Does Homeowner's Insurance Cover the Contents of Your Tack Room?

[katenreno]

Before you say it, yes, I realize I could just call my insurance agent. But really, who wants to do that?

So living in Southern California, with fire season fast approaching, we’ve been making all the preparations in our new home. It’s really a different ball game now that we don’t live in our little beach cottage anymore. Wildfires are a real threat. :eek: It got me thinking, since I board, all my stuff is obviously at the boarding stable. Now, in a perfect world, in the event of an evacuation, I’d have time to load the horse, and the majority of my tack in an orderly fashion. Since this is the real world, the tack may become kindling if we are pressed for time. Which leaves me wondering, do I need to purchase a separate policy for all that? Sort of like a renter’s policy? Because I know one thing for sure, with my tack hoarding tendencies, I do NOT want to be caught having to replace all of that out of pocket (County saddles… yeesh). I probably will end up calling the insurance company, but I wondered if anyone here had any insight. Thanks!

[GraceLikeRain]

Mine did not. I lost my mare (30 days after her insurance coverage lapsed) and received zero coverage for every piece of horse equipment I’d acquired over two decades. Absolutely call you insurance company. Some fellow boarders were covered but it seemed about fifty fifty.

[Equisis]

Not homeowner’s insurance, but my saddles are added on to my renter’s insurance (scheduled personal property). Very affordable and worth it, to me, based on the high value of the saddles. It only covers saddles, not the other tack, blankets, etc.

[Where_sMyWhite]

You do want to call your insurance company as they would be the ones that would or would not cover you. They can tell you coverage limits, etc. We cannot.

I added my saddle to my homeowners as a personal article rider.

YMMV.

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=katenreno;8835890]
Before you say it, yes, I realize I could just call my insurance agent. But really, who wants to do that?

The person who wants an accurate answer?

So living in Southern California, with fire season fast approaching, we’ve been making all the preparations in our new home. It’s really a different ball game now that we don’t live in our little beach cottage anymore. Wildfires are a real threat. :eek: It got me thinking, since I board, all my stuff is obviously at the boarding stable. Now, in a perfect world, in the event of an evacuation, I’d have time to load the horse, and the majority of my tack in an orderly fashion. Since this is the real world, the tack may become kindling if we are pressed for time. Which leaves me wondering, do I need to purchase a separate policy for all that? Sort of like a renter’s policy? Because I know one thing for sure, with my tack hoarding tendencies, I do NOT want to be caught having to replace all of that out of pocket (County saddles… yeesh). I probably will end up calling the insurance company, but I wondered if anyone here had any insight. Thanks![/QUOTE]

Read your policy; the answer is there.

If you don’t want to do that then ask your agent.

G.

[crosscreeksh]

When our barn burned last Jan. the structure was not specifically listed on our policy…appraised value and premiums were greater than our 2000sf house…but because the structure was 40 feet from our house the building and contents were covered under our home owners…not for the full value, but enough to cover replacing the structure with a “useful”, if not less glamorous barn. The contents (40 years of training TB race horses and ALL my personal tack of 60 years…plus a zero turn mower, golf cart, riding mower, tools…came to over $80k. Insurance…after deductions paid over $50k!!! I had to swallow all the nasty things I had said about insurance premiums over the years!!

[MojitoMare]

I lost my beloved horse and every piece of tack I owned in a barn fire in 2008. I was boarding off my property at the time, but my insurance agent said they covered any of my belongings, no matter where in the world they were being stored. They covered everything but my horse.

[IronwoodFarm]

Why on earth, OP, do you want the opinions of strangers on the Internet most of whom have no insurance license telling you if you have coverage for a specific claim? Why would you not call the licensed professional who can review your policy and answer your questions about your contract? Are you afraid that you’ll discover a gap in coverage and have to purchase more insurance? Are you worried about providing an inventory?

If I were concerned about coverage, I would call immediately. It could be that you need an endorsement, maybe need to pay extra premium or could be fine. Get the answer from the source, your agent.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;8836224]
Why on earth, OP, do you want the opinions of strangers on the Internet most of whom have no insurance license telling you if you have coverage for a specific claim?[/QUOTE]

I agree that the OP needs to talk to her insurance people about her specific insurance, but that aside, I like threads like this.
They make people think about something they probably had not thought about and realize that they too need to talk to their insurance people and find out if they are covered and what policy they need to get to be covered. It is much better to ask before you need the insurance than find out after something bad happens that your tack is not covered.

My horses are at home, I have a policy that covers my barn and contents (other than hay, that is a separate policy that I do not have). It was so nice to have an agent who has horses and understands all that horse stuff.

[Palm_Beach]

Yes, OP, you need to read your policy. In very simplistic terms, with a basic HO policy, your house has a stated value attached to it, let’s say $100,000, and usually the contents are insured at 10% of the value of the house, so $10,000 to replace every single thing if you are wiped out by a fire. There are other things that impact payment of a claim, and they will be in your specific policy.

You might need to specifically list the saddles with a stated value - call your agent.

[red_mares]

Just call your insurance company.

I have called mine a couple times, and they have assured me that my tack & equipment stored at a boarding barn is covered. I specifically asked about riders for higher value items (carts, saddles) and was told that it was not needed.

That said my ‘high dollar’ items are still less expensive than what seems to be the cost of an average H/J saddle. The carts are low 4 figures and the saddle mid 3 figures.

[IronwoodFarm]

@trubandloki;8836254

I agree that the OP needs to talk to her insurance people about her specific insurance, but that aside, I like threads like this.

I absolutely agree with you. I just was aghasted about the OP’s attitude of “yes, I realize I could just call my insurance agent. But really, who wants to do that?” Uh, if you have coverage questions about your policy, I would be asking my agent for that information. I’ve carried insurance licenses since the early 1980’s (and no, I don’t sell insurance) and as educated as I am about insurance and capable as I am at reading my policy, I call my agent if I have a coverage concern. No guessing or speculation.

If I lived in CA with wildfires being a real concern, I surely would be on the phone with my agent making sure I had sufficient coverage. And if someone reading this thread have any doubts about existing coverage, do call your agent.

[chestnutmarebeware]

[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8835915]
I added my saddle to my homeowners as a personal article rider.[/QUOTE]

That is what I did, but covered all my horse “stuff”, not just saddles. The insurance company (USAA) treated the coverage like they would cover a fine art collection, or antiques.

[Tiffani_B]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8836254]
I agree that the OP needs to talk to her insurance people about her specific insurance, but that aside, I like threads like this.
They make people think about something they probably had not thought about and realize that they too need to talk to their insurance people and find out if they are covered and what policy they need to get to be covered. It is much better to ask before you need the insurance than find out after something bad happens that your tack is not covered.[/QUOTE]

Yep I agree - this thread prompted me to fire off an email to my insurance agent. This question NEVER crossed my mind. So while asking strangers on the internet isn’t the best way to get an accurate answer, it does get the wheels turning for people who never even thought this might be a concern.

[katenreno]

[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;8836542]
I absolutely agree with you. I just was aghasted about the OP’s attitude of “yes, I realize I could just call my insurance agent. But really, who wants to do that?” Uh, if you have coverage questions about your policy, I would be asking my agent for that information. I’ve carried insurance licenses since the early 1980’s (and no, I don’t sell insurance) and as educated as I am about insurance and capable as I am at reading my policy, I call my agent if I have a coverage concern. No guessing or speculation.

If I lived in CA with wildfires being a real concern, I surely would be on the phone with my agent making sure I had sufficient coverage. And if someone reading this thread have any doubts about existing coverage, do call your agent.[/QUOTE]

Okay well there’s no need to be “aghasted”. It was meant to be a sarcastic remark, which I realize does not always convey on the internet. It was after hours, so no, I couldn’t just pick up the phone and call. I have put a call in today, and am awaiting a response, just as a responsible adult would do.

My main reason for posting, and I’m glad many people were able to see it, was to find out if others had had any similar experiences. Surely I am not the first equestrian in history to have this thought cross my mind. Someone somewhere has to have called and found out. Yes, policies are all different, but I wanted to see what the general consensus might be while I waited for an opportunity to find out for myself. And a pleasant and unintended consequence was that others who may not have ever had this cross their mind are now making sure they are covered as well. We all win!!

Sorry to have “aghasted” you. :lol:

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=katenreno;8837047]
Okay well there’s no need to be “aghasted”. It was meant to be a sarcastic remark, which I realize does not always convey on the internet. It was after hours, so no, I couldn’t just pick up the phone and call. I have put a call in today, and am awaiting a response, just as a responsible adult would do.

My main reason for posting, and I’m glad many people were able to see it, was to find out if others had had any similar experiences. Surely I am not the first equestrian in history to have this thought cross my mind. Someone somewhere has to have called and found out. Yes, policies are all different, but I wanted to see what the general consensus might be while I waited for an opportunity to find out for myself. And a pleasant and unintended consequence was that others who may not have ever had this cross their mind are now making sure they are covered as well. We all win!!

Sorry to have “aghasted” you. :lol:[/QUOTE]

What is aghasted in quotes? Am I missing something?

(Yes, I do know it is not a real word out there in the real world, but it is a real word here on COTH.)

[Kyrabee]

If it is not covered by your homeowner’s, you can likely get a separate rider policy for those items. It usually isn’t very expensive.

Susan

[gottagrey]

With some of the more expensive saddles, they might need a specific rider, like full coverage for jewelry or fur coats.

Speaking of insurance, it’s another good idea if you live in a condo to make sure your homeowners is aware of any owner improvements over builder installed i.e granite counters, wood flooring, new carpeting etc. I had main water line leak which decided to leak into home instead of outside. All my flooring had been upgraded - but per my state’s condo laws - our condo master policy would only cover builder grade replacement- my homeowner’s covered all the upgrades

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=katenreno;8837047]
Okay well there’s no need to be “aghasted”. It was meant to be a sarcastic remark, which I realize does not always convey on the internet. It was after hours, so no, I couldn’t just pick up the phone and call. I have put a call in today, and am awaiting a response, just as a responsible adult would do.

My main reason for posting, and I’m glad many people were able to see it, was to find out if others had had any similar experiences. Surely I am not the first equestrian in history to have this thought cross my mind. Someone somewhere has to have called and found out. Yes, policies are all different, but I wanted to see what the general consensus might be while I waited for an opportunity to find out for myself. And a pleasant and unintended consequence was that others who may not have ever had this cross their mind are now making sure they are covered as well. We all win!!

Sorry to have “aghasted” you. :lol:[/QUOTE]

You are certainly right about “sarcasm.”

This is really a good question but most folks already have the answer in their policy. They just have to read it. Then, if they don’t understand it (and it’s no shame if they don’t) then they go to their agent. Or maybe even a company underwriter.

Our riding instructor recently had her trailer stolen from a parking area at a major equine event center. It was found by the police a couple of states away about two weeks later. A lot of valuable tack was gone, the trailer suffered some damage, and was filthy (being occupied by some squatters who never bothered to take out the garbage and thought that leaving piles of soiled, disposable nappies is just a fine thing). She got it back and got it repaired and cleaned but also got an expensive lesson in checking what was and was not covered under her various policies (business, premises, and vehicle).

If you’ve got an agent you should sit down with that agent from time to time with all your policies and do a review. The agent makes a commission and as the policy holder you are owned some service in this regard. This, by the way, is a good reason to be careful with companies that only do business on line. That’s great for Joe or Jill Sixpack and their sedan or SUV. If you’ve got a business or an unusual risk (and equine related risks are unusual in our urban society) then you should take care to know what you do or don’t have.

G.

[Bluey]

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