OMG my horse insurance has gone up 17%

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Vicki_Krystal

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and i havnt even claimed this year???

This is NFU for 3 horses - i have 3 more to insure but im seriously considering leaving my 2 jumpers with NFU and putting the rest onto E&L - i know they dont have the best rep but from what ive been told they do pay out eventually??

Like horses are not expensive enough?
I could understand if i had claimed but i havnt claimed for 3 years?
 
Have you called them to ask why? I always call every year when it goes up (I'm with SEIB) and make noises that I'm going to move because of cost and I usually always get a 5-10% reduction in the premium.
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It's also worth double checking that you have the right cover for you and your needs e.g. I've taken off the Third Party Liability as I'm a Gold member of the BHS and the cover under them is far superior to anything the insurance companies offer. I also keep my tack at home so I took it off the insurance as it's covered under the house insurance.
Just a few ideas really to help - I would call them though to moan and see what they offer you.
 
Ring them!

Rates in general across the board with insurers have increased over the last year so it is probably just a standard rate increase. If you haven't claimed then, if they work like we do, your renewal will be issued automatically and rate increases will have just been picked up by the system. Basically, if there is no reason to have your policy stopped for review at renewal (ie due to a claim) then it is quite likely it has just been issued automatically.

I would ring - if you have 3 horses on and it is running as a good risk in general (ie good claims history) then NFU are likely to want to keep your custom. I would not get that desperate you feel you need to approach E&L just yet!!!
 
hello - always get quotes from some other companies when this happens, call them and tell them, and they'll bring your premium down - they just put them up these crazy amounts in the hope you won't cause a fuss. I don't have horse insurance, but do have cat insurance through petplan, and in year 2 they tried to double my premiums - a swift phone call later, they'd brought it back down to only £1 more a month.
The same goes for any house/contents insurance...
Nasty insurance companies - it makes me so angry when you think of poor old dears struggling to get by who they must be doing this to all the time...
 
its standard practise so worth ringing around to other agencies like petplan, SEIB for alternative quote. I MOVED! to NFU this year because my petplan insurance was so expensive. When I moved to them, they said they were a mutual so I would look to getting a discount next year...?

do not, under any circumstance, move to E&L - they are really hard to get to pay up and extremely tricky. Honestly think you would be better sticking your insurance premiums into a savings account rather than them...

And yes, worth doublechecking exactly what you are covered for!
 
Hello,

My NFU insurance went up a similar amount last year. Telephoned to ask why as I had not claimed. Spoke to two different people who were fobbing me off with different stories which further prompted me to change insurers. I am now with SEIB. Did my homework so hope they are ok.

PS I did claim from NFU a few years back - small amount around £350 - and they were great). I think it was the tone of the two telephone calls which put me off.
 
Why do you insure if you have six? With that number, it is far cheaper in the long term not to insure at all, but to bank the premiums and keep them for the rainy days.
 
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Why do you insure if you have six? With that number, it is far cheaper in the long term not to insure at all, but to bank the premiums and keep them for the rainy days.

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Erm i insure because i want to and i wouldnt have 2k in a bank in an emergency for operations etc
 
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Why do you insure if you have six? With that number, it is far cheaper in the long term not to insure at all, but to bank the premiums and keep them for the rainy days.

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Erm i insure because i want to and i wouldnt have 2k in a bank in an emergency for operations etc

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I agree with STC. I insure 10 horses and recently had a colic operation that cost over £5k but unfortunately the horse died. I also get public liability insurance and mortality cover. I don't insure for LoU.

I have heard that some people who are not insured are asked to pay up front for major surgery. It is stressful enough having to do an emergency dash without the worry of paying for it.
 
Mine with NFU went right up this year but I have had 3 huge claims over the last few years.
I could have saved a bit but not alot by moving but in the end decided to stay with them.
This was partly because they have been so good to us with the claims and knowing my horse's history we are all very clear about what is covered and what isn't.
Plus next year is some big anniversary and they are offering existing customers big discounts on their premiums - bigger if you've been with them longer.

I did call up to try and negotiate but the woman I spoke to while very helpful couldn't do anything. They were probably hoping I would go as in 2 years I have claimed more than my horse is worth.
What she was able to do was give me a breakdown of the premium so I could decide if I could save money by only paying for what I wanted. I couldn't as it was vets bills part that they had upped but worth checking.
 
SEIB are great we have had a 16k paid to us this year in vets fees and our LOU claim and they were great
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Also Petplan are good and pay and we have had quite a few claims this year
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Mine went up £100 this year, on a 2 horse policy. It's gone from 680ish to 780ish. I let it go because they were dealing with a big claim on my younger horse, which they have now paid, and I suspect that claim had a lot to do with why it increased so much; however, I won't be allowing them to become complacent and next time will be shopping around. £780 a year for vets bills for one horse that's never (touch wood) had any claims, is a happy hacker and for another horse who I had insured as the same and until that point had never had a claim, plus public liability upto 1million, theft, tack cover upto 2000, is a bit much I think!
 
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I have heard that some people who are not insured are asked to pay up front for major surgery. It is stressful enough having to do an emergency dash without the worry of paying for it.

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This can and does happen even if insured to the hilt by a highly reputatble insurer, like we are.

If you are not a registered client of some Equine Clinics (who do the ops/investigations) then they can ask for payment up front rather than waiting for the insurer. I use a local vet (Equine part of the practice) and was referred to a clinic for investigations and a few weeks later, surgery. We had to pay 3k up front. The same clinic refuses to accept E&L customers as insured at all, even if the customers are registered clients of the clinic. Those insured with E&L have to pay up front regardless of whether they are registered there.
 
Seriously don't go with E&L - yes they did finally pay up on my claim about 18 months afterwards (after they had agreed to it in advance, in writing). In the meantime however, my poor mum had £3.5k sitting on her credit card accruing interest like nobody's business. We had to take them to the insurance ombudsman. It was an awful experience.
 
One thing we have noticed with NFU is it almost seems like they see the owner as being a high liability rather than the horse.
Someone I know saw her high premiums after big claims with 2 horses being applied to her next horse which had no history of illness or injury.

Re E and L, a friend of mine did get a payout eventually but it took her over a year and she is a lawyer so was able to use her position a little bit to know the right language and jargon to use in letters and phonecalls to move them along.
I think it almost got to the insurance ombudsman though.
 
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