Horse Insurance - who do you recommend?

Tiffany

Tiffany

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I have been insured with the NFU for years and my girl has not got a long history of claims although the premiums go up year after year. Earlier this year I rang and asked at what age a horse insured with them is considered a veteran bearing in mind my girl was 17 this year. They informed me that they don't have a 'specific' age, it depends on the history of the horse and their underwriters.

Have received renewal notice in last few days and the annual fee had shot up. I've rang and asked why and been told because she's 17. I've still got full cover but thought I would shop around this year to try and make a saving.

In your experience, who is good and who should I avoid? PM if you prefer.

Thanks
:)
 
This is almost too big a question to answer simply!

Personal experience tells me:
NFU - good with paying out but hike premiums hugely after you've made a claim, exclusions are hard to lift.
AmTrust - used to have a cap on the diagnostics part of vets fees claims of just £1500. No idea if that's still the case but £1500 for diagnosis is not very much!
KBIS - good at paying out but the wording of their policy is such that you don't claim for a 'Condition' you claim for an 'Incident'. So if your horse goes in for investigation into a neck problem and as a result of those investigations they also by chance find a leg problem (eg through bone scans or something) then it's one claim and one £5k limit. Most insurance companies would let you put in two separate claims for the separate conditions each with £5k. This might not sound a problem until two expensive conditions are diagnosed during one investigation and you're effectively left with half the money to spend on each.
Petplan - open to reviewing exclusions after a year, good at paying out, bit pricier, but not good at communication.

With all of them be aware of their limit on 'Complementary Treatment' which tends to include feed supplements, physio, osteo etc etc and for instance KBIS is £500 pa rather than per claim.

They're there to make money so it's up to you to read the small print and pick the one you feel will give you the most benefits for the money!
 
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Im with Petplan for my 20 year old. They will insure for full illness cover up to the age of 25 providing you insure before your horse's 20th birthday. I pay just under £40 per month but have recently had a couple of large claims paid without any fuss
 
Thanks Charley. Whilst I'd like to try and make a saving, I realise it's only if you need to make a claim that you find out the real cost.
NFU have been brilliant in terms of communication and paying out on the two claims I've had in 11 years.

So far I have asked SEIB and they can show me a saving of £52 with exact same cover. Not sure it's worth switching for £1 a week?

Will try a couple more
 
I have my ISH insured with KBIS for over 9 years with just slight increases even though l've not claimed. She'll be 19 years old next June so intend to go with Petplan do she's insured until she's 25. They can be pricey but l used to be insured with them & they were fantastic when l had to have my pony put down after an operation in which he was found to have cancer. Good look in finding insurance & remember to read the small print etc
 
I'm having the same issue, with NFU too! Claimed twice for over past 2 years - fantastic service, paid for stable cost as during the summer etc. etc. but now looking at a fortune each month. Had a look around and although I recieved a few lower quotes when asking people's experience there was very mixed reviews. Too scared to change!
 
I'm with KBIS and really happy with them. Whenever I phone I get to speak to someone who actually understands horses, if my vet speaks to them having visited and inspected my pony, he can get exclusions lifted easily, and they are super at paying out for claims.
 
All mine have been with Equine Insurance Solutions. I've made various claims, including for death, and they've been fantastic to deal with. I have two 17yos covered for third party, death, theft and vet's fees and I think it's £30 a month per horse for ten months (I think - Mum pays the premiums so I can't be sure!)
 
I've turned the question around.....it's easier to say who not to insure with & that's E&L and any of their sister companies. All the above mentioned companies give you good cover & will pay put, unlike E&L.
 
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