Insurance exclusion question!

[MuffettMischief]

Hi,

My partners horse is currently undergoing treatment for a left hind tendon issue and due into the RVC for surgery in a couple of weeks. His insurance has just renewed and they have obviously excluded the left hind tendon but have also excluded the right even though he has never had an issue with that one! They have told him that its standard practice for them to exclude the opposite leg when it comes to tendon injuries. I am really not very happy about that. Is there anything I can do to get it lifted?

thanks!!

 

[milliepops]

you might be able to get your vets to write to them to lift it. what kind of issue is it? if it's an injury rather than something that has been building up over time I think you stand a better chance.

 

[Mojo-dtxo]

Not sure if anything can be done to lift it, had the same issue with my horse. She had an injury to her right hind and had to go to the RVC and is now excluded on all tendons/ligaments on hind limbs, back, spine, pelvis and associated tendons and ligaments👍 Recently been in due to an unrelated injury and my parents have had to pay for all treatment 😳

 

[MuffettMischief]

you might be able to get your vets to write to them to lift it. what kind of issue is it? if it's an injury rather than something that has been building up over time I think you stand a better chance.

Its an injury. Horse hunted every week last year and has had a super busy summer. Done the leg trotting on a long rein in the school would you believe...just caught a toe in the surface and boom...3 weeks into hunt season

 

[MuffettMischief]

Not sure if anything can be done to lift it, had the same issue with my horse. She had an injury to her right hind and had to go to the RVC and is now excluded on all tendons/ligaments on hind limbs, back, spine, pelvis and associated tendons and ligaments👍 Recently been in due to an unrelated injury and my parents have had to pay for all treatment 😳

Oh god that's horrendous!!!!

 

[milliepops]

Its an injury. Horse hunted every week last year and has had a super busy summer. Done the leg trotting on a long rein in the school would you believe...just caught a toe in the surface and boom...3 weeks into hunt season

it's worth a go then, some people do manage to get these excessive exclusions lifted. I think it depends on your insurer though. I know mine will lift some exclusions after 12 months if nothing happens.

 

[little_critter]

You might have a good case to get it lifted then. If your vet will write a letter stating that this was a sudden onset injury and that it was picked up quickly so unlikely to have put additional strain on the other leg.
You can but try!

 

[sport horse]

Don't bother to insure. Put your premiums in a pot and save them to pay the vets when needed. By the time you have half of your horses body excluded, paid any excess etc etc. if you are lucky you could be in pocket.

 

[MuffettMischief]

Don't bother to insure. Put your premiums in a pot and save them to pay the vets when needed. By the time you have half of your horses body excluded, paid any excess etc etc. if you are lucky you could be in pocket.

As much as that seems like a good idea, this horse has had 7k worth of claims in two years! No way we could have saved that up. And looking likely to be another 4k this time around! For the sake of a monthly premium it certainly takes away some of the worry.

 

[ihatework]

If it’s an obvious and direct type of tendon injury you might be able to get the exclusion lifted.

The exclusions are often slapped on as degeneration tendon issues are often bilateral

 

[Red-1]

I doubt they will lift it as a toe caught in a normal school surface would not usually cause a tendon injury costing 4K to repair. This would lead them to believe the tendon was weak in the first place, and therefore there is an increased risk to injury to the other from the other being weak too.

 

[ponios]

I got stung earlier this year.

Off hind lameness, examination led us to believe SI so medicated without going miles to get scintigraphy to confirm. Lameness improved post SI injection. Along the way Xrayed hock which showed changes to bone (in a 19 y/o tb that raced then evented- no surprise there) but they were stable and most likely had been like that a while but insurance wriggled out of paying up as said arthritis was a pre-existing condition.. even though the vet said it wasn't the hock that was causing lameness.

As for the pre- existing condition, a previous claim noted "slight OA in near fore fetlock" but that the problem was actually due to slight pedal bone rotation- horse was never even lame and the claim was around £500 including remedial shoeing but despite it being a different joint, different leg, different end of the horse they said arthritis was pre-existing condition so they wouldn't pay out for SI claim as it was likely secondary to hock arthritis.

About a 6 year gap between claims, and only claims ever for that horse, god knows how much i have paid NFU over the years and only got £500 back! With an older horse I suspect that any lameness can now be excluded as they will pin it back to arthritis somehow. Have considered cancelling but worry that the moment I cancel that he will do himself a nasty injury!

 

[chaps89]

It's quite normal - theory being the other leg then takes additional strain in compensation for the weakened/injured leg, thus more likely to also incur problems. Insurers may well lift once horse is sound and back in work for a certain period of time (thus proving other leg has no weaknesses or knock on effect from original injury)
I doubt a trip in the school would be counted as an injury too I'm afraid - injury is usually something like sticking their leg through a fence de-gloving it etc.

 

[MuffettMischief]

I doubt they will lift it as a toe caught in a normal school surface would not usually cause a tendon injury costing 4K to repair. This would lead them to believe the tendon was weak in the first place, and therefore there is an increased risk to injury to the other from the other being weak too.

Hmm I see your thinking. Unfortunately our school surface is not normal, it’s bloody deep and awful and I only use it if I have too!

Might have to suck it up on this then!

 

[ester]

TBH I'd expect it from a supporting limb point of view.

 

[ycbm]

TBH I'd expect it from a supporting limb point of view.

I agree Ester. I don't think it's an unreasonable exclusion.

Any injury to a tendon on one leg does suggest the possibility that the horse may have inherent weakness and the stress from supporting too much weight on the good leg will knacker the good one too.