Gold members

Yes.  You will need to pay the first £250 of each and every claim in respect of third party property damage. There is no excess for a claim against you for injury to a third party and no excess on the personal accident policy. 

The BHS policy is one of last resort. This means that if you have any other liability insurance in place, the BHS 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 you may have additional liability insurance cover under an equine mortality policy or through membership of other associations

Your public liability policy is active whilst you are in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and elsewhere in the world up to a maximum of 30 days in all, but excluding the United States of America and Canada. Your personal accident policy is active worldwide. 

Yes, if you are held liable for an accident involving an escaped horse then you will be protected subject to the terms and conditions of the policy.  There are important terms that you must adhere to within the policy including:

• You must take reasonable precautions to prevent any claim against you. 
• You must take all reasonable steps to maintain your premises, stabling, fencing, paddocks.

Any claim as a result of lack of maintenance of equestrian facilities is excluded under the policy. 

For example if your horse causes an accident following escape on to the road and an investigation shows that your fencing was in poor repair, this may affect your right to be protected against legal liability as a result of any damage or injuries sustained by third parties.
 

Public liability insurance provides protection if you are held legally 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 you a specific amount in specified circumstances, for example, death or permanent disablement. If you sustain an injury that is covered within your policy, you 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 you.

It is important to understand that public liability policies will always cover two things, liability for damage to third party property or an injury to a third party and the limit on a liability policy will generally be in the millions.  Personal accident policies are far more wide ranging.  Your BHS Gold membership provides a basic level of cover as an automatic benefit.  Many people will have additional personal accident cover through their employer or may have additional cover through other associations or specific policies.  If you are self-employed or want a higher level of cover for extra peace of mind, please contact Howden who can review your individual requirements.
 

The third party liability policy excludes any claim relating to a business or profession. In this circumstance, you should be indemnified by the business’ own insurance for public liability. An equestrian establishment must have employers liability by law, to cover injury to their employees as a result of the employers negligence, including any work experience students. We recommend that any member or parent/guardian, ensures that a business has suitable insurance in place before agreeing a work placement of any kind.

Your third party liability policy extends to provide indemnity to anyone riding your horse/pony with your permission on an ad hoc basis, providing that you are present and they are acting under your supervision.  If you are relying on your BHS liability policy to cover your friend, you must ensure that they are aware of the terms and conditions of the policy.  We strongly recommend that anyone riding or handling horses regularly has appropriate liability insurance in place for their own equestrian activities.

Your personal accident cover does not provide any benefits to anyone other than you. 

The BHS policy includes a ‘Horse Groom’ extension which provides indemnity to any person looking after your horse if they are held liable for an injury to a third party or damage to third party property. This is providing that the groom does not have other cover in place, in which case the groom’s own policy would respond first.  

This 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 you are present. If you wanted a friend to exercise your horse whilst you are away, we strongly recommend that you check that they have appropriate liability cover in place for their own equestrian activities. 
 
The BHS third party liability policy does not cover Employer's Liability. If you could be classed as an employer you should ensure that you 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.

Yes, you are covered for both third party liability and personal accident whilst riding any horse or pony regardless of whether it is owned by you, but providing you have the owner’s permission. 

No.  The third party liability cover provides protection for Gold members in respect of any horse that you own or is in your care, custody and control, providing the horse is used or kept for recreational purposes. There is no requirement for you to notify BHS if you have a bought a new horse.

All BHS memberships run for 12 months from the date on which you become a member.  If you select to pay monthly by direct debit, you are agreeing to membership for one year, payable in monthly instalments.  

The insurance cover is a benefit of your BHS membership and as part of a group policy covering all members in the same way, you are not entitled to any refund in the event of that you want to cancel your membership of BHS.   
 

No.  The benefits received with your BHS Gold membership will not provide financial compensation if your horse 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 mortality policy.

Yes.  Howden have a dedicated horse and pony team and BHS members receive a 10% discount on all horse and pony policies. 

Howden also offer horsebox, trailer, car, home and much more.! For more details, please follow the link below:
https://www.howdeninsurance.co.uk/personal/rural/equine-insurance/
or alternatively, call: 01743 45591