Insure your horses if you send them to a breeding farm or to a trainer. No matter how careful a breeder or trainer is, your horses are at risk when they're away from home. Even if you don't want to spend a lot of money on insurance, at least put enough value on the horse to qualify for a "major medical" policy which should cover most of your vet bills. Horses that live in the cooler part of the country that are transported to the hotter zones are especially at risk. Better to be safe than sorry. We insure all of our horses when they leave home for any reason. In addition to the regular FULL MORTALITY and THEFT, we carry a MAJOR MEDICAL POLICY with an AUTOMATIC RENEWAL. You must also ask for an "agreed value" or chance having your horse evaluated at fair market value if it dies. Finally, you might consider having your horse appraised for insurance value by a certified equine appraiser, especially if it's a home raised baby that you're having trouble getting insurance on. Click here and read more about how a certified equine appraiser can help.

Surgical insurance only covers necessary surgery. The most common surgery performed on horses is for colic. Major Medical insurance covers every conceivable money-draining circumstance, like a prolonged illness or injury. Think about the long-term costs of treating a foundered horse, and you'll understand the concept. In our experience, we rarely, if ever, need surgery performed. However, horses can colic from sudden barometric changes, or feed, and founder from the drugs administered to deal with the colic! With "major medical" insurance, you normally pay a $200 to $250 deductible, per injury, or sickness or occurrence, and the insurance company picks up the rest of the bill, up to $5,000 for normal illness and $7,500 for colic surgery. With Wilkins Livestock Insurance, in Nebraska, all vet bills, board at the vet clinic and all related expenses are covered, so you're only out the $250 deductible. The automatic renewal policy locks your insured value in for one additional year, so if your horse founders or has colic surgery, (and most companies would exclude both from your policy the following year), Wilkins will still insure your horse for the same value, that year. And if your horse can pass a soundness exam the year after the initial incident, in all probability, the insurance company will still insure it, without a "founder or colic exclusion" clause. The first question insurance companies ask on most policies is whether you are the sole owner of the horse. You must let them know if the horse is being financed at a lending institution or with an individual, who will hold the first lien on the horse, just like they would if you bought a car. Most of the other questions are self explanatory. You need to have your horse tested for HYPP if it has Impressive bloodlines, to be on the safe side, so you will not be excluded from being paid if the horse dies under suspicious circumstances and the insurance company suspects HYPP that was not reported. You need to make sure that you have a current coggins test on your horse and list the date and accession number on the policy or the insurance company will exclude payment if your horse has swamp fever. The biggest problem most owners have is in evaluating horses that they've bought, who have earned a lot of points, or produced top show or race horses, OR on horses they've bred at home. This can present quite a problem if not handled properly. Most insurance companies will let you put any valuation on the form, but the truth is, they will not honor the amount if the horse dies, unless you can substantiate the valuation. Keep a copy of your canceled check for the purchase of the horse, or a signed contract of sale and the canceled check to prove what you paid for the horse. You can increase the valuation of the horse by the amount of training and board you've paid out every year, and by having a professional give an evaluation of it's current market value, in writing. Finally, watch the fine print. The deductibles vary greatly from company to company. The items covered also vary. If your policy says that you must call them immediately if the horse gets sick, you'd better do it.

If your policy says that the contract is made and entered into in a specific state, be prepared to go to court in that state if there is a problem, or find another insurance agent. Keep all financial records associated with the horse in case you need them to establish value.

Most horse owners think they can get a Loss of Use policy on their horse that will pay if the horse becomes lame. This is false. I've never seen a policy yet, that would pay for loss of use, unless the horse was injured in a catastrophic accident like the trailer flipping over, or being injured after running through a barb-wire fence.

Halter Breaking | Foal Workout | Feeding To Win | Grooming | Castrate by Moon Signs
Weaning by Moon Signs | Starting Horses Under Saddle | Horse Insurance Tips