If your horse puts a dent in a visitor’s car, you personally could be held responsible. Accepting responsibility for your horse before an incident occurs is the best way to protect yourself from expensive damage or injury claims from a third party. And the simplest way to do this is to make sure you have Equine Liability insurance in place.
An animal can be blamed for an incident that leaves another person injured or their property damaged, but when it comes to shouldering the responsibility and covering any associated costs, the onus is on the owner. If they are your responsibility, as the owner or a keeper, any damage or injury they cause is too, as stipulated by the Animals Act of 1971.
An escaped horse could easily cause a serious road accident, or break through somebody’s fence, and if you don’t have the right cover included in your existing insurance, then you will have to pay for any costs. Depending on the scale of the problem, you could be putting your assets on the line in doing so, including your business.
It is a legal requirement for riding establishments to be licensed under the Riding Establishments Act 1964 and 1970, under which you are required to have Public Liability Insurance. A riding establishment is considered to be a business that hires out horses or ponies for riding, or a riding school*. So if you’re running such an establishment you need to ensure that you are covered sufficiently.
Equine Liability arranged by McClarrons can provide the solution, and the additional peace of mind that comes with having sufficient insurance by covering these risks specifically. We can advise on whether you have the correct cover in place for you and your business, and whether we have an insurance option we think may be better suited to you.
McClarrons offer equine insurance policies from specialist providers, which can be tailor-made to your specific requirements, including Public Liability cover. To iron-out any confusion you have around Equine Liability – what it covers and what it doesn’t – our specialist team are very happy to explain, having dealt with a wide range of equestrian businesses in the past, including polo clubs, riding schools, racehorse trainers and freelance instructors. Contact us at: equine@mcclarroninsurance.com or on 01653 697055.
