Policy Summary and FAQs

All Pony Club Branch and Centre Plus members are covered for third-party liability (also known as public or personal liability) in respect of their ownership or use of a horse or pony, on a 24/7 basis - and not just whilst at Pony Club events.

Centre members and Non-riding members are also covered for third-party liability on a 24/7 basis for their use or control of a horse or pony.  Centre members and Non-riding members are not covered for ownership of a horse or pony. If insurance is required for ‘ownership’ of a horse or pony, you should upgrade to Centre Plus or Branch membership.

The insurance provides insurance protection (indemnity) for all members up to £30,000,000.

Public liability insurance provides cover if you are held liable for an injury to a third party, or damage to property owned by a third party. For a claim to be successful, a third party has to prove that such bodily injury or property damage was a result of you being negligent in some way and the third party would have to make a claim against you.

Personal accident policies by contrast pay specific amounts in specified circumstances, for example, death or permanent disablement, of an insured person. If an insured person sustains an injury that is covered within their policy, they do not have to prove that anyone was liable in order to make a claim. The crucial difference is that liability claims are made against you but a personal accident claim is when an injury is sustained by the person insured.

Pony Club members receive public liability insurance only and do not have coverage for personal accidents. Additional cover is available to purchase through Howden if required.

Yes, the member’s liability policy has an excess of £250 which is payable by the member or their legal guardian and applies to any claim for third party property damage.

The member’s liability policy excludes bodily Injury, loss or damage as a result of Horse Racing, Point to Point racing, Steeplechasing or Team Chasing other than official Pony Club race days and training days and Endurance riding. The policy also excludes any claim due to the use of a horse or horse drawn vehicle for hire or reward.

The policy does not cover bodily injury to any member of the insured’s family or household or any employee and does not cover any loss arising out of any business or profession. For full terms and conditions please see the Member’s Policy Wording.

The Pony Club policy is one of last resort. This means that if a member or their parent/guardian where applicable has any other liability insurance in place, the Pony Club policy will only respond once the limit of liability has been exceeded on the other policy.

Liability cover for animals can sometimes be included on a household insurance policy, or a member may have additional liability insurance cover under an equine mortality policy or through membership of other associations.

The Pony Club insurance only covers the member for their equestrian activities whilst they are in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. We recommend that if a member is riding whilst on holiday overseas they should ensure that their standard holiday insurance includes liability cover for horse riding.

No. The policy excludes any claim relating to a business or profession. In this circumstance, the member should be indemnified by the business’ own insurance for public liability. An equestrian establishment should also have employers liability to cover all of their employees including any work experience students. We would recommend that any member or parent/guardian, ensures that a business has suitable insurance in place before agreeing a work placement of any kind.

The Pony Club policy includes a ‘Horse Groom’ extension which provides indemnity to any groom looking after a member’s horse or pony if they are held liable for an injury to a third party or damage to third party property as a result of their grooming work for the member. This is providing that the groom does not have other cover in place, in which case the groom’s own policy would respond first.  The extension excludes the activity of any Professional Groom where grooming is their occupation and as such they should have their own insurance in place. The Horse Groom extension does not extend to a friend riding your horse unless the member or their parent/guardian is present. If you wanted a friend to exercise your horse whilst you are away, we strongly recommend that you check that the friend has appropriate liability cover in place for their own equestrian activities.  

The Pony Club member’s policy does not cover Employer's Liability. Where a member or their parent/guardian are classed as an employer they should ensure that they have separate Employers' Liability insurance in case of injury to a groom in the course of their work. This cover is a legal requirement and may possibly be included under some household policies.  You could be classed as an employer in the eyes of the law if you employ the groom on regular part or full-time hours and they do not have a choice of whether or not they come to work each day, rather than employing the groom on a truly freelance basis where they supply their own equipment and can choose their hours of work.

The Pony Club member’s policy extends to provide indemnity to anyone riding or handling the member’s own horse/pony with their permission, providing they are in the presence of the member or their parent/guardian. If anyone is riding the member’s horse whilst the member or their parent/guardian is not present we strongly recommend that they have appropriate liability insurance in place for their own equestrian activities.

Yes, the member is covered whilst riding any horse or pony regardless of whether it is owned by them but providing they have the owner’s permission.

The Pony Club member’s insurance covers liability arising out of a Branch or Centre Plus member’s ownership of any horse or pony and not just one main pony. In the event that a family owns additional horses that are not used by the member, these horses would not be covered unless the insured member is riding or handling the horse at the time of the incident leading to a claim.

Non-Riding members and Centre members are not covered for the ownership of a horse/pony.  If a non-riding or centre member purchases a horse during their membership period, their policy will extend to include ownership of their horse until the expiry of their membership period.  At their Pony Club membership renewal, they should upgrade to Centre Plus or Branch membership if they require cover for their ownership of a horse/pony.

Branch and Centre Plus members are covered for claims arising out of the use, ownership or control of any horse or pony and this includes any horse or pony that is on loan to the member.

If you are a Centre member or a Non-riding member with a formal loan agreement, you should upgrade to Centre Plus or Branch membership.

We would recommend that the owner of any horse or pony on loan also has liability insurance in place because the owner could still be held liable for an accident even if the horse or pony is not in their care at the time. This is due to the strict liability on the owner or keeper of an animal under The Animals Act 1971.

Yes, the policy includes a member to member extension which means that one member can claim off another member if they were negligent in their actions.

The definition of a member within the Pony Club member’s policy wording includes the parent or guardian of the member if required by law.  For example, if a child is out hacking and their pony accidentally kicks a car, the parent may be held legally liable for the damage due to the age of the child.  In this type of scenario, the parent will have cover under the Pony Club policy.

Notwithstanding the above, we strongly recommend that if a parent is regularly handling or riding horses, they have their own liability insurance in place and they do not rely on the member’s insurance.  The member’s insurance is designed to protect the activities of the member and occasional situations where another person may have use or control of the horse or pony if they do not have cover elsewhere.

No.  A liability policy will not provide financial compensation if the member’s horse or pony dies, requires euthanasia or has an illness or injury. For this type of cover either for the value of the horse in the event of its death or for reimbursement of veterinary fees, you will require a horse and pony policy.

Yes.  Insurance for horses and ponies can be provided through A Plan which is part of the Howden Group. To find out more please follow the link below:

https://www.aplan.co.uk/rural/farm-estate/equine-insurance/:

or alternatively, call: 01743 455911

If a member or their parent/guardian receives any contact regarding a potential claim against them, they should complete the online accident report form which can be accessed via The Pony Club website or the following link:

https://form.libertyriskreduce.com/forms/pony-club-members

It is important that the member does not admit liability as this could prejudice the position of the Insurer in the event of a claim being made.

Correspondence regarding any potential claim should be sent unanswered to:

[email protected]

+44 (0) 1234 408610

The Pony Club has a comprehensive combined liability policy that indemnifies The Pony Club and all of its branches against any action that may be taken against the branch as a result of third-party property damage or third-party injury. The policy also extends to cover The Pony Club and its branches in the event that damages are sought following the supply of any products to third parties.

Public liability insurance provides cover if you are held liable for an injury to a third party or damage to property owned by a third party.  For a claim to be successful, a third party has to prove that such bodily injury or property damage was a result of you being negligent in some way.

An example of this would be if a marquee were erected by the branch and it blew away causing damage to a car.  In order to make a successful claim, the owner of the car (or their legal representation) would need to prove that The Pony Club was negligent, for example that they had not secured the marquee adequately.  If damage is caused at an event, it does not automatically mean The Pony Club are liable.  If all possible precautions were taken to secure the marquee, but a freak weather event caused it to blow away, The Pony Club may not be found liable for the damage.

In contrast, personal accident insurance is a ‘no fault’ policy.  If an insured person is injured they do not have to prove that anyone was liable in order to make a claim. The Pony Club does not provide personal accident cover for its members or volunteers, however separate policies are available to purchase through Howden.

The Pony Club and its branches are covered for third-party liability where a claim is brought against them by a non-member. If a claim should occur against the non-member whilst attending a rally, they will only be provided protection under The Pony Club policy if they are attending the rally as a taster session with a view to joining The Pony Club. Taster sessions should be limited to one or two rallies only but if a further session is needed for any reason then the branch should contact PCHQ for advice.

The Pony Club and it’s branches are covered for third party liability where a claim is brought against them by a non-member at a Pony Club event that they are eligible to compete at, for example a hunter trial organised by a branch.  However, there is no protection in place for the non-member under the Pony Club policy if the non-member is held liable for third party property damage or bodily injury to a third party whilst at a Pony Club event.  The non-member would need to have their own liability insurance in place to protect them against this.  It should be clearly specified in the rules and entry for any Pony Club competition that non-members should have their own third party liability insurance.

The insurance policy does not state any minimum qualifications for coaches, but The Pony Club and its branches should be satisfied that anyone teaching is competent and capable of the tasks they are being asked to perform. If in doubt, the branch should speak to Pony Club HQ for guidance.

No provisions are stated regarding riding attire but insurers would expect branches to follow Pony Club rules and regulations on safety including suitable riding wear for Pony Club activities. If in doubt over the correct riding attire you should speak to Pony Club HQ.

All Pony Club coaches are protected by the Pony Club liability insurance policy whilst coaching at any Pony Club activity.  If the coach undertakes any teaching activities outside of a Pony Club organised event then they would require their own freelance coaching insurance, including any private coaching for individual members of The Pony Club.

Yes, the liability policy extends to cover the liabilities of all volunteers acting on behalf of The Pony Club at any Pony Club event.  This would include any committee member, parent helper, official, judge, steward, or any other volunteer.  This means that if a volunteer was held personally liable for an injury to a third party or damage to third party property, The Pony Club policy would provide indemnity to that volunteer. 

The Pony Club policy will only cover the use of a cross country course for Pony Club activities.  If  the course is hired to third parties (including members outside of an organised Pony Club event), the branch  will need additional cover in place.  The branch should also take out property owners liability coverage in the event that someone is injured on the land outside of an organised Pony Club event, and holds the branch responsible.

No cover is in place via The Pony Club for equipment owned or loaned to a branch. If a branch requires cover it must take out its own material damage policy for the total value of equipment that is owned or loaned to them.  Additional cover is available via Howden.

Yes. The Pony Club liability policy does not specify where a Pony Club event should take place but branches should ensure they are satisfied that all venues offer safe and appropriate facilities for the type of activity.  The liability policy includes a landowners indemnity extension which provides protection for the landowner in the event that they are held liable for an injury to a third party or damage to third party property arising out of a Pony Club activity on their land.

Non Pony Club activities should be carefully considered before they are arranged.  Any branch wishing to undertake such activities should contact Pony Club HQ before organising.  One off experiences for members are likely to be acceptable, (subject to having appropriate and skilled instruction in place and suitable risk assessments), but regular sessions for non Pony Club sports should not be organised by branches and would require separate insurance.  

Yes, the Pony Club liability policy covers social and fundraising events organised by branches.

Yes, an excess of £250 applies to any claim against the branch for third party property damage.  This would be payable by the branch.

Please complete the online branch incident report form giving as much detail as possible.  This will automatically be forwarded to Howden and to the insurers. It is important that you do not admit liability as this could prejudice the position of both the branch and the Insurer in the event of a claim being made.

Any serious injury should be documented in accordance with Pony Club rules and should be notified via the online accident report form, which can be accessed via The Pony Club website or by using the following link:

https://form.libertyriskreduce.com/forms/ponyclub-incident-report-branches

No. Pony Club Centres require their own insurance to cover all of their riding school activities including the provision of activities for Pony Club Centre members. 

The only time a Pony Club Linked Centre will be afforded indemnity under The Pony Club policy would be if a Centre hires their facilities to a Pony Club branch for branch activities.  During a branch activity, the Centre would be covered under landowners' indemnity extension of The Pony Club policy if they are brought into a claim as a result of the branch activity.

Pony Club insurance provides all branches with liability cover for branch activities and there is no stipulation in the policy to say that only branch members may attend. Pony Club Centre members have third party liability insurance as part of their membership so if they are personally held liable for property damage or an injury to a third party whilst taking part in a branch activity then the Pony Club policy will respond.

The Pony Club policy will not indemnify the Pony Club Centre if a claim is brought against the Centre for an injury to a Centre member that occurs at a Branch activity. In this situation, the Centre should ensure they have the necessary insurance in place to allow Centre members to take part in external events.

If a Branch and a Centre organise any joint events it should be very clear between the two parties who the organiser of the event is and who is responsible for insuring the event.  If in doubt, speak to Pony Club HQ for guidance.

Please contact Howden as follows:

For all Pony Club coverage enquiries, please contact:

[email protected]

+44 (0)207 133 1387

For general enquiries and additional cover please contact:

[email protected]

+44 (0)207 133 1338

For Horse and Pony quotations (A Plan):

https://www.aplan.co.uk/rural/farm-estate/equine-insurance/:

+44 (0)1743 455911

For claims queries contact:

[email protected]

+44 (0) 1234 408610