Do you insure retired horses?

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Samantha008

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I cant decide whether to insure my horse for the next year or not. Shes got a wither injury, and is turned away for 2 years. Shes not worth a penny so really id only want public liability and im not sure how much the insurance would cover for vets as shes a bit neuro too :/

Just wondered what everyone out there did? Im thinking of bhs gold but then would be buggerd if she needed the vet. But if it was something really expensive ( and serious) id probs not be going ahead anyway. I hope that doesnt sound too harsh?!

Whatd you think??

Thanks
 
I'm in the similar position I have a really old mare she's insured with E and L although that's probs about as useful as putting my money down the grid every month!:rolleyes: but still I just like the public liability bit she's covered a bit for vets bills but I jsut prefer to have it- would probs be better putting the money in an account every month but oh well!:D
 
You need to find out what exclusions are in place really. Best to ask your insurance company as they dont always tell you exactly what the exclusions are until you have to claim. Sometimes there are so many exclusions it isnt worth it, Some companies will insure for accidental injuries and death by injury.There is also a minimum value with some companies which is enough to cover pts due to accident and disposal costs.

It also depends really on your own financial situation. If you dont insure then you must have funds in the bank (or parents bank!)

I only have two insured for vets now. My yearling and Dozzie. I have basic third party for my others.
I keep at least 5k in my savings to cover vet bills which is more than enough so if I get a big bill I am not left short of funds as you can almost guarantee thet the day the big bill arrives someone writes off your car for you! Or something similar!:)


I have much higher public liability cover for all mine than BHS Gold gives.Plus I wanted to have control over my own policies so didnt go BHS route. I like to know what is in the small print so to speak.
 
I insure my mare (16) with petplan as 'retired/at grass only' as she is lame. Its only £11 a month and gives me vet bills cover upto £5K and public liability. Worth it I think. You can go on line and get an instant quote too, so worth a look.

I insure my other horse with SEIB as they are cheaper for him.
 
Samantha008 said:
Just wondered what everyone out there did? Im thinking of bhs gold but then would be buggerd if she needed the vet. But if it was something really expensive ( and serious) id probs not be going ahead anyway. I hope that doesnt sound too harsh?!
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No, it doesn't sound harsh to me at all....it's pragmatic and realistic. My oldies are covered by BHS Gold only......some are loss of use, so no other option, others have so many exclusion clauses that it would be crazy to carry on insuring.

My 27 year old had colic last month; yes, the vets could have operated, yes, I could have afforded to pay for the op, but for this horse who hated being stabled, IMO, it wasn't an option. I looked at him and he looked tired; he had had enough so we did the honourable thing.
 
I've got my old retired boy, (well, he's 18), insured with Petplan just as a non-ridden horse out at grass (well, in at night in the winter, and in during the day in summer), it costs me about £14/month, and this covers us for 3rd party and vets bills...

He's retired due to a couple of leg injuries, he broke his stifle about 8 yrs ago, and then tore his suspensory ligament messing around in the field 2yrs ago. This means that those 2 legs are excluded. He is such a happy, healthy chap, and is more than happy on box-rest if needed (as long as he has hay he's quiet for anything!!), so i know if anything - god-forbid - ever did happen to him again then I would definitely want that vet's cover to help fix him!
 
For the couple of quid extra it costs, I would go 3rd party and vets.
An OOH call out even if you decide to PTS will cost a lot more than any excess.
 
Hi there, I insured my 28 year old mare with SEIB for £9 a month for accidental vets bills and third party. It proved to be a good thing as I think I ended up claiming more than I paid! SEIB payed out everytime without quibble..... I eventually lost her when she broke her leg in the field and was able to claim the costs, which at such an awful time, was made easier by not having to worry about finding the money to pay from my own pocket.
 
I had BHS Gold membership, for the public liability insurance for my very old shire x. At 30+ he was too old for any type of veterinary cover, and the cheapest option was the BHS membership.

For my ridden horses I'm with NFU.
 
I made the decision a couple of years ago not to insure our cushings pony. Obviously everything related to Cushings was excluded, and with her other problems I wouldn't put her through colic surgery so it seemed pointless. I do have TP insurance through WHW membership.
The 23 year old is still insured at the moment, although her hind legs are excluded after a leg fracture and cellulitis. We will probably decide year to year whether to continue the insurance with her.
 
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