Guest post; Getting the right insurance for your box or trailer

Horsebox insurance – it’s not the most exciting thing to spend cash on, and frankly it can seem complicated to work out what level of cover you need.  But like it or not, if you have a horsebox or trailer and something goes wrong, you’ll be glad you took 10 minutes to sort out the right policy. 

A box or trailer might be one of the most expensive items you own and it is also vulnerable to thieves and damage.  Whether you’re at home in the yard or out competing, horseboxes can be an easy target for opportunistic thieves or can simply get in the way of other people, machinery or horses resulting in damage.   If the worst does happen, having insurance means you’ll have no worries about replacement – and most importantly, you’ll be back on the road again and into the competition ring, quickly.

So where do you start?  Spend a few moments thinking about how you use your horsebox and what situations could arise. Speaking to an insurance expert, who is familiar with horses, could also help you to consider other situations where you might need cover.

Your box or trailer is especially vulnerable when you’re at a show.  It could be targeted by thieves taking advantage of you needing to rush off to pick up your numbers (or pick up your trophy!)  And most of the time it’s not just horses that you put in your box or trailer. Tack and other equipment doesn’t come cheap but is often transported in the back and can be damaged during transit or stolen when you’re parked.  Have you ever thought about how icy cold weather could damage your tack if it’s being transported in the back of an unheated trailer?   Or does your horse hate travelling, spooking easily and kicking out? Making sure everything is covered is important or you could be faced with a hefty bill.

And it’s not just insurance for theft or accident that you might want to consider.  Breaking down is bad enough, but if you have one or more horses up behind it becomes a truly stressful experience.  Opting for breakdown assistance cover can give you peace of mind that your horses will be safe if this does happen to you.  But make sure you check that you are guaranteed to have recovery from someone who understands horses and has experience moving them.  Unloading and reloading at the side of a motorway is not the time to discover that your recovery company doesn't understand the techniques to keep your horses as calm and stress free as possible.

Of course horse ownership is not cheap and you could be tempted to skimp on insurance and just hope you get away with it.  Instead of taking that risk why not consider some things that you could do to help reduce costs, without reducing the level of cover?  Simple things like restricting your mileage, fitting extra security devices like an immobiliser and limiting the number of drivers to one or two can all help to bring down premiums.  And shop around, don’t call just one company, but look at quotes from several or use a broker to do the hard work for you – it could save serious money, both short term and in the long term if you have to make a claim.

Author bio

With 25 years of experience, the Easy 2 Insure team pride themselves on finding customers the best level of cover at the most competitive price from a range of reputable insurance providers.  The team specialises in a number of insurance fields, including equine cover.  They have been working with horse owners for years and understand how complex horse ownership can be.  Their aim is to provide customers with the peace of mind that comes with having cover individually tailored to meet their demands and needs. http://www.easy2insure.co.uk/