What your insurer will never tell you before a transport

You insure your horse, your trailer, your car, and you assume you are covered for everything. Think again: transport is full of blind spots.

'My horse is insured' — really, in transit?

Many 'mortality' policies exclude or limit transport, or attach conditions to it (a compliant trailer, a qualified driver). Read the exclusions, not just the coverage.

Who pays if your horse injures another?

At a stopover, in a rest area, at a show: if your horse injures a third party or another horse, it is your personal liability that comes into play. Is it properly extended to your horse? Many 'personal' liability policies exclude animals or equestrian activities.

The trailer and its contents

• Tack stolen from the trailer: covered? Often not, or capped.
• An at-fault accident: is your injured horse compensated by the auto insurance? Almost never.

Before a big departure

• Check the geographic validity (are you covered abroad?).
• Check the conditions imposed (compliant trailer, age of the horse, activity).
• Keep proof: the horse's condition before departure, in photos.

Insurance is like the trailer: you only discover its weaknesses at the worst moment. One phone call today will spare you a very nasty surprise tomorrow.

Informative article: only the terms of your policy are authoritative. Check them with your insurer.