There are estimated to be around 850,000 horses in the UK and the average age is 13.
The average lifespan of a horse is 25 – 30 years. Horses live about one year to every three human years and so a horse aged 17 is the equivalent of middle age in human years.
The scientific community don’t consider horses to be old aged until they reach the age of 20. This is because there are no real signs of deterioration in muscle strength and aerobic ability.
The improvements in horse feed, dental care means that many horses are ridden past their 20th birthday. There is no set age for retiring a horse and it’s really down to your horses physical condition.
Even if your horse has retired and put to grass, they can still injure themselves, escape and damage property or injure someone else and so horse insurance for old horses, is still an important issue.
When your horse reaches the age of between 15 and 19, most equine insurers will offer you a veteran horse insurance policy.
Insurance for older horses is called either Veteran Horse Insurance or Mature Horse insurance and provides reduced cover, compared to a standard horse insurance for obvious reasons. They are more likely to suffer from an illness, they tend not to be as valuable as younger horses and don’t tend to compete in high level competitions.
A Veteran horse policy will cover Vet fees caused by accidental external visible means, for example a kick or a cut. As mentioned above some insurers will extend the policy to cover colic, which is more common in older horses.
A Veteran horse policy will cover death due to an accident or injury up to the market value of the horse.
It will also cover you against third party liability insurance and most Insurers will still include the option to cover your horse tack and or horse trailer.
We have listed below the best veteran horse policies and the estimated costs based upon a 21 year old horse valued at £2,500.
