Horsebox breakdown cover. Do you have it?

[vicm2509]

After a recent chat with my friend who works for the AA, he said that even though im a member I should have seperate breakdown cover for my little box.

If you break down on the motorway (or other busy, fast road), with a horse, the police have to shut off a section of the motorway while a special horsebox recovery comes, your horse is unloaded and then loaded into the recovery horsebox, as for obvious reasons a box cannot be towed with a horse in it.

Now that is something I never thought of, I asked around my yard and the 3 people with boxes dont have breakdown cover either. We always thought if we broke down one of the others would come and pick us up. But it does make total sense that we could not do that on a motorway.

I only ever take my horse quite local and have never taken him on the motorway but there is a possibility that I could need to in the future.

So do you have cover?

Any if yes who with?

 

[Tempi]

we have it with OHTO (organisation of horse box and trailer owners).....however for reasons that will be deemed defamatory so i cant post them, we wont be renewing with them again.

 

[samp]

I have insurance with Anthony Evans and are covered for Breakdown with them

 

[Rambo]

Yes....It is included in the lorry insurance from SEIB

 

[Judie]

Oh dear I'm with them

 

[hollibobs]

I have cover with NFU which I took out as an extra with their horsebox cover. They will come to recover the box if it breaks down and if need be cover the cost of keeping your horse on livery overnight.

It's piece of mind I suppose, would hate to break down on the motorway!!

 

[vicm2509]

So may it be best to call up my insurance and just add it on?

I didnt know if it was best to do that or shop around. Both my horse and my horsebox are insured with KBIS. I will give them a ring later and see how much they charge.

 

[pfarrugia]

I have a trailer but have breakdown with the RAC and insurance goes on horse insurance (was NFU but for reasons I cannot mention will not be for long!)

 

[foraday]

You can get cover quite easily with ESS. Most of your insurance companies offer breakdown cover at any time of your policy!!!!! For the sake of around £88 you can get covered.

SEIB & Shearwater have Equity Red Star as their recovery agents.

NFU use ESS.

It will cost you around £1000 to get your horse picked up and your lorry or trailer by the recovery people if you haven't got cover!!!!!

The police rarely close motorways. Your broken down lorry will be towed to the next exit and then the horse will be taken off there. Only in cicumstances that the lorry cannot be moved-wheels fallen off as reported in HH last year on the A1 then the police will do a lane 2 closure whilst the horses are extracted.

Even if you just have a flat tyre the recovery people will sort everything out for you then bill you for the change of tyre later. Remember all the tyre people won't come out to you unless you have an account although some take credit cards over the phone-not much fun when you are on the side of the m25 with a flat!

Do your homework and check the small print-Both ESS and Equity Red Star pay for the recovery of your lorry AND another horselorry to recover your horses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please be safe out there!

 

[barkinghorse]

I have mine with ESS, (Equine Support Services) they come and take your horse, and i also have NFU cover.
I do work for ESS and they are very good and very quick. Have to say though, only in very rare circumstances do they close a motorway, most will tow you off the nearest exit and change box/trailer there.
Jo

 

[miller]

No lorry is too old for anyone to cover it!

Unless you clever HHO's know anyone that will cover an old V reg (1980 I think!)

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
No lorry is too old for anyone to cover it!

Unless you clever HHO's know anyone that will cover an old V reg (1980 I think!)

[/ QUOTE ]
My old '78 TK was covered by SEIB under the same terms of the insurance that my new(er) lorry is

 

[miller]

Cheers for that but SEIB want too much to insure it as we have everything else horses, house etc with NFU we get a really cheap deal

 

[RobinHood]

If you have horsebox recovery then read the small print carefully and check that they will send out another horsebox to pick you horse up. A lady at the yard had horsebox cover (not sure who with) but when she broke down she found out that they woudn't send out another box. Her 3.5 ton box was towed with the front wheels up on the tow vehicle so it was, both the horses fell over numerous times due to the steep angle the box was at, and one of them now has severe travelling issues, so please check your policy carefully.

 

[Rambo]

As already stated...the SEIB policy DOES provide for another vehicle to come and retrieve the horses

 

[pottamus]

I must admit I don't have it as I have a trailer...but I will not travel on the motorway anyway, try to stick to an hours travelling for endurance rides as that gets me to plenty of nice places. Other than that I would have to phone a friend to bring another trailer out I guess.

 

[hollyzippo]

I use ESS- its about £40 a year to cover trailer and car is with RAC anyway. We used them several times with a lorry my parents had- they were good and always had horse recovered ASAP.

I used them once for trailer recovery when old car broke down. They took about 2 hours to come out but I think I was deemed a non emergency as a nice lady let me take neddy to her yard round the corner and wait there!

Wouldnt be without it tho- definately piece of mind!

 

[OliveOyl]

Yes I have mine covered through NFU and have unfortunately used it a number of times, each time they've been fabulous. Had the lorry towed in once but thankfully there were no horses on board at the time, so didn't need to sort out alternative transport for them.
Spoke to ESS a few times when it was touch and go whether we'd need to swap horses over on the motorway and they were VERY helpful and kept phoning me to see how I was getting on. Thankfully both times the Recovery man managed to get us going again, so horses stayed on my lorry throughout.

 

[Super_Kat]

When I get my box it will have breakdown cover.

 

[sarah23]

where can i get the phone number from for ESS please.

 

[hollyzippo]

http://www.equestriansupport.co.uk/contact.html

 

[evsj]

I have it on my NFU horsebox insurance so in all it is around 280 quid. Deffo worth it for peace of mind - I wouldn't dream of going on m'way without it and so far (so good) I've never had to use it.

TOUCH WOOD TOUCH WOOD TOUCH WOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ellaxx]

Yes with OHTO

 

[EstherYoung]

I'm with ESS.

Whoever you end up with, make sure you ask the following questions:
1) Will you send out another box (or safe towing vehicle such as a land rover for a trailer) to rescue my horses safely or will you expect my horse to be transported home on two wheels on the back of a recovery truck?
2) Are your drivers fully insured to drive livestock?

For reasons possibly deemed defamatory I am also no longer with OHTO (although I ranted about it enough at the time so I'm sure my experiences will come up on a google search).

 

[cosmo_sam]

I have it my SEIB insurance policy (i think the company is E&S?)

 

[RobinHood]

Sorry I didn't mean to reply directly to you, I just meant to reply to the topic as a whole if that makes sense.

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry I didn't mean to reply directly to you, I just meant to reply to the topic as a whole if that makes sense.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL!

Darned QR eh

 

[spooks]

i am insured with SEIB and have the breakdown cover AND i had to use it today! was very straightforward,rang them up to find SEIB hadnt actually switched the cover over from my old 1976 bedford TK to my new one! wasnt a problem he did it there and then..half an hour later got a call from the mechanic, turned up, made the lorry driveable,signed his bit of paper..job done... my lorry was parked outside my garage at the time so no horses were involved, definately worth paying the 77 odd quid for the peace of mind if nothing else.
what had actually happened with the lorry was the isolator completely broke away from the box,luckily it was the lead from the battery that broke as the other one is in an awkward position,mechanic just bypassed the isolater and connected it to the chassis....so lorry is now at my mechanics awaiting a new isolater!!

 

[Stella]

Absolutely!!! I wouldn't venture out with a horse on without it

Lets face it, its bad enough trying to sort out a broken down car on the motoryway or anywhere else without a roadside assistance service. God forbid I should ever have to do it with a horse box, especially with a horse on board.

I also use ESS as it came free with my box, but as my box and horse are insurred with NFU and they also use ESS, I'll stay with them unless I have a problem.

Oh yes and having found myself unable to start my box (flat battery) one morning when loaded to go to an expensive, much looked forward to lesson, I now have homestart too

 

[conniegirl]

[ QUOTE ]
No lorry is too old for anyone to cover it!

Unless you clever HHO's know anyone that will cover an old V reg (1980 I think!)

[/ QUOTE ]

Antony D evans will probably do it, we just got a quote of £171 +£72 recovery for our older box