BREEDING peace of mind

YOU’VE GOT YOUR MARE BOOKED IN FOR BREEDING, NOW CHECK YOUR INSURANCE COVER IS UP TO SCRATCH. KBIS BRITISH EQUESTRIAN INSURANCE OFFERS SOME POINTERS.

Sending your mare to stud is an exciting time, but there are lots of boxes to tick to ensure you have everything in place before she goes. One vital aspect is insurance. It’s worth having a good look at your policy to see what is covered for use of your horse as a broodmare, especially if it’s her first foal and she has been insured as a competition or riding horse previously. You also need to plan ahead for next year, when your foal will also need cover.

QDO I NEED TO CHANGE MY MARE’S INSURANCE COVER BEFORE SENDING HER TO STUD FOR THE FIRST TIME IF SHE HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN INSURED AS A COMPETITION HORSE?

A. Both the cover available and terms offered for broodmares vary somewhat between different insurance companies therefore it is best to check with your insurance company that the cover they offer is still suitable for your requirements.

QIS MY VETERINARY COVER AFFECTED BY THE FACT THAT SHE WILL (HOPEFULLY) BE IN FOAL?

A. Veterinary fee cover is not normally affected by a mare being in foal; however, it is best to check the specific terms and conditions of the policy with your insurer ahead of your mare being in foal.

QARE ANY VETERINARY PROCEDURES INVOLVED WITH BREEDING OR FOALING COVERED BY MY INSURANCE POLICY?

A. The routine veterinary procedures associated with breeding would not be covered under a policy as these are elective procedures which are not treating an accident, sickness or disease. Foaling risk is however often included if the mare has veterinary fee cover (depending on the level of cover in place), so this means any non-routine treatment needed as a result of being in foal, such as treatment for the mare to save the mare’s life if foaling doesn’t go quite to plan, would be covered under the policy. If additional treatment is required for the foal, this would not be covered by the policy as the policy in place would be to cover the mare alone and not a prospective foal.

QMY

MARE CAN BE A BIT OF A DIVA –DOES MY LIABILITY INSURANCE COVER ME IF SHE CAUSES INJURY TO STUD STAFF OR THE STALLION?

A. The cover provided by your liability insurance will differ between insurers so you should check your policy wording, but generally these policies tend to exclude professionals as they should have their own liability policy. You should check that the stud has suitable public liability insurance in place before sending your mare there and you should make sure that you disclose any ‘quirks’ or behavioural issues that you are aware of so that the stud are fully informed when handling her. We would suggest writing these down and sending them in an email so that you can evidence that you made the stud aware in the event that there is any dispute over a potential claim. This could be anything from being difficult to put a headcollar on to a tendency to bolt when tractors come past, the more information you share with the stud the better.

QDO I NEED TO INFORM MY INSURER WHEN SHE GOES TO STUD, EITHER FOR COVERING OR FOR FOALING?

A. Insurers normally only need to be made aware if the horse is moving out of the geographical limits of the policy; however, it is best to check the specific requirements with your insurance company.

A. You can take out insurance for a foal from when he or she is 24 hours old. This will cover death, theft and straying with the option to include public liability and personal accident cover if required. With KBIS, when the foal turns 90 days old, you then have the option to include veterinary fee cover on the foal’s policy. If you decide this is something you’d like to include, let your insurers know and they will be able to advise how to go about adding this on. It may be that, by expressing an interest in veterinary fee cover at inception, they are able to contact you when the foal can be added on and waive any limitation period that may have been applied as a result.