KBIS Equestrian Insurance Review

• Your horse must be aged between 90 days and 30 years (except if you are only purchasing death, theft or straying cover, KBIS will cover foals 24 hours and upwards. Loss of use can only be covered on horses older than 3 years of age).
• You and your horse must live in the United Kingdom.
• You must be the sole owner or loanee of your horse.
• Your horse must be in sound health and free from any illness, disease, lameness, injury or physical disability.
• You must also ensure that your horse's health is maintained, and take reasonable steps to prevent illness, injury or death, including that arising out of obesity.
• You should ensure your horse is regularly wormed or assessed for worm infestation by egg-count, and treated in the event of a positive test result in accordance with veterinary guidelines.
• Your horse must be vaccinated against tetanus and equine influenza and you must take proper precautions to protect the
  horse against all infectious or contagious disease.
• Your horse must have a dental examination at least every twelve months in order for any dental condition to be covered.
• You must make sure anyone handling or riding the horse has the knowledge and experience to do so in order to limit the
  possibility of the horse injuring itself, the handler/rider or someone else, or damaging their property.
• The maximum value of your horse for online quotes is £15,000.

If your horse suffers an injury or illness and you have elected to cover vet fees, KBIS will pay the veterinary fees incurred by you for the treatment of the incident up to the limit you are insured for.

KBIS vet fees are split into Leisure horse scales A - G and Competition horse, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum as follows:

Scale A - covers up to £3,000 per incident for Accidental External & Violent Injuries only. The Insured Horse is covered for 15 months from the onset date of the Incident or the benefit limit whichever comes first. (excludes any costs in respect of hospitalisation of your horse).

Scale B - covers up to £7,500 in total, against Accidental External and Violent Injuries, Colic Surgery, Joint or Tendon Sheath Flushing as a result of Sepsis and surgery for pastern and Pedal Bone fractures. The horse is insured for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the maximum benefit limit has been reached. (maximum age limit for horses is 20 years and excludes any costs in respect of hospitalisation of your horse).

Scale C - covers 75% of all veterinary fees and or 100% of fees for Colic Surgery up to £3,000 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (maximum age limit for horses is 20 years and excludes any costs in respect of hospitalisation of your horse).

Scale C - (horses aged 21 - 25) covers 75% of all veterinary fees up to a maximum total benefit of £1,250. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (excludes any costs in respect of hospitalisation of your horse).

Scale D - covers all veterinary fees up to £3,000 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (excludes any costs in respect of hospitalisation of your horse).

Scale E - covers all veterinary fees up to £3,000 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (Maximum age limit for horses is 15 years). (excludes any costs in respect of hospitalisation of your horse).

Scale F - covers all veterinary fees up to £5,000 per incident (except colic surgery which is covered up to £7,500 per incident). The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (Maximum age limit for horses is 15 years ). Covers hospitalisation costs up to £250.

Scale G - (Horses aged 16 - 20 years) covers all veterinary fees up to £3,500 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. Covers hospitalisation costs up to £250.

Competition horse vet fees cover as follows:

Bronze - covers all veterinary fees up to a maximum of £6,000 per Incident for all conditions except Colic Surgery which is covered up to £7,500 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (Maximum age limit for horses is 15 years). Covers hospitalisation costs up to £250.

Silver - covers all veterinary fees up to £3,500 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (Maximum age limit for horses is 20 years). Covers hospitalisation costs up to £250.

Gold - covers all veterinary fees up to £6,000 incident except colic surgery which is covered up to £7,500 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (Maximum age limit for horses is 15 years). Covers hospitalisation costs up to £250.

Platinum - covers all veterinary fees up to £6,000 incident except colic surgery which is covered up to £7,500 per incident. The Horse is covered for 15 months from the date of the incident or until the benefit limit has been reached. (Maximum age limit for horses is 15 years). Covers hospitalisation costs up to £250.

Many customer issues with insurance are as a result of a claim being declined or a settlement amount is less than the customer was expecting. Not all, but a significant number of these are caused as a result of the customer either not reading the policy wording, or understanding the meanings of the terms and conditions that have been applied to the policy. 

It is important that you read the policy wording carefully to understand what is and isn't covered. We appreciate that not all policy wordings are easy to understand and horse insurance is no exception. To help you with this we have highlighted some of the important exclusions.

KBIS do not cover;

1. Any vet fee incurred for any diagnostic imaging procedure that is repeated for any reason.
2. Vets fees that are connected to elective, preventative, or routine treatments or procedures
3. The cost of inoculations or vaccinations
4. The cost of dentistry or the extraction of wolf teeth.
5. The cost of spaying or castration.
6. Vet fees incurred in connection with a hereditary or congenital complaint
7. The cost of treating behavioural problems or known vices e.g. crib biting, wind sucking, or weaving.
8. Any Care/management fees, livery expenses or transportation costs.
9. Thermography costs unless carried out by a veterinary surgeon.
10. Any costs incurred preparing reports or claim forms.
11. Any costs incurred for buying or hiring therapeutic or veterinary equipment or machinery including, but not limited to, rugs,face masks, steamers, nebulizers, and/or boots.
12. 15 Any costs of treatment for equine gastric ulcer syndrome and/or equine gastric glandular disease, unless diagnosed by gastroscopic examination. The cost of treatment for equine gastric ulcer syndrome in the horse if the severity of the condition is found to be Grade 2 on the EGUS LSS on gastroscopic examination.
13. Any cost for preventative treatment of equine gastric ulcer syndrome and/or equine gastric glandular disease, including, but not limited to, nutraceuticals or feed additives, if, at any gastroscopic reassessment, the equine gastric ulceration is found to have resolved below Grade 2 on the LSS or the equine gastric glandular disease has resolved.

NOTE THAT any claim 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.

1. If the horse is exhibiting clinical symptoms of equine gastric ulcer syndrome, and is diagnosed as suffering with gastric
   ulceration at Grade 2 or above (on the EGUS Lesion Scoring System (LSS) published by the Equine Gastric Ulcer Council) by gastroscopic examination, its condition must be reassessed by gastroscopic examination at 90-day intervals. If, at any
   reassessment, the gastric ulceration is found to have resolved below Grade 2 on the LSS, all coverage will cease.
2. 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 every 90 days. If at any reassessment the lesions have resolved, all coverage will cease.
3. If the horse is exhibiting clinical symptoms of equine gastric ulcer syndrome and/or equine gastric glandular disease and
   your veterinary surgeon recommends a short-term treatment protocol as a preferred diagnostic procedure over
   gastroscopy for reasons inherent in the horse, KBIS will pay for proton pump inhibitor medication for a maximum of 14 days without requiring a gastroscopic evaluation.

KBIS split activities into classes. For the leisure horse the classes are as follows:

Class 1 covers At Grass, Hacking, Breeding & Youngstock, Retired.

Class 2 covers Class 1 plus Hunting, Gymkhanas/Mounted Games, backing and breaking in, Showing in-hand or under saddle, Dressage/Schooling up to and including Elementary level, Showjumping up to and including 110cm, Riding Club and Pony Club Events, Western Pleasure Riding/Horsemanship, Non-competitive Driving, Jump Cross, Le-Trec and Eventing/Cross Country up to and including 90cm.

For competition horses the classes are as follows:

Class 1A covers At Grass, Hacking, Breeding & Youngstock, Retired, Hunting, Gymkhanas/Mounted Games, backing and breaking in, Showing in-hand or under saddle, Dressage/Schooling up to and including Elementary level, Showjumping up to and including 110cm, Riding Club and Pony Club Events, Western Pleasure Riding/Horsemanship, Non-competitive Driving, Jump Cross, Le-Trec and Eventing/Cross Country up to and including 90cm The maximum sum insured for this class is £7,500.

Class 1B covers Class 1A plus Dressage/Schooling above Elementary level, Showjumping above 110cm, Eventing/Cross Country up to and including 105cm, , Competitive Long Distance Riding (under 40km).

Class 2 covers class 1A and 1B, plus: Eventing/Cross Country up to and including BE Novice and Intermediate Eventing, Polo Cross, Horseball, Competitive Long Distance riding (40km and over) and Competitive Driving not including trotting.

Class 3 covers 1A, 1B and class 2 plus: Eventing/Cross Country up to and including BE Advanced Team Chasing, Polo* and Arab Racing*. * These activities are only covered in the ‘Death & Theft Cover’ section.

NOTE. When you come to complete the quotation questions you get to choose the specific activities that you wish to take part in and the class is automatically selected for you.

The KBIS vetting requirements are outlined below and depend on the type of cover you wish to take out and the market value of your horse.

Death & Theft Cover only:
Market Values up to £9,999 None, unless you have had a pre purchase vetting carried out in which case you will need to send us a copy.

Vet Fee Cover:
Market Values up to £6,000 None, unless you have had a pre purchase vetting carried out in which case you will need to send us a copy.

Market Values £6,001 to £9,999 Two or Five stage vetting unless the horse has been owned for a minimum of 6 months.

Market Values £10,000 to £20,000 Two or Five stage vetting.

Permanent Loss of Use Cover:
Market Values up to £9,999 Five stage vetting

Market Values £10,000 – £19,999 Five stage vetting plus X-rays. (refer to KBIS website for specific x-ray requirements)

NOTE. Any vetting should have been carried out no more than 14 days before the start of the cover. If the vetting falls outside of this period then KBIS would require a new vetting to be carried out in addition to seeing the original vetting.

Any person handling, riding, driving, mounting or dismounting the horse with
your permission is insured under this policy.

Only certain KBIS policies cover complementary treatments. They are Vet fees scale F, G, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum, which cover complementary treatments up to £500.

Complementary treatments are described as; Physiotherapy, Ultrasound Therapy, Faradism, Infra-red Therapy, Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMFT), Class IV Laser Therapy*, Back manipulation, Corrective farriery, Osteopathy, Chiropractic,
Nutraceuticals, Alternative Medicine, Herbalism, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Mesotherapy, and / or Remedial Exercise.

* Only Class IV Laser Therapy carried out by a veterinary surgeon is covered under this section.

KBIS covers death by injury, illness, emergency euthanasia and non emergency euthanasia

In the event that your horse dies due to an injury or illness, KBIS will pay the market value of your horse, not exceeding the sum insured.

Emergency Euthanasia

In the event your horse suffers from an incident that is so severe emergency euthanasia is the only option to relieve your horse's incurable and excessive pain and suffering as confirmed by your veterinary surgeon and that is was unable to be transported to a place where treatment might be available, KBIS will pay the market value of your horse, not exceeding the sum insured.

Non Emergency Euthanasia

In the event that your horse suffers an incident that requires euthanasia, KBIS will pay the market value of the horse, not exceeding the sum insured.

There are conditions attached to this and they are that

1. You must give KBIS sufficient notification of the incident to allow for a second opinion.
2. Your horse must exhibit signs of severe and unremitting pain, which can only be controlled by medication in the short term and both vets agree that this is not sustainable.
3. Your horse cannot be retired and have a reasonable quality of life on a safe dosage of medication.

NOTE. Once your horse has been euthanised for any of the reasons above, you must arrange for a post mortem to be carried out by your vet at your own expense.

Exclusions:

1. Any claim not advised prior to the euthanasia being performed.
2. Euthanasia carried out for economic reasons.
3. Any surgical operation unless conducted by a veterinary surgeon and certified by them to have been necessary to attempt to save the horses life.
4. Medication given to the horse unless by a veterinary surgeon of a preventative nature to treat an incident to your horse.
5. Failure by you or your family to proper care and attention of your horse at all times
6. If the horse dies when it was being used for any other purpose that it was insured for.
7. Poison.

If your horse dies from an insured event, KBIS will pay up to £200 to assist with disposal of the horses body.

If your horse is stolen or strays and is not recovered within 90 days, KBIS will pay the market value of the horse, not
exceeding the sum insured.

If, your horse is recovered but has been castrated, spayed or otherwise neutered or sterilised while not in your care, custody or control, KBIS will pay the amount by which your horse’s market value has reduced as a result of the castration, spaying, neutering or sterilisation.

KBIS will also pay a maximum of £200 to assist with the cost of advertising the loss or theft and/or the payment of a reward which leads to recovery of the horse.

KBIS will also pay a maximum of £600 to reimburse you for the hire of a replacement horse for a period of 180 days from the date of loss following the proven theft of the horse conditions

NOTE. You must have suffered no thefts or attempted thefts against you or your horse within the last 12 months.

KBIS will cover your horses saddle, bridle and any tack worn by your horse up to £10,000 against, theft, loss or damage.

CONDITIONS

There must have been no thefts or attempted thefts of any of your property during the twelve months immediately prior to the period of insurance.

If you wish to insure an amount greater than £7,500, or more than 10 horses are kept at the premises, the room/container in which the tack and saddlery is kept must have a professionally-fitted and maintained, monitored burglar alarm installed which must be activated at all times when the premises are not attended.

EXCLUSIONS

The KBIS policy excludes any clothing or personal effects, horse rugs or blankets. Any loss or damage caused by moth, vermin, wear and tear, gradual deterioration or atmospheric conditions.

The policy excludes theft unless it is from a totally enclosed and secure building, the door(s) of which are secured by a 5-lever mortice deadlock and the windows securely locked, or a metal storage container which has been secured in place and is secured by a 5-lever mortice deadlock or with a closed shackle padlock.

Theft where there is no sign of forced entry into the premises, building or container is also excluded.

Theft of tack and saddlery from any motor vehicle, except where forced entry to the vehicle has been used to gain access
to the tack and saddlery.

Accidental damage to a saddle tree unless the damage includes visible external damage to the saddle.

KBIS offers Permanent Loss of Use as an option but only in horses aged 3 and over.

If your horse suffers an incident or an Accidental External & Violent Injury and in the opinion of both your veterinary surgeon and KBIS's veterinary surgeon, becomes, either immediately or within 15 months, permanently incapable of fulfilling the use for which it is vetted and insured. KBIS will pay the market value or the sum insured whichever is lower.

CONDITIONS

KBIS may require that the horse be assessed from a rider’s perspective by a professional rider to be mutually agreed on between you and them.

If you decide to keep the horse, KBIS will make a deduction from the claim amount equal to the residual value of the horse, negotiable but not less than 10%.

If the horse is a stallion or mare kept with the intention of using it for breeding purposes the claim amount will reflect the
horse’s residual value for stud duties, and we will only pay the difference between the residual value of the animal and the
percentage of the sum insured or market value whichever is lower.

EXCLUSIONS

KBIS will not pay any claim under the loss of use section;

1 As a result of blemishing.
2 Due to the horse's inability to breed.
3 As a result of the horse being barred from participating in competition due to the regulations laid down by any breed society
or competitive body or association in respect of wind conditions and/or having been operated on for such conditions.
4 For loss of value, lack of ability, or lack of suitability.
5 For behavioural problems.

Personal Accident cover is an option available under the KBIS policy.

KBIS cover any person (including you) handling, riding, driving, mounting or dismounting the horse with your permission who sustains a bodily injury due to an accident involving the horse. In the event of an injury or death KBIS will pay the following:

Death age 5 - 16th birthday up to £10,000 Death 16 - 75 up to £20,000
Permanent Total Disablement up to £20,000
Dental work up to £2,000

CONDITIONS
In the event of the person suffering an accident to their head or neck, the amount of any compensation payable will be reduced by 20% where current BSI/European approved headgear was not being worn at the time of the accident.

EXCLUSIONS

KBIS do not cover:
1 Any person suffering:
a Bodily injury occurring as a result of naval, military or air force service or operations;
b Bodily injury occurring as a result of horse riding activities anywhere outside territorial limits; or
c Bodily injury occurring as a result of riding in any kind of race which is run under British Horseracing Authority (BHA)
Rules, with the exception of events under Arabian Racing Organisation Limited (ARO) rules or racing under Pony Club
rules.
2 Bodily injury occurring as a result of suicide, attempted suicide or intentional self-injury or to any person who is in the state
of insanity.
3 Bodily injury occurring as a result of deliberate exposure to exceptional danger (except in an attempt to save human life) or
the person’s own criminal act.
4 Bodily injury occurring to any person under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
5 Bodily injury occurring as to any person under 5 years old or over 75 years of age.

We could not find any mention of the number of horses you are able to insure under one policy and whether there is any discount available. We recommend contacting the Insurer direct.

KBIS exclude any incident, illness, injury or disease that manifested, was present, or had been previously diagnosed in the horse before the start of your policy.

If the horse is a mare, foaling risk is defined as an incident arising during the process of giving birth to a foal that is life-threatening to the horse.

Foaling risk coverage under the policy is limited to uterine tears, ruptures of the uterine artery, uterine prolapses and/or caesarean section (C-section), if required to save the horse’s life.

Veterinary fees arising out of any incident or foaling risk are excluded, except those caused by Accidental External & Violent Injuries only.

There will be no cover for the first 45 days of any new policy (with the exception of Colic and Accidental External & Violent Injuries only) unless:

1. At the start of a new policy or when adding a new horse to an existing policy, the limited period will be reduced to 0 days if the horse(s) is:
   a a new purchase; and has passed a 2- or 5-stage pre-purchase examination (including the provision of any additional veterinary information, and is within 15 days of your the date of your insurance application and your application for insurance is received by KBIS within 7 days of the date of purchase.
2. When transferring a policy from another insurance company, the limited period will be reduced to 0 days if the horse is currently insured with another insurance company and the cover is identical to that provided under the old policy and a copy of the renewal documentation is forwarded to KBIS, together with a completed proposal form and a full clinical history (from all veterinary surgeons who have attended the horse)

KBIS will not pay any claim for theft or straying within the first 45 days of a new insurance policy.

Under a horse insurance policy you are responsible for paying the first amount of any claim (known as the excess)

The KBIS excesses are as follows

Vet Fees

Scale A & B £140.

Scale C £175 plus 25% of vet fees.

Scale D £275.

Scale E, F & G £175.

Bronze £500 or £750.

Silver and Gold £175 or £175 plus 15% of vet fees.

Platinum £350 or £350 plus 15% of vet fees.

Personal Accident £100.

Third Party Liability Claims £500.

Saddlery and Tack £100.

KBIS are a horse insurance specialist and offer a number of different products to suit leisure and competition horse riders. It's possible to get quotations online, unless your horse is valued at more than £20,000, when you will need to contact the Insurer direct.

The website provides plenty of information regarding the different types of product available, together with a breakdown of the options that you can choose from.

KBIS don't offer live chat, but you can email or phone them to discuss any queries.

The quotation software is very easy to use and you get to choose a leisure or competition horse policy, depending on the value of your horse and the activities you take part in.

The policy wording is 24 pages long. The layout is not customer friendly, there is no summary of cover and no index, although there are tables showing the different types of veterinary fee cover.

We found the policy hard going and this was backed up in the readability tests, where the wording only scored 14.7 out of 100 and was classed as very difficult to read with a reading ability of college graduate and above required to be able to understand the contents.

Feefo customer reviews 34 during the last 12 months with an overall rating of 4.8/5. Although there were no reviews regarding claims experience, the overwhelming majority liked the website and had a positive response when speaking to the company in respect of their expertise and helpfulness, which is a good indicator of the service you are likely to receive from them.

Currently there are no special discounts or promotions.

KBIS try to cater or all types of horse owner, from the "Happy hacker" to the serious competitor and offer a large number of different alternatives. This can be a little overwhelming. But as you go through the different levels of cover and options, the choices are narrowed down until you hopefully end up with the policy you require.

During tests we found KBIS to be competitive across a range of different scenarios, ages and values of horse for the levels of cover that they provide.

The policy allows you to travel outside the United Kinddom for up to 90 days as long as you notify the company in advance.

The policy wording is not consumer friendly so make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions.

The maximum value of horse for online quotes is £15,000. Anything above this you need to contact the Insurer. For horses over £20,000 you may want to consider their specialist sport horse insurance.

There are quite a few sections of cover, where the Insurer reserves the right to a second opinion and if there is no agreement to an Arbitration Clause, which you should be aware of.

The clause states that in the event of a disagreement between you and KBIS, you agree to the case being referred to a mutually agreed upon independent veterinary surgery. The arbitrators decision is final, but the cost of this service will be shared by you and KBIS. Simply put, if you end up in a disagreement there will be a cost to you.