The British Grooms Association (BGA) has raised concerns over the increasing number of uninsured grooms who are running into financial difficulties after being injured at work.
While employed grooms are entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP), currently £85.85 a week, self-employed grooms are not entitled to receive this, leaving them with no income if they have to take time off.
The BGA’s Lucy Katan said: “This is a particularly worrying trend and in many cases has led to grooms having to sell their possessions in order to pay day-to-day bills.”
In response to this problem, the BGA has teamed up with South Essex Insurance Brokers (SEIB) to offer a range of groom-specific policies.
“Working with horses is a high-risk occupation and I cannot stress how important it is for grooms to take out their own personal accident insurance policies to help protect their income. Most grooms say ‘I didn’t think it would happen to me’, but the sad fact is it can and it does,” added Lucy.
SEIB’s Nicolina MacKenzie, said: “We are particularly concerned about people who think they are insured but they are not.
“Some personal accident insurance cover is only applicable to leisure activities and does not cover student work placements or those who are self-employed working with horses. We would encourage more grooms to become members of the BGA and to take advantage of the insurance option to ensure that they are covered in the event of an accident.”
