experience with health insurance?? I have had my mare for 8 years, luckily she has not had large vet bills (just x rays and a diarrhea problem) but she is retired due to injury, since she is getting older I have been thinking of getting insurance. I am in Canada so I don’t know if the options are different. Pros / cons??
My horse has always been insured for mortality only. I have generally been lucky that I haven’t had any vet bills I couldn’t afford and I keep money in an emergency account for that purpose (which I feel is a better “value” than major medical insurance, which I consider very expensive). I have “used” the mortality insurance on 2 occasions (once in Canada and once in the USA) and in both cases it allowed me to purchase another horse that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford.
Note that most horses cannot be insured past a certain age (depends on insurance company) and I’m not sure how you would prove the value for a horse retired due to injury. In addition, it is likely that anything pertaining to the injury would be excluded from coverage.
1 Like
Most companies will not insure horses over a certain age or under a certain value. A horse retired due to injury would have no value in the eyes of an insurance company, outside of an approved stallion. You have to justify value, you can’t just call the company up and say, my horse is worth $xx, and I want $xx worth of medical coverage.
1 Like
If you’re in Canada, I’d recommend dealing with BFL. Capri also has a variety of options for farm & equine, but I’ve heard conflicting opinions on Capri.
I’ve insured three of my horses. Two I insured for the purchase price I had paid, and one I’ve insured for more than what I originally paid based on training investment and perceived market value. None had or have pre-existing conditions, all were or are sound and salable. I don’t know what the likelihood is of an insurance company covering an older retiree with a past injury or what your coverage options may be and what it would cost you annually if they did so.
What is your reasoning behind insuring the horse now? If it is something like being able to utilize the medical coverage in the event she has an emergency, I’d be more likely to start an account for that similarly to how leheath mentioned.
If you’re curious, you could always email or call one of the insurance companies and see what your possible options could be.
This is definitely something you need to think about. What would be the purpose of insurance now, if you could even get it? Would you put your retiree through colic surgery and the recovery? When I retired my mare due to injury, I discontinued my insurance coverage because they weren’t going to allow me to keep her value at show levels if she was retired, and anything catastrophic enough to warrant a major medical claim is not something I would have put her through at that phase of her life. So, more than likely you are better off setting aside the money you would spend on premiums and using that as a medical fund.
1 Like
My horses aged out of their insurance coverage when they reached old age. I wish there was medicare for old horses and other old pets. I’d gladly pay it. I had medical and life insurance and paid extra for loss of use insurance on my horses. Pretty expensive to get loss of use insurance when my horses had it.
Loss of use is NOT something I’d ever get. Basically it means if you file a claim for it you are signing over your horse to the insurance company and they can do whatever they choose with the horse after…including sending it to auction.
When i worked at an equine hospital we had a horse come in who wasn’t quite right. After tons of tests/diagnostics it turns out he had a neck issue and was no longer rideable. Owner wanted to take him home to keep as a pasture pet. Insurance said sure but we won’t pay your claim which was in the thousands. Owner couldnt afford the bill so she had to have him euthanized. It was horrible. Nice owner nice horse. Just caught in a bad place.
OP - equine insurance does not work the same was as human health insurance. Maybe it’s different in Canada but most stop insuring around age 15 maybe a little older than that (but it’s costly). And your mare is retired due to injury do it’s highly unlikely you’ll find an insurance policy for her.
I also wish there was insurance for horses the same as insurance you can get for dogs and cats now. I understand in the UK it is possible to get horse “health” insurance that doesn’t include mortality and doesn’t age out. Some vet clinics in my area do offer a colic surgery coverage if you join their “wellness program” which usually requires one exam per year, vaccinations, dental, etc., but the package price is decent and likely a slightly lower cost than scheduling all those things individually. Another option is Care Credit if that’s available in Canada and IF you can find an equine vet that takes it. My regular vet doesn’t but in case of dire emergency some of the larger clinics do.
