Although pet insurance is usually standardised, horse insurance is an entirely different type of insurance. If you are looking to ensure your horse, here is a list of frequently asked horse insurance questions:



How old must my horse be to avail horse insurance?

Like medical insurance, horse insurance is also divided into surgical and medical insurance. A horse has to be more than 6 months old and less then 14 years old to avail full medical and surgical cover. Horse insurance also offers full mortality coverage for horses that are more than 24 hours old and are less than 18 years old.

Does horse insurance cover all horses? irrespective of their intended use?

Contrary to popular belief, race horses are not covered by regular horse insurance (namely they do not receive major medical/surgical or surgical only coverage). Race horse owners have to apply for special race horse insurance if they want surgical and medical cover for their horses. In addition, the horse's intended use has to be mentioned on the horse insurance application form. Although, different insurance companies have different criteria, the extent of cover provided rests with the insurance company.

Is horse insurance valid worldwide?

Horse insurance is usually country specific. For example, a UK insurance firm will only offer surgical and medical cover to a horse as long as it is in the UK. However, horse owners can apply for international coverage and the list of countries covered usually varies from company to company.

Is a veterinary examination compulsory to avail horse insurance?

Most insurance companies do not require a veterinary examination before offering horse insurance, but a veterinary examination is solely at the discretion of the insurance company. If the horse is being insured for a large amount, insurance companies usually conduct a medical examination before providing horse insurance.

The same policy holds true if a horse owner wishes to renew his horse insurance policy. If the insurance company feels the horse is too old or they wish to ascertain the health of the horse, they can demand a mandatory veterinary examination before renewing the horse insurance.

How much can a horse be insured for?

A horse can only be insured for an amount that befits its market value. Most insurance companies allow horse owners to insurance their horses for ?fair market value? or an amount lower than the horse's fair market value. For example, if a horse owner can sell a horse for ?10000 then the insurance company will offer mortality cover for close to ?10000.

The price of a horse can increase over a period of time, and an insurance company applies the above mentioned principle of fair market value while deciding on the revised terms and conditions of the horse insurance. A competition record, professional evaluation, or other documentation is normally sufficient to provide proof of the horse's value. It is important to remember that the higher the value of the horse, the higher the insurance premium and it is in the owner's best interests to get an unbiased evaluation of the horse's value.

Understanding horse insurance

A horse between the age of 6 months and 14 years is an ideal candidate for major medical/surgical coverage (in addition to mortality insurance). Typical horse insurance will reimburse a horse owner for covered veterinary costs (both medical and surgical) in the event of injury, illness, accident or disease. It is important to remember that a horse's mortality cover is only applicable for humane destruction and horse insurance does not cover economic destruction. In essence, only when a veterinarian decides a horse should be killed will the insurance company offer mortality insurance. A horse owner is expected to offer a horse full medical and surgical attention if the veterinarian believes it will help the horse and killing a horse for lack of funds will null and void the horse insurance.

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