF dealer.

The Xmas Furry said:
Just remember, some breakdown companies will NOT come out for an accident!
Had a few friends caught out by this & having to deal with police instead for assistance. (insurance will cover you for accident, but do find out what their cover is!)

Worth also checking out too when taking out cover - or at least carrying the numbers of transporters etc just in case......
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Good to know - did your friends have horses with them and did the police get the horses recovered?
My main issue would be getting jerry home or somewhere safe.

I've got ohto, equine rescue and prp on my list :)
 
We have always found NFU to be great - they keep phoning to check how things are going and if horses are ok and really seem to care - can't rate them highly enough.

Years ago we had a dreadful experience with South Essex. The company they used for breakdown cover was awful. We were coming home from Scope and broke down at Lockerbie. Told us we couldn't get a breakdown company out for 3hrs as the nearest mechanic was at Stranraer even though I told them there was one at Southwaite services :confused: In the end a mechanic came, decided he didn't know what was wrong and left, next the police turned up and said we had to be towed off hard shoulder. The road rescue call centre said we wouldn't be insured if that happened and ended up screaming down the phone at the policeman :rolleyes: The police order a tow and it was a nightmare - the front of the lorry was lifted so roughly with no consideration for the pony and then driven at 70 mph - it was awful. The breakdown man would only go to his garage (at Abington) and left the breakdown truck in front of our lorry so there was no way of us getting out and went home to bed. It was then about 4am. The insurance still said they couldn't get anyone to get our pony and so I asked if they could help get me home (taxi/train anything) and I would get our trailer. I was told they weren't authorised to do that and so in the end a friend drove down to collect us. Poor pony eventually got home at 1.30pm - 20 hrs after the journey began. Needless to say we complained and after a lot of letter writing got offered 10% of the following years lorry insurance. We were disgusted and changed to NFU and I can honestly say when we have needed them they have been brilliant.
 
EventingMum said:
We have always found NFU to be great - they keep phoning to check how things are going and if horses are ok and really seem to care - can't rate them highly enough.

Years ago we had a dreadful experience with South Essex. The company they used for breakdown cover was awful. We were coming home from Scope and broke down at Lockerbie. Told us we couldn't get a breakdown company out for 3hrs as the nearest mechanic was at Stranraer even though I told them there was one at Southwaite services :confused: In the end a mechanic came, decided he didn't know what was wrong and left, next the police turned up and said we had to be towed off hard shoulder. The road rescue call centre said we wouldn't be insured if that happened and ended up screaming down the phone at the policeman :rolleyes: The police order a tow and it was a nightmare - the front of the lorry was lifted so roughly with no consideration for the pony and then driven at 70 mph - it was awful. The breakdown man would only go to his garage (at Abington) and left the breakdown truck in front of our lorry so there was no way of us getting out and went home to bed. It was then about 4am. The insurance still said they couldn't get anyone to get our pony and so I asked if they could help get me home (taxi/train anything) and I would get our trailer. I was told they weren't authorised to do that and so in the end a friend drove down to collect us. Poor pony eventually got home at 1.30pm - 20 hrs after the journey began. Needless to say we complained and after a lot of letter writing got offered 10% of the following years lorry insurance. We were disgusted and changed to NFU and I can honestly say when we have needed them they have been brilliant.
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:eek: poor pony - and poor you.
 
I have always had by lorries insured with NFU with the full service recoevery package - well worth the money - I have had them out a good few times over the years and once had to have the horses picked up and they were really quick at arranging transport for them. I would not use anyone else.
 
I had a terrible experience with the breakdown cover that comes with Anthony Evans Insurance Brokers. They sent a mechanic in a van who arrived after about an hour and a quarter. He could not fix it (we had already told them that it needed recovery in the first phone call) and then we had to wait on the hard shoulder while the recovery company found a company which could remove the horsebox. They sent a driver who hitched my horsebox up ( I have a rear facing 3.5t) at the front and then drove at 80mph back to the yard - the horse was still in the box at this time. I know it was 80mph because I was sitting next to the driver.
I made a complaint to the recovery company, but got excuse after excuse from them, one of them saying that the recovery truck had a limiter on so couldn't possibly have been driven at 80mph. I then made enquiries with VOSA who said that they advised against any horsebox being towed with horses inside , so I reported the recovery company to VOSA as well as the garage that they sent to recover the box as the limiter which was apparently fitted must clearly have been broken. Needless to say that I didn't renew with them.

I now have recovery as part of my horsebox insurance with Shearwater and they use Equine Rescue and Recovery who although I haven't used them, I have spoken to them on the phone. They are knowledgeable and helpful and said that under no circumstances would they allow a vehicle to be towed with horses inside - they will always send a horse box to transport the horses inside.
 
you need to use the specialist horse recovery/breakdown companys do not use the aa/rac trust me i work in the recovery industry have done for 10 years and the equine specialists are the best as they put yours and the horses safety 1st
 
blood_magik said:
Good to know - did your friends have horses with them and did the police get the horses recovered?
My main issue would be getting jerry home or somewhere safe.

I've got ohto, equine rescue and prp on my list :)
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1st one - no, she had the trailer & was on her way to collect new steed.
Car chops into them (coming the other way) on tight bend & rips out roadside of trailer, police ended up talking sternly to her insurance co on the phone telling them that the cover included the collection of said trailer - SEIB denied it, even tho the paperwork was clearly showing it! :rolleyes:
Plod got trailer moved to safer place up the road & insurance eventually got it recovered 2 days later....

2nd one - Merc atego had a side swipe shunt (joker in HGV pulled out at roundabout on them). 3 ponies up, heading home from a show.
Damage done enough to really make it nondriveable - AABRS would not come out as the vehicle had not broken down - it was an accident & their terms clearly stated that it was covered breakdown :rolleyes:
Ponies all fine - shaken but not physically damaged externally.
Plod called local vet out who checked ponies over & he then helped sort out a local transporter to take ponies home. The ins co DID pay out for the transporter when reciepts were presented. The lorry was picked up by McAllisters & taken to local garage for ins assessors to quote on.

Check the small print as it happens to us all on occasions
 
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