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FAQs
For Horse Owners
Mortality policies are available in all U.S. states
except Alaska and Hawaii.
If you own a horse, there are several types of insurance
coverages to consider. These frequently asked questions
will help you choose a policy that fits your needs.
1. What are the age limits to insure
my horse?
Your horse must be between the ages of 24 hours through
20 years to insure for Full Mortality. If your horse
is age 21 or older, Named Perils coverage is available.
2. Is it necessary to have a Veterinary
Certificate completed in order to insure my horse?
No, as long as your horse is sound and healthy and the
insured value is $50,000 or less. The exception to this
is if you want to add Full Loss of Use coverage, in
which case the Full Loss of Use Veterinary Certificate
must be completed. Also, foals under 30 days old require
a Foal Vet Certificate.
3. I board my horse and the owners
of the barn told me they have coverage in the event
anything happens to him?
They probably have what is called Care, Custody & Control
coverage. This coverage is meant to protect them in
the event that your horse is injured or killed, and
they are found negligent. It doesn't protect you if
your horse is injured or dies in a manner unrelated
to the boarding facility. For this reason, you should
consider a full mortality policy for your horse.
4. How much can I insure my horse
for?
You can insure your horse for its fair market value
or any lesser amount. Fair market value is the amount
you could expect to receive if you were to sell your
horse today. If you have recently purchased your horse,
generally the purchase price would be considered fair
market value.
If you have owned your horse for some time and your
horse has been in training and competing and doing well,
then your horse's value may have increased. You can
substantiate the value by submitting a competition record,
breeding record, and/or opinion of the value by a professional
equestrian such as your trainer.
5. What is Guaranteed Extension
Coverage?
Full Mortality policies include Guaranteed Extension
coverage which provides that in the event of a condition
occurring and reported during the policy period, mortality
coverage will automatically continue for up to 12 months
from the expiration date for that specific condition.
An example of when this coverage would apply would be
if your horse experienced laminitis during the policy
period. If you report the condition promptly during
the policy period, you would have mortality coverage
extended for the laminitis condition for up to 12 months
from the expiration date of the policy in the event
your horse dies.
6. What does the Value endorsement
mean?
Our policies include a Value endorsement. This coverage
provides that as long as your horse was worth its insured
value at any time during the policy period, that is
the amount you will be paid in the event of an approved
claim. Other companies may write on an Actual Cash Value
basis which means you would only be paid what your horse
was worth at the time of its death.
7. What is the Free Colic Surgery
coverage?
Our Full Mortality policies automatically include Free
Colic Surgery coverage, providing the horse does not
have a history of colic problems. The coverage limit
is 60% of the insured value with a maximum of $3,000,
and there is no deductible.
8. What coverage is available if
my horse gets sick or has an injury?
You may want to consider purchasing Major Medical/Surgical
coverage for your horse to protect yourself if you have
unexpected veterinary bills. This coverage will reimburse
you for veterinary fees in the event your horse has
an injury, illness, or disease. It provides coverage
for diagnostics such as X-rays, ultrasounds, blood work,
bone scans, spinal taps, etc. as well as for treatment.
Keep in mind that under the terms of your mortality
policy, you are required to give proper care and attention
to your horse. If your horse develops a serious problem
such as EPM, colic, or has a fracture and the veterinarians
believe your horse can be saved, you are expected to
provide for that care. Humane destruction is covered
under the mortality policy, but economic destruction
is not. If you choose to put your horse down for financial
reasons, the mortality coverage would not apply. Major
Medical/Surgical coverage would help you with these
veterinary expenses.
There are two Major Medical plans available. The Up
to $7,500 Annual Aggregate Limit coverage offers
a limit of a maximum of $7,500, not to exceed the horse's
insured mortality limit, subject to a $300 deductible
per illness, injury or incident. The $10,000 Annual
Aggregate Limit offers a limit of $10,000, subject
to a $300 deductible per illness, injury or incident.
Major Medical/Surgical coverage is available for horses
between 6 months and 15 years of age.
When comparing Medical coverages from different companies,
ask to see the wording to see what exactly is covered
and more importantly, what is not covered. For example,
some companies limit how long they will provide coverage
for a problem. Our company provides coverage for a problem
for the entire policy period in which it happened. This
can be quite important if you are dealing with a serious
problem like EPM where the medication and treatment
is both lengthy and costly.
You could also consider Surgical Only coverage
for your horse. This option covers the cost of actual
surgery and provides limited aftercare. Surgical Only
coverage is available for horses 6 months through 17
years of age making this an affordable option for you
to consider especially if your horse is 16 or 17 years
old and not eligible for Major Medical coverage.
9. Do I really need Major Medical/Surgical
coverage, especially since the policy automatically
includes coverage for colic surgery?
It depends. The automatic colic surgery coverage with
the Full Mortality policy has a limit of $3,000 or less,
depending on the insured value of your horse. Costs
for colic surgery can range greatly depending upon the
severity of the colic, the area of the country you are
in, and if there are post-operative problems.
Adding Major Medical/Surgical or Surgical Only coverage
would provide you with a higher limit for colic surgery
as well as providing coverage for other health problems
your horse might face. Although colic is many horse
owner's worst fear, it is not the only expensive health
problem your horse might face. Lameness, EPM, and founder
are just a few other problems that can be lengthy and
expensive to treat. The Major Medical/Surgical coverage
will help reimburse you for both the diagnostics and
treatment for problems such as these as long as the
conditions are not pre-existing to the policy.
10. Is there coverage available
for medical colics?
If you select either of the Major Medical/Surgical coverages,
these coverages would provide you with reimbursement
in the event of a medical or surgical colic along with
providing coverage for other health conditions as described
above.
If your primary concern is reimbursement if your horse
experiences a medical or surgical colic, you might want
to select our Colic Medical and Surgical Coverage.
The Colic Medical and Surgical Coverage provides an
annual limit of the lesser of $3,000 or sixty percent
(60%) of the mortality limit of liability, for cost
of medical and surgical colics, including aftercare,
subject to a $300 deductible.
Colic remains the number one cause of death for horses,
and is a leading cost in medical claims. Selecting this
coverage will provide you with protection for both medical
and surgical colics, and in the event your horse does
have colic surgery, you will have a combined limit from
the Colic Medical and Surgical Coverage and the Free
Colic Surgery coverage of up to $6,000 for the medical
and surgical costs of the colic surgery.
11. What if my horse becomes permanently
disabled and can never compete again? Is there coverage
to protect me if this happens?
There are two types of Loss of Use coverage available
to protect you in the event your horse becomes permanently
unable to perform its insured use, but is not ill or
injured enough to require humane destruction. These
coverages help to reimburse you for the loss in your
horse's value. Loss of Use coverages are intended for
performance horses, not breeding or pleasure horses,
and are available for select uses only.
External Injury Only Loss of Use provides coverage
in the event your horse is permanently unable to perform
its insured function as a result of a visible, external,
accidental and violent means injury. Examples of these
types of injuries are if your horse was in a trailering
accident, if he was kicked by another horse, or if he
ran into a pasture fence or collided with a jump. If
your horse is just galloping around the pasture and
tears a suspensory ligament, this would not be covered
by the External Injury Only Loss of Use.
Full Loss of Use provides coverage in the event
your horse is permanently unable to perform its insured
function due to an accident, injury, illness or disease
as long as these were not pre-existing conditions. Full
Loss of Use coverage would include coverage for conditions
such as a torn suspensory, EPM, blindness, or degenerative
problems like arthritis or navicular, as long as they
first occurred during the policy period.
12. How do I get Loss of Use coverage?
The External Injury Only Loss of Use coverage is available
for horses ages 2-17 years for select uses only, and
does not require any additional Vet Certificate.
Full Loss of Use coverage is available for horses ages
2-12 years for select uses only, and requires the submission
of our Full Loss of Use Vet Certificate for coverage
consideration. This exam includes a basic health exam
as well as flexion tests and narratives of the required
X-rays. A drug screen taken at the time of the exam
is also required for horses valued over $25,000.
Both types of Loss of Use coverage require Major Medical/Surgical
coverage, or Surgical Only coverage if your horse is
16 or 17 years old and you select External Injury Only
Loss of Use. Please call for more information if you
are interested in either of these coverages.
13. I've heard that if a Loss of
Use claim is paid, the company can take the horse?
There is a provision in the Loss of Use coverage wording
that gives the company the authority to take possession
of a horse in the event a loss of use claim is paid.
This is not a common occurrence but is necessary to
prevent fraud.
14. I have a mare, how does that
affect the Loss of Use coverage?
For mares that are used for competition, it is important
to remember that they may have a residual value as a
broodmare in the event they are no longer able to compete.
Most likely the insurance company would deduct the mare's
residual value as a broodmare from the claim settlement.
15. Is there any type of infertility
coverage for my breeding stallion?
You can add the Stallion Infertility for Accident, Sickness
and Disease coverage to your mortality policy. This
coverage helps protect you in the event your proven
breeding stallion is permanently unable to get mares
in foal as the result of an accident, sickness or disease.
16. Can I get Loss of Use coverage
without mortality coverage?
No. The Full Mortality coverage is the actual policy.
Loss of Use coverages are coverage options which you
add to the policy.
17. What happens if my horse develops
a health problem or lameness during the policy? Will
the company renew the coverage?
In the majority of cases, the company will offer renewal
with an exclusion for the specific problem depending
on its severity.
Remember that you still have mortality coverage for
a reported condition under the Guaranteed Extension.
18. Do I need a Veterinary Certificate
completed each year to renew my policy?
If your horse is sound and healthy and you are insuring
him for $50,000 or less, a Vet Certificate is not required.
If you are insuring your horse for more than $50,000,
if your horse has an ongoing health condition, or if
you have Full Loss of Use coverage on the policy, a
Vet Certificate will be required.
19. Why would I need liability
coverage for my horse?
If your horse injures a third party or damages their
property, you could be faced with a lawsuit. Even if
the lawsuit is frivolous and you were not at fault,
you can still be sued and it can be costly to defend
yourself. Many horse owners assume they have coverage
for their equestrian activities under their homeowner's
policy, but you should check with your agent. Ask for
written confirmation and make sure coverage applies
if you take your horse off your property to a horse
show, trail ride, etc.
Equine Third Party Liability Coverage is available
as an addition to your mortality policy. This coverage
provides an annual aggregate limit of $25,000.
You might also want to consider our Equine Personal
Liability coverage which offers limits of $300,000,
$500,000, or $1 million for up to five horses with the
ability to add more horses.
20. I board my horse, so I don't
need liability coverage, right?
Actually you still do. If your horse got loose and ran
into a car on the road, both the stable owner and you
as the horse owner would likely be sued. Equine Personal
Liability coverage will help protect you.
21. How quickly can I get coverage?
To obtain mortality coverage, we need a completed application,
a satisfactory Statement of Health for horses valued
at $50,000 or less, a Vet Certificate for horses valued
over $50,000, a Foal Vet Certificate for foals under
30 days old, and payment.
Fax or mail the required documents to us and as long
as the information meets our underwriters' criteria,
we can bind coverage immediately with your payment.
22. What are my payment options?
You can pay by personal check, money order, Visa, MasterCard,
or Discover Card. Payment plans are also available.
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