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Q: Last year, I entered some competitions only for my horse to go lame beforehand, causing me to lose the non-returnable entry fees.
I also seem to be missing out financially when events are cancelled due to the weather — can I get insurance to cover these eventualities?
TN, Herefordshire
There are policies that cover lost event and registration fees due to equine injury, loss of use or equine mortality, but they do not cover weather conditions or balloting.
Penny Reid from AmTrust Equine says it is tough for competitors who pay their annual registration fees, only to have a horse go lame mid-season.
“For this reason, AmTrust Equine launched a competition horse insurance policy to provide cover for show jumping, dressage and cross-country,” she explained. “If you are a British Eventing, British Dressage or BSJA member, we will refund up to £200 in total registration fees if the insured horse sustains an injury that means it won’t compete again during that season.”
Tim Price, spokesman for NFU Mutual, said the insurer offers a policy covering “irrecoverable entry fees up to £750, if a policyholder is unable to recover these due to a valid loss of animal claim”.
South Essex Insurance Brokers (SEIB) offers up to £500 for loss of entry fees as part of its mortality and loss of use cover.
Sports horse insurer Amlin Plus has a high-end policy that “provides coverage for non-returnable entry fees and shipping costs paid up-front”, explained Amlin’s David Ashby.
“We typically grant this type for world-class competitions such as the World Equestrian Games, but it is available at any time. Pre-existing problems are excluded as a cause of loss, but otherwise the policy covers all equine illness or injury — although experience tells us the major risk is travel sickness.”
Information
AmTrust Equine, tel: 08453 313080 www.amtrustequine.co.uk
NFU Mutual, tel: 08003 164661 www.nfumutual.co.uk
SEIB, tel: 08454 509367 www.seib.co.uk
Amlin Plus, tel: 020 7423 0920 www.amlinplus.co.uk
This Q&A was first published in Horse & Hound (26 February, ’09)
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