Page 1109 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

Warning
• Always answer the questions truthfully or a claim may be declared invalid at a
VetBooks.ir later date. Failure to disclose a fact that seems irrelevant at the time may

jeopardize an expensive future claim. For example, if your horse has a mild
bout of spasmodic colic due to escaping into the lush pasture next door and
gorging himself, you should notify the insurance company even if you are not

making a claim. Failure to do so may mean they refuse to pay the fees for an
unrelated surgical colic later on.

• The fact that your horse has a 5-stage prepurchase examination certificate,
does not guarantee that it will be accepted for cover by an insurance company.

It may be wise to defer purchase until the insurance company has agreed to
cover the horse.

• If a problem is decided to have existed before the insurance cover was taken

out, the insurers are likely to refuse to pay for treatment. If, for example, you
purchase a horse with a small sarcoid on its thigh, the risk of it becoming a

problem later on is one you must weigh up when making the decision to buy
the horse. Sarcoids are very unpredictable in their behaviour so any costs
incurred will be your responsibility and not that of the insurance company.

Another example would be the horse with poor hoof conformation and foot
balance that is sound at the time of purchase. The vet’s fees are unlikely to be

covered if the horse develops chronic foot pain in the next few months.

Points to consider when taking out an insurance policy

THE TYPE OF COVER

In addition to the choices discussed above, the cost varies with the value and proposed use of
the horse. The higher the value of the horse and the riskier the activities it is used for, the
greater the premium. A horse used for light hacking is on average less likely to become

injured during the course of its work than a three-day-event horse.

DISCOUNTS

A number of companies offer discounts for owners insuring more than one horse.

DATE THE COVER COMMENCES

This is very important as most policies exclude illness and disease occurring within the first