Carriagehouse Equestrian Insurance Review

• Your horse must be older than 30 days and younger than 15 years.
• You must take all reasonable steps to prevent loss, damage or accidents and keep all insured property in a good state of repair.
• You must undertake any recommendations made by your vet, in respect of treatment, rest and rehabilitation.
• In respect of long term medication, you are required to source these from the most cost effective supplier, even if this means obtaining a prescription from your vet and then buying the drugs from an online pharmacy.
• You must inform the Insurer if your horse is to undergo an elective procedure, i.e. castration under General Anaesthetic.
• Your horse must be in sound health and free from any injury, illness, disease or disability or physical abnormality.
• You are the sole owner of the horse to be insured
• You must provide proper care and attention to your horse at all times and make sure they are regularly wormed and vaccinated against tetanus.
• You agree to undertake and pay for all routine/medical care including feet trimming, shoeing and routine dentistry.

The Carriagehouse horse insurance offer three options in respect of vet fees cover.

They are

Option 1 covering up to £2,500 per claim

Option 2 covering up to £3,000 per claim

Option 3 covering up to £5,000 per claim

Option 3 allows you to add the colic extension which increases vet fees cover up to £7,500 per claim for colic.

All claims last for a maximum of 12 months from the date of the initial symptoms or until the claim limit has been reached, whichever comes first.

This section also includes up to £200 to cover transportation to a veterinary hospital.

Many insurance issues occur because customers were unaware of specific terms, conditions or exclusions that were detailed in the policy or on their schedule. This usually results in a claim being refused by Insurer.

This is the reason we strongly recommend, familiarising yourself with the policy wording and taking time to understand what is and isn't actually covered. To help we have provided a list of the important exclusions.

Carriagehouse Horse Insurance does not cover;

1. Costs in respect of normal foaling, castrations, any preventative inoculation or worming.
2. Routine or age related dentistry, or fees for the treatment of Diastemas and Dental Caries.
3. The cost of horse husbandry and or general care and maintenance of your horse.
4. Routine or performance enhancing surgical treatment or manipulative therapies.
5. The cost of saddle fitting problems or anything related to behavioural issues or training.
6. The cost of livery, stabling, grazing, feeding, bedding or any changes in the way you look after your horse other than when your horse is hospitalised.
7. More than 50% of the admittance, hospitalisation, livery and nursing costs when your horse is hospitalised.
8. The cost of normal care for your horses fee including shoeing and or trimming.
9. The cost of buying or hiring equipment or machinery even if it is recommended by your vet.
10. The cost of rehabilitation exercise or work (i.e. use of horse walkers, the cost of someone lunging or exercising your horse).
11. Any fees in respect of maintenance or preventative treatment or medication.
12. Claims or related fees in respect of any weight related condition where the insured horse has a body score of 8 or above on the Henneke horse body condition scoring system or 4 or above on the Carroll and Huntington (1988) system.
13. Any costs relating to further or new veterinary investigations and/or examination and/or medication when there is an absence of current symptoms unless it is subsequently proven and supported by a Veterinary Surgeon that the original condition remains unresolved.
14. Any treatment, investigations or examination costs arising from congenital or conformational abnormalities.
15. Fees in respect of horse aged 16 to 22 years inclusive arising from the investigations into and diagnosing of Cushings Disease (PPID), Navicular Disease and Degenerative Diseases including by way of examples: Degenerative Joint disesase, Arthritis and Osteoarthritis, Ring Bone and Side Bone.
16. Cover in respect of horse aged 23 to 25 years inclusive is limited to claims arising from accidental and external injury only.

In respect of Gastric ulcers: the cost of Gastroscopes performed without prior recorded veterinary evidence of clinical In respect of Equine Gastric Ulcers: investigations and treatment for equine gastric ulcer syndrome and/or equine gastric glandular disease will only be considered when your horse is exhibiting clinical symptoms of these conditions.

Following diagnosis by gastroscope of gastric ulceration at Grade 2 or above (on the EGUS Lesion Scoring System (LSS) published by the Equine Gastric Ulcer Council), Carriagehouse will initially pay for the first 28 days at up to a full dose and then a further 28 days at a withdrawal dose. Further medication if required, will be covered up to a further 60 days subject to a repeat gastroscope confirming the continuing presence of gastric ulcers of Grade 2 or above.

If your horse is diagnosed with equine gastric glandular disease the lesions must be accurately described in the nature and position and monitored by gastroscope as above. If at any reassessment the lesions have resolved, all coverage under this section will cease.

Horse activities are split into two classes, Class A & Class C

Class A activities include Hacking, Breaking, Out at grass, Local shows, Driving, Dressage up to elementary, Riding Club & BE90 Horse Trials, Novice Hunter trials and Jumping to 90cm max.

Class C activities include all Class A plus Dressage at medium level & above, Hunting, BE Horse Trials BE100 & above, Horse Driving Trials, Endurance over 30 miles, Hunter trials and Show Jumping over 90cm.

Carriagehouse vetting requirements are as follows

New purchases:

Horses up to £3000, no veterinary information will be required.

Horses over £3000, if you want veterinary fee or permanent loss of use, a current 5 stage vetting certificate will be required.

Horses over £10000 will require a 5 stage pre-purchase vetting certificate and a report on the xrays of all four feet (to include the Navicular bones), all fetlocks, both hocks and stifles.

Horses owned and currently insured:

A copy of their renewal invitation confirming the cover provided and any exclusions attaching to them. A copy of your horse’s veterinary history may be required if there have been medical issues during your ownership. If relevant, a copy of your original pre-purchase vetting certificate may also be requested.

Horses owned and uninsured:

A copy of their complete medical history from all the vets who have treated the horse during your ownership will be required. For a high value horses a current 5 stage vetting certificate will also be requested.

You or any person using the horse with your permission.

Alternative treatments are covered but limited to £500 within the overall vet fee limit. Cover for alternative treatment will cease once the horse has returned to it’s normal pre-injury condition. In respect of Remedial Farriery Carriagehouse will not pay more than £500 for shoeing and/or the care of your horse’s feet.

Alternative treatments are described as;
The cost of any examination, consultation, advice, test and legally prescribed medication for the following procedures where they are treatment for an illness or injury:
1) Acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, herbal medicine, homeopathy, osteopathy, physiotherapy, remedial farriery.
2) The treatment must be carried out by either a Veterinary Surgeon or on a Veterinary Surgeon’s referral by a therapist who holds a nationally recognised qualification in their subject or a farrier who is a member of the National Association of Farriers Blacksmiths and Agricultural Engineers (NAFBAE) or a member of the Farriers Registration Council (FRC);
3) Hydrotherapy carried out by either a Veterinary Surgeon or a therapist following referral by your usual Veterinary Surgeon.

In the event of death by injury or illness or euthanasia due to illness, injury, lameness or disease and needs to be slaughtered on humane grounds, Carriagehouse Insurance will pay the lower of the current market value or the sum insured specified in the schedule.

Cover is provided for death within 12 months of the date of onset of the injury or illness. Slaughter for humane reasons must comply with current BEVA guidelines.

This section of cover excludes the following;

Death due to the administration of drugs or medication unless required because of accident, injury, illness or disease first occurring and first manifesting itself in the period of insurance and administered by, or at the direction of, a veterinary surgeon. Medication includes any drug, hormone, vitamin, protein or other substance other than unadulterated food or drink.

Claims or related fees in respect of any weight related condition where the insured horse has a body score of 8 or above on the Henneke horse body condition scoring system or 4 or above on the Carroll and Huntington (1988) system.

Death claims for horse(s) aged 16 to 22 years inclusive, arising from Cushings Disease (PPID), Navicular Disease and Degenerative Diseases including by way of examples: Degenerative Joint Disease, Arthritis and Osteoarthritis, Ring Bone and Side Bone.

Death claims for horse(s) aged 23 to 25 years inclusive; cover for these horse(s) is limited to death arising from accidental external injury only.

If an insured horse dies or is destroyed you must, at your own expense, immediately arrange for a postmortem examination by a qualified Veterinary Surgeon.

Before emergency euthanasia takes place, you must ask your Veterinary Surgeon if the horse’s condition meets current BEVA Guidelines for the Destruction of Horses under All Risks Mortality Insurance Policies.

Carriage House will pay up to £300 to help with the cost of removal of the body subject to receipt of a death certificate.

This does not cover the cost of euthanasia or postmortem examination or reports.

If your horse is stolen or strays and is not found within 90 days, Carriagehouse will pay the current market value or the sum insured whichever is the lower amount

They will also pay up to £200 towards the cost of advertising and or reward leading to recovery.

This section of cover is optional. If chosen it covers your saddlery and tack against all risks, theft, physical loss or damage up to £1,000.

The Insurer may choose to deal with claims by payment, repair or replacement of the property with items of a similar type, age and condition.

In the event of theft or attempted theft of any item, you must immediately contact the police and obtain a crime reference number.

If an insured item is a set or pair, the Insurer will not pay more than the value of any part that may be lost or damaged, nor more than a proportionate part of the insured value of the pair or set. No account will be taken of any special value which the part lost or damaged has as a pair or set.

In the event of theft of any saddlery, tack or harness Carriagehouse will pay for the items stolen if they are not recovered within thirty days.

The policy excludes more than £500 per item of saddlery unless specified.

An optional section of cover, if chosen will pay you in the event of any insured horse sustaining an illness, injury, lameness, disease or physical disability which results in permanent incapacity to fulfill the Class of Use that you are insured for:

1) 75% of the lesser of the current market value or the sum insured specified should you elect to keep the horse,
2) 100% of the lesser of the current market value or the sum insured specified should the horse be slaughtered for economic reasons.

Settlement is provided that the symptoms of illness, injury, lameness, disease or physical disability first occur during the period of insurance and in the opinion of both your and our veterinary surgeons, results in permanent incapacity during the period of insurance or within twelve (12) calendar months of such occurrence.

This section of cover excludes; disfigurement following an illness, injury, lameness, disease or physical disability which renders the horse unsuitable for showing because of its appearance.

Abnormalities of the reproduction organs in the case of any horse kept for breeding, other than those caused by accident, injury, illness or disease occurring during the period of insurance.

Claims or related fees in respect of any weight related condition where the insured horse has a body score of 8 or above on the Henneke horse body condition scoring system or 4 or above on the Carroll and Huntington (1988) system.

In the event that you or any person riding the horse with your permission sustains accidental bodily injury, is permanently disabled or dies as the result of an accident, Carriagehouse will pay up to £10,000 for death and Permanent total
disablement (death benefit reduced to £7500 for anyone under the age of 14) and any dental treatment required up to £1500.

This section excludes anyone who has not reached their 5th birthday or has reached their 70th birthday unless previously agreed by the Insurer, or if the person riding the horse has any known or obvious physical defect or infirmity.

There is no option to insure more than one horse under the same policy.

The policies excludes any cover in respect of any condition or disability, already in existence, or confirmed by the Insurers Veterinary Surgeon likely to have been in existence prior to the commencement of the insurance.

The policy excludes vet fees in respect of normal foaling.

Carriagehouse Horse Insurance excludes any claim for death or loss of use within the first 60 days of the inception of the policy.

It also excludes any loss directly or indirectly arising from or attributable to a condition becoming apparent within 60 days of inception of a new policy, which may have been concealed by the presence of non steroid anti-inflammatory or analgesic medication, unless a blood test was carried out at inception and subsequent testing at your expense, proves that the results were negative for the medication as stated above.

Carriagehouse charge an excess on vet fees of either £150 or £300 (£300 compulsory on the £2500 vet fees) depending on which you choose.

The excess for Third party liability claims is £150.

In addition to the excess, you are required to pay 25% of the costs for CT, CAT, MRI and Bone Scintigraphy scans and any related drugs administered.

The excess for theft claims is £100, increasing to £150.

The website provides some explanation of Carriagehouse horse insurance, and there is an excellent section under frequently asked questions. There is no live chat available, but you can phone or email them with any questions.

The quotation software is easy to use and you are presented with a lot of flexibility in terms of the different options available.

The policy wording is 27 pages long. It does not have a summary of cover or an index to help with navigation. The headings and important notes are in a different colour, but the layout does not help with comprehension. In our readability tests,
the wording scored only 10 out 100 and was classed as very difficult to read with a reading ability of a college graduate required to be able to understand the text itself.

Horse Insurance is complicated and has many terms and conditions you must adhere to, so it's important you read all the information including the policy wording, to make sure you understand what is and isn't covered.

The only customer reviews we could find were on Carriagehouse's own website. Whilst we are unable to verify the reviews, they appear not only positive about claims settlement but in all aspects of horse insurance administration, customer service and the ability to underwrite unusual case.

There are currently no special discounts or promotions.

Carriagehouse are a company that specialise in horse insurance. The reviews on their website are all positive and they try to guarantee settlement of your claim within a maximum of 5 working days after receipt of all the appropriate claims papers and veterinary information.

During our tests, their policies appeared competitive when comparing to policies that offer similar levels of cover. The policies are flexible and have a number of different options you can choose from. So think carefully about what you need to be covered for.

The policy wording is not the easiest to read or understand, so make sure you read it carefully and if you have any questions you should contact the company direct.

One point to bear in mind is that if your horse undergoes any scan MRI, CT etc, you will be expected to pay 25% of the cost.