Vets Fees for Insurance

[juliette1968]

We have just viewed a first horse for my daughter and I'm sorting vetting, insurance etc out. Just wondered what was a reasonable annual amount to insure for vet's fees? I know this will affect the monthly premiums but don't have a clue how much to put. My dog's recent vet insurance claim was £1200 so what could it be for a horse?! Incidentally, the horse is a 7 year old 15.2 gelding cob who will be hacking, jumping a bit and hopefully hunting next season. Value around 6-7K. Thanks

 

[Red-1]

I usually go for £5000 vet fees with a £500 excess to keep the cost down.

I also insure for a lower value, that lowers the cost more than anything.

 

[juliette1968]

Thanks Red-Nose, that's really helpful. Sorting out vetting this morning. Hope that comes back OK as we have all fallen in love with him already.

 

[SusieT]

A lot- colic surgeyr could be 10-15, lameness work up 1000 easily, 2000 if mri/advance dimaigng. if a young competition horse and you would pursue aggressive lameness work up or surgery if required I would get the highest limit you can afford -

 

[chaps89]

Also check whether things like alternative therapies (remedial shoeing, physio etc) and hospitalisation/transport costs are included, or if they're available separately at all.
Good luck for the vetting

 

[Orangehorse]

You can arrange to have a much higher excess, i.e. what you can pay for and wouldn't claim, for example if you can put your hands on £500 or £1,000 easily enough. For some people they couldn't afford this and like the lower excess.

But treatments are getting more possible and more expensive. I think colic was around £5,000 but maybe more now. It is really trying to cover the "worst thing"

 

[teddypops]

I insure with petplan and have an excess of £145 with £5000 vets fees. I prefer a low excess as I claim for everything. If I had an excess of £500 then I would be paying the majority of my bills as well as paying for insurance which doesn’t make sense to me. Conditions will be excluded whether you claim or not which is why I claim for everything possible.

 

[MissTyc]

I insure with petplan and have an excess of £145 with £5000 vets fees. I prefer a low excess as I claim for everything. If I had an excess of £500 then I would be paying the majority of my bills as well as paying for insurance which doesn’t make sense to me. Conditions will be excluded whether you claim or not which is why I claim for everything possible.

Same here!
But have insured my horses for £2,000 rather than full value on the premise that on the very rare occasion you actually get that money, I'd only buy myself a youngster anyway rather than a "replacement" horse at the same level.