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Hold your horses: essential know-how for safe equine transportation
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Moving horses is about so much more than getting from A to B. There are multiple factors to consider – and pitfalls to avoid.
First and foremost, it’s important to prioritise the wellbeing of the animals. Whether you’re a riding school owner, a private horse owner or a high-net-worth individual with valuable thoroughbreds, ensuring safe and stress-free transport is essential. Horse trailers and horseboxes play a critical role in this process, providing a secure and comfortable means of transportation.
While trailers are a more cost-effective solution due to their lower initial price and reduced maintenance costs, horseboxes often provide a smoother ride, minimising stress and discomfort for horses. Whatever you choose, however, both require proper care, maintenance and insurance to mitigate risks associated with transportation.
Specific horse trailer or horsebox insurance is crucial for protecting not only the vehicle but also drivers – and other road users. Specialist coverage is also important to help facilitate horses can be safely recovered in the event of a breakdown.
In this article, we look at the key considerations so you can avoid unnecessary horsing around when it comes to road safety, and a stress-free ride for your equine friends.
Pre-travel checks
Moving horses is a significant responsibility and ensuring their safety starts long before setting off. Here are some pre-travel checks:
- Tyres: ensure tyres are in good nick with adequate tread depth and correct pressure.
- Electrics and lights: check that all lights and indicators are fully functional.
- Floor and ramp: inspect for structural integrity to prevent accidents.
- Brakes and trailer hitch: ensure braking systems and hitches are in good working order to maintain control on the road.
- Driving licence requirements: while drivers who passed their test after 1 January 1997 no longer need a separate trailer test, practising towing beforehand is advisable(1)
Consider the risks
Despite meticulous preparation, horse transportation always carries risks. Accidents and collisions are a major concern, as the size and weight of horse trailers and boxes make them more challenging to manoeuvre, increasing the likelihood of road incidents. Theft and vandalism are also significant risks, as boxes and trailers are valuable assets that are frequently targeted by criminals. Without proper security and insurance, owners could face substantial financial losses.
Also, consider how weather-related damage can pose a threat, with harsh conditions such as storms, floods and snow potentially causing structural or mechanical issues. Most importantly, the safety of the horses themselves must be a priority. If a horse is not properly secured or if the transport vehicle lacks adequate safety measures, injuries can occur, leading to costly vet treatments or even long-term health complications.
Understanding insurance
General vehicle insurance doesn’t usually cover horse trailers or horseboxes, making specialist cover an essential addition. Horsebox insurance is a type of insurance specifically designed to cover horse transport vehicles, commonly known as horseboxes or horse trailers, and is commonly there to cover policyholders when they’re taking their horse to the vets, or to competitions, or to various locations for recreational purposes. Some of the basics include:
- Third party Liability: protects against claims if an accident involving your horsebox or trailer causes injury to a third party or damage to their property.
- Accidental damage and theft: covers the cost of repairs or replacement if your horsebox or trailer is damaged or stolen.
- Fire and weather damage: ensures financial support in the event of damage caused by fire or extreme weather.
- Social, domestic & pleasure, personal business use or hire & reward: its important that your insurance policy covers you for the correct class of use, even if it is for one trip a year or per policy you must be correctly insured in the correct class of use group
- Any driver policies: these will allow any driver over a specified age to be insured on the vehicle without having to name them on the policy. However, it is still your responsibility to ask if these drivers are claim and conviction free, as each insurer will have different thresholds for claims and convictions at which point the driver must be named.
Other things to consider
When choosing insurance, a few key factors should be considered. The policy should cover the full replacement cost of the trailer or box in the event of a total loss or ‘write off’. It’s also important to consider motor legal expense for recovering costs for uninsured losses such as personal injury to yourself in a none fault claim. For extra peace of mind, owners may want to consider separate horse insurance for injuries or fatalities during transit. An equine specific breakdown policy is also a consideration, as it is important both your horses and vehicle could be recovered from the side of the road following a mechanical breakdown.
Choosing the right provider
Choosing a specialist insurance provider offers important benefits. Experts understand the risks of horse transportation and can recommend the right coverage. Tailored policies meet the specific needs of owners, riding schools and businesses. Specialist providers also aim to provide smooth claims handling, minimising disruptions.
Howden’s dedicated equestrian teams handle risk management daily, earning the trust of racehorse trainers, stud farms, riding schools, livery yards and private horse owners. As the official insurance partner of The Pony Club, we’re a trusted name in equine insurance. As a specialist motor insurance broker, we pride ourselves on doing the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to. Thanks to the great relationships we have with our selected panel of standard and specialist equine insurers, we make the process of comparing multiple horsebox insurance policies, on your behalf, simple and easy.
(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-horsebox-and-trailer-owners