Insurance questions re horse trailers and horses inside trailers

[TheJenners]

I debated which subforum for this, but this is eclectic enough to fit here and hopefully get enough traffic

My xDH and I were chatting (yes we are still friends, tho the friendship often reminds me why we aren’t married any longer). He sent me a video from somewhere close to him in TX of a flood that had separated people from what looked like a mare motel with horses in it, plus some horse trailers flooded etc etc. Scary enough. I had replied “RIP trailer wiring.” This morning he sent me a new video of the trailer destroyed sideways in a culvert, and video of it being washed away once the water had gotten high enough, with the comment that the wiring wasn’t an issue any longer. To make light of a shitty situation, we aren’t heartless people.

It got us talking about insurance. I am not bragging when I say he learned a LOT from our time together, coming into the relationship as an occasional rodeo cowboy and former WY ranch hand type guy who thought wet COB was the pinnacle in horse nutrition. He now feeds Triple Crown. Anyway, while we were together, both of our horse trailers were insurance as separate vehicles with theft coverage, which is apparently something he also took with him, because around here with windstorms, it’s more likely a tree will get blown down onto your trailer while it’s parked somewhere minding its own business. I commented how I bet the trailer in the video wasn’t covered and what a freakin shame that was, he said he had his insured plus 150k in personal property. I said mine was covered plus 10k for saddles, and asked wtf he had covered for 150k? So his claim is that it’s to cover horses that don’t have their own individual horse insurance plans. I told him that would probably be a hard one to get insurance to bite off on if it came time to file a claim. He says that USAA allowed it as long as you “filed a form” showing the animal made money in a “business activity,” therefore making it a “business asset” and would be covered. WHAT??

I’m all about making my money work for me when I can. Does anyone with insurance know-how know if this passes the smell test? I don’t currently have any of my horses insured, tho I should and I mean to look into it but the last time I did it was nearly $2k/yr and that’s just a bit much for my single income on a maybe.

[Jealoushe]

No this isn’t how it works. He would have to have a policy on the horses themselves OR a cargo policy for owned goods which neither are included on auto insurance.

Any contents have to be insured on a property policy, any livestock on an appropriate policy. Auto policies don’t respond to property losses.

[TheJenners]

Are you in insurance and know this? I asked because I specifically have property coverage for my horse trailer, as mentioned above. It’s mostly to cover if my saddles get stolen when I’m somewhere not home. I have heard that some home owners’ insurance policies cover theft from vehicles as well, but I got the additional coverage after talking to the agent. Could it be a “cargo” policy with a different name?

[Jealoushe]

Yes I work in insurance specifically transportation and trucking/cargo and have multiple licenses in it .

Cargo is considered good of others so it wouldn’t cover owned items. You would need a bill of lading for cargo claims.

They could maybe have coverage for their own goods in transit under their own commercial insurance but it’s very unlikely that would cover livestock. Livestock normally requires a seperate policy.

[TheJenners]

Interesting, he specifically said it also covers cows!

Hmm. Good info to have, of course I’m not surprised. He always did hear exactly what it was he wanted to hear.

[tabula_rashah]

I wonder if also saying that your horses were making money for you as a business like that would then open you up to needing commercial insurance/ DOT stuff/ etc

[TheJenners]

Hmm I don’t know, I certainly don’t think so because that has more to do with the commercial transport. But then again, didn’t they pass or try to pass something requiring people hauling horses to get an EDL?

[jvanrens]

@tabula_rashah

I wonder if also saying that your horses were making money for you as a business like that would then open you up to needing commercial insurance/ DOT stuff/ etc

I think what you’re asking about would only apply if you’re hauling other peoples horses?