Do You Understand The Importance Of Horse Insurance?

A number of terrible things have happened to horses I have
known or worked with. Blaze escaped from her paddock and
wandered onto the road, where she was hit by a truck coming
over the hill suddenly and was killed. Sultan caught himself
on a piece of barbed wire that cut him from fetlock to withers.
April suddenly dropped dead.

All of these situations led to heartache and a lot of expense.
While no amount of money can really ease the pain if a beloved
horse dies or suffers injury, horse insurance can do something
to ease your financial loss. Of course, prevention is better
than compensation. Good attention to fencing would have saved
Sultan from a painful injury and saved Blaze's life.

Checking a field used for grazing to ensure that no poisonous
plants are growing there is also very important. While horse
insurance can offer you a lot of peace of mind, it is no
substitute for taking commonsense precautions. That being
said, horses are natural jumpers and we all know that accidents
happen in life. Illness and injury are common tragedies.

Horse insurance, as the name suggests, is a form of insurance
policy that makes sure that you will receive some compensation
should a tragedy - or other unwanted occurrence - happen to
your horse, whether the horse was bought for business or
pleasure. But not all horse insurance policies are the same.
Cover in the case of death is the most common form of horse
insurance, but other policies are available.

Possible policies can cover major veterinary bills in the case
of serious injury, as happened to Sultan; loss of use, where a
percentage is paid if a horse is permanently prevented from
working the way you intended it to (e.g. a showjumper or
racehorse); surgery (e.g. for colic), or breeding infertility
to cover broodmares and/or stud stallions for reproductive
failure. Other policies can give you cover in the case of
lightning, fire, theft, etc.

It is very important to talk through all aspects of horse
insurance with your insurance broker before signing a policy.
You will want to know what the fine print covers before the
stress of an emergency situation. Make sure you make a list of
any questions you want to ask your agent and be prepared to
define your needs exactly.

Ask your agent to explain any parts of the policy that you do
not understand, and any difficult words. Insurance agencies may
often require certification or other action from a veterinary
surgeon for a claim to be validated. You will also need to
know what action is required from you in order to make and/or
validate your claim. It is also important to find out how to
ensure your claim is valid if your horse, for some unfortunate
reason, needs to be "put down" or euthanased.

As with all forms of insurance, it is important to shop around
and find the horse insurance policy that works best for you and
gives you the cover that you need.

About The Author: For more information on horses, try visiting
http://www.interestinghorses.com - a website that specializes
in providing horse related tips, advice and resources
including information on horse insurance.

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