Veteran insurance advice please!!

[K444ate]

I am looking at buying a 14 year old horse. Please can I have recommendations for the best insurance companies for older horses - which insure up to the highest age for vets fees? Thank you xxx

 

[ester]

A few years ago petplan used to be the best option as if you had insured with them before a certain age they would continue full cover longer (rather than move to a veteran policy)

 

[Shay]

Veteran insurance for horses is really not cost effective. Premiums start to sky rocket after 15. Petplan will continue cover - but it costs! You can get third party liability through any number of organizations - bust most notably perhaps BHS and Pony Club Harry Hall do a cut down vets fees insurance that is reasonably cost effective. There are a couple of companies out there who look cheap but who have particular reputations - google them. But to be honest you are likely to be better off budgeting to self insure.

 

[ester]

Well yes I continued full cover until we had too many exclusions and insurance has paid out more than we had paid in and had a fair excess to keep premium cost down. Stopped when he was 20 I think.

 

[be positive]

I would certainly insure for the first year as long as there are not too many exclusions, then reassess after then, self insuring is fine if you can save, it would take a while to save £5k and the first year tends to be when a new owner is stretched so saving may not be so easy, a credit card is good for emergencies but not if it would prove hard to pay off, so getting the first year covered makes sense to me.

There are far too many examples even on here of "my new horse has xy or z what shall I do?" to make self insuring a sensible option for many owners however appealing it seems to the more experienced multi horse owner who has the background to make that decision.

 

[K444ate]

Thanks for all your help 👍 xxx