When do you need to tell insurance company?

weob

weob

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Just after some advice from you lovely people...

My lovely boy (homebred, 8 yo) has just been diagnosed as having a bone cyst in an inoperable location - right in the fetlock joint, at the base of the cannon bone where it joins on to the long pastern bone and in behind the sesamoid bone. (Have had second opinion on this by a well known and highly successful equine vet clinic). He also has arthritic changes in the joint.

He has had a steroid injection and (touches wood with fingers crossed) at the moment seems sound. However there is a possibility that he may not stay sound and I will need to claim for loss of use.
After 30-odd years of owning horses I have never had to claim from my insurance so do not know anything about the correct procedure or when I need to tell them etc...

Any help or advice greatfully received.

Many , many thanks.

W
 
You should have told them when he went lame and needed to see the vet. Have you been paying the vet bills yourself then ?
 
Now that you have a diagnosis then i would inform your insurer - you don't really need to have told them the minute the horse went lame (horses go lame for short periods all the time) but, had you had vets fees and once it was going down the route of investigative work etc then you would have been obliged to inform your insurer. Now, with regards LOU claims CHECK your policy wording! Many insurers stipulate that a valid loss of use claim has to be submitted within a year (365 days) or renewal of the policy (irrespective of whether the policy was renewed) and the injury/illness must have occurred within an insured period.

If your policy is up for renewal they are going to end up excluding this condition so, I would double check with them what the criteria would be for claiming for LOU. For instance, if your horse doesn't go lame until say 5 years down the line they are not going to pay LOU on the condition after that sort of timescale.

As I said though, talk to them, discuss it and get them to advise you what the timescales/limits are. If this horse is insured for competitive work though and the vet can already state now the horse will not be able to do what it is insured for you could feasibly claim for LOU now anyway. You would not get 100% if he is still rideable (ie hacking etc). Ultimately it'd be up to you.
 
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