Although strongly advised, it’s your choice whether to insure your horse or not. Our Terms and Conditions for making insurance claims are set out at the bottom of this page.
Horse insurance can be a very confusing and whilst we are not allowed to recommend which companies to insure with, we can help guide you. The first thing to decide is – How much cover do you think you need & what type of policy?
What’s right for one won’t be the same for others so it’s worth considering your finances should the worst occur.
Veterinary Fees – most insurance companies give you the option to take cover for this & these are for non-routine veterinary procedures. The value of vet fee cover per condition depends on your own chosen policy – commonly this is £3000-£5000 per condition.
Excess – Usually policies require an excess to be paid before starting a claim (this amount is different for each company). Some companies have a set amount for their excess where as others require you to pay a percentage of the final cost, so you MUST READ THE SMALL PRINT.
Exclusions – does your horse have a previous health issue? You must declare this at time of taking out a policy. Insurance companies will request full clinical history when you place a claim with them (incl any previous vets you have used since owning the horse).
Loss of Use – This provides cover if your horse sustains an injury or a condition that both in the opinion of your vet and the Insurance underwriters vet means that the horse will no longer be able to perform the activity of which the horse is insured as stated on the insurance certificate. This is an option on a lot of policies.
Veteran Policy – usually do not cover vet fees, only accidental external injuries (all companies are different). Each company has a different age bracket for their veteran cover.
*Mortality Cover – must be in accordance with BEVA Guidelines for Humane destruction.
OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS
When making an insurance claim for veterinary fees insurance companies like to be kept informed about the progress of your horse’s condition. It is advisable to seek their permission before having a general anaesthetic, a referral for further investigation or deciding to euthanase your horse (unless it is in an emergency situation) and don’t forget most policies require a post mortem to be done if your horse dies or is euthanased.
Your insurance cover is a contract between yourselves and the company you choose. We, your veterinary surgeon, do not form part of this contract. If therefore, for some reason your insurance company decides that you are not covered for a condition you are claiming for, then your account still has to be settled.
When making a claim please complete your claim form and send it to us as soon as possible marking it for the attention of our Insurance Claims Handler. We will endeavour to complete the form within 2 weeks and then forward it on to your Insurance Company direct. There is a £30 administration fee for handling your claim. You will then receive invoices monthly or sooner if requested. We will send all invoices to your Insurance company direct. Please note some insurance companies, such as Pet Plan; require a continuation form for each new set of invoices.
Your insurance company is likely to ask us to supply them with a clinical history of your horse, as well as any previous clinical history from other equine practices you may have used. In asking us to complete a claim form for you, you are agreeing for us to supply this information to them.
From time to time we are asked to write a report to an insurance company on your behalf. We reserve the right to make a charge to cover our costs of doing this.
You can settle your account in two ways.
1) By paying off your account completely and asking your insurance company to then re reimburse you.
2) By requesting your insurance company to pay us direct paying your excess at the start of the claim and then settling any uninsured amounts, as they become apparent.
Any outstanding amount after three months we reserve the right to charge interest on at 3%/month, so it is worth chasing your insurance company to make an interim payment/settle quickly.
Insurance companies require your permission for us to speak to them on your behalf concerning your claim. You therefore need to grant them this permission.
Please ensure that we have the following information at the earliest opportunity:
1) Insurance Company
2) Policy No
3) Type of Cover (Loss of use, Mortality only, Vets Fees)
4) Limit of cover (both in value per claim and annual limit)
5) Excess per claim
Please be aware that we will need to receive any previous clinical history from any previous equine practices you have used and this may affect any insurance claim.
We are here to help you so if you have any queries at all regarding insurance then do not hesitate to contact our reception and ask to speak to Sharon who deals with all the claims.