Insurance WWYD

[pistolpete]

So I have a lovely retired pony highland 14 years old fractured stifle. Field sound. Insurance gone up to £700 a year. He’s excluded for colic and some lameness issues. I’ve got some savings but I’m retired so finite resources. He’s kind of DNR if he colics badly again but how realistic is it to think 6-7 hundred is enough to pay for any minor stuff annually or are there other insurances worth considering? Thanks for reading.

 

[pistolpete]

Photo of said handsome dude.

 

[Griffin]

Have you shopped around yet? It might be worth it. Otherwise, I know a few owners who keep a credit card with low/no interest and use that for vets bills because they can pay it off incrementally.

 

[Chianti]

So I have a lovely retired pony highland 14 years old fractured stifle. Field sound. Insurance gone up to £700 a year. He’s excluded for colic and some lameness issues. I’ve got some savings but I’m retired so finite resources. He’s kind of DNR if he colics badly again but how realistic is it to think 6-7 hundred is enough to pay for any minor stuff annually or are there other insurances worth considering? Thanks for reading.

Try The Insurance Emporium. You can do an online quote and pick and chose cover. They've dealt very well with my claim for ulcers.

 

[criso]

When I had a retired one with a insurance quote even higher than that, I didn't insure. That amount would cover me for vet call outs for minor things. We had call out for cuts, eye infections and breathing/allergies and none for more than a couple of hundred.

However now I would go for catastrophe insurance which will cover you for injury. You have a couple of options. Really basic cover up to 1500 with Harry Hall membership or more extensive cover from Shearwater or KBIS up to 5000 I think.

I'm with Shearwater now for an in work horse as I had so many exclusions, It's about 350 a year but I also include tack cover and death/theft. However for a retired horse I would probably go for Harry Hall at about 80 a year.

 

[ester]

I just had a credit card when insuring became unreasonable and we were about evens on paying in and pay outs (think he was 21 then). It was actually rather nice to be able to make my own decisions re. care and what I would/wouldn't do. None of the decisions made over the last 7 years would have been different with insurance.

 

[Lady Jane]

If he is only field sound, you need to decide how much you would put him through if there were issues. ie would you box rest for any period of time, treat sarcoids, colic you have already decided DNR (good decision). Have a look at KBIS Catastophe Insurance. The main thing is you understand what he is insured for because the cheaper it is the less cover - none of them give you something cheap.....

 

[milliepops]

If he is only field sound, you need to decide how much you would put him through if there were issues. ie would you box rest for any period of time, treat sarcoids, colic you have already decided DNR (good decision). Have a look at KBIS Catastophe Insurance. The main thing is you understand what he is insured for because the cheaper it is the less cover - none of them give you something cheap.....

this ^
My retirees are not insured, because basically i have decided that I'm not up for putting them through any lengthy treatment or surgery etc. the catastrophe policies may be a good happy medium if you'd want cover for injuries.

 

[Equi]

Honestly I wouldn’t I sure him.

 

[ycbm]

I'm afraid I would neither insure nor pay huge vet bills for a retired horse. If a big payment became necessary, then I would take that as the point when their time had come.

If you love him too much to do that then I'd be surprised if you couldn't reduce that considerably by shopping around. It sounds a hell of a lot for a horse with no monetary value who is only required to be field sound.
.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My 25 yo retired horse got colic 4 years ago. Never had it before. Because of his age he is only insured for external visible injury. We had to take him into vets he was that bad. Vet said really didn't look good and he needed an op. We said no op but throw everything else at him. He pulled through we a hefty bill. I wouldn't put an older horse through it. He is now only insured for 3rd party.

 

[I'm Dun]

My older semi retired cob has very basic harry hall insurance. He hacks out and is very happy but I wont do heavy medical intervention. He lives on a track and is still slightly over weight, and I wont muzzle or really diet him. Hes been starved previously, so in my head I've decided to leave him as slighly over and if he does get any sort of lammi then he will be quietly PTS that day, same with any major injury or illness. He has a brilliant quality of life now, but once that changes I wont keep him going for my sake. He deserves better.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My older semi retired cob has very basic harry hall insurance. He hacks out and is very happy but I wont do heavy medical intervention. He lives on a track and is still slightly over weight, and I wont muzzle or really diet him. Hes been starved previously, so in my head I've decided to leave him as slighly over and if he does get any sort of lammi then he will be quietly PTS that day, same with any major injury or illness. He has a brilliant quality of life now, but once that changes I wont keep him going for my sake. He deserves better.

I've decided pretty much the same with my oldie. He is a 17.1 wb. I'm not going to restrict any feed or grass etc. Luckily he looks great at the minute and he is a very happy boy. Should anything happen he will be pts. We have an elderly pony on the yard that has cushings and is restricted every which way. He is a really unhappy pony. I choose quality over quantity.

 

[criso]

I'm afraid I would neither insure nor pay huge vet bills for a retired horse. If a big payment became necessary, then I would take that as the point when their time had come.

Even if it was a injury that will resolve no expected problems but with an emergency call out, stitches or staple, some very expensive antibiotics, pain killers and a couple of follow up visits can be quite high. Maybe the vet wants a couple of x rays just to check it's just superficial.

I've easily had something similar go into 4 figures albeit with a horse in work. And at the outset you don't know that it will be so high. An initial call out on a Saturday for a few staples and some antibiotics. However horse decides to remove staples in a place that cant be bandaged so back comes the vet on the Sunday. Then a mild allergic reaction to the antibiotics means a new more expensive one. And each time another vet call out and exam fee, some at weekend rates.

Assuming that this doesn't happen every year then the £700 annual fee will balance these costs out but something like the Harry Hall membership which gives you cover for external injuries for £80 a year is a good compromise.