There are many perks of working with horses, but it’s no secret that they can be unpredictable. Insurance is there as protection when things go wrong, whether this involves you, a horse in your care or a third party where you are found to be at fault. There are many ways you can work in the equine industry and there are insurance policies available for any role that involves working with horses. This could be as a freelance groom, rider, or instructor, or perhaps as someone employed full time in a riding school, by a racehorse trainer, or a horse transporter.
The options available to people working with horses include:
Public Liability insurance protects against claims made by a third party for bodily injury or property damage where you are held liable.
Care, Custody and Control insurance (automatically included on our policies) protects you in the event that you are held liable for injury to a horse in your care. It is important to note that you must not advise clients that you have this insurance, as this may prejudice your position in the event of a claim.
Personal Accident insurance which provides should you sustain an injury or become ill and it prevent you working. There are pay outs for life changing injuries as well as weekly benefits should you have to have a sustained period of time off work.
Did you know? KBIS Personal Accident policies provide ‘all of life’ cover, so the accident does not have to involve horses for you to be able to make a claim.
The responsibility of insurance falls to the person in charge. If you are employed, your employer is responsible for Public Liability insurance and Care Custody and Control cover for their business. Legally, they must also hold Employers Liability insurance, as they have a duty of care to employees whether they are working full-time, part-time, training or even on an unpaid basis.
There may be times where your employer advises you that you are classed as freelance for tax reasons (if this is the case, we recommend you get further advice from a professional body such as the British Grooms Association as there may be further legal implications) but in this case your employer would still be required to have Employers Liability insurance in place. They should also ensure that they have a public liability policy in place that will protect you whilst working for them.
If you are a true freelancer (in that you work for multiple people) it would be very sensible to ensure that you have your own Public Liability insurance policy in place to protect you in the event that you are held liable for third party property damage or bodily injury arising out of your business activities as this will not necessarily be picked up by the people you work for. KBIS freelance insurance will automatically include care, custody and control insurance under the same policy.
Did you know? We can provide cover for both qualified and un-qualified instructors, so if you are just starting out or beginning to gain some experience you can still be insured for when things don’t go to plan.
Its not only a case of deciding what cover you need, the amount of cover you take out should also be factored in. We do see Public Liability claims exceeding £2,000,000 so this is worth considering when choosing the limit of cover on your policy.
By working on a freelance basis, you are your own boss. There are many positives of this, but it does mean that having appropriate insurance cover in place for the activities you carry out is your responsibility. Horses can be notoriously unpredictable and particularly for freelancers, where there is a likelihood that you are working with horses you don’t know, accidents can happen.
As a freelance groom, you may be turning out a horse when he gets away from you and escapes onto a road causing an accident. As a freelance rider, the horse you are riding may spook whilst out on a hack and cause damage to a parked car along the roadside. As a freelance instructor, if you are giving a lesson and the horse and rider part company, there is a chance that the horse may go on to canter down the road and straight into a neighbours brand new wooden fencing or that the rider may be injured and hold you liable for their injury.
Did you know? There are no restrictions on where, when or how many hours you teach on our Freelance Instructor policies.
All of the above scenarios highlight the importance of having Public Liability cover, insurance that protects against damages to a third party, either property or bodily injury in the event that you are found to be at fault.
Care, Custody and Control is also automatically included on KBIS freelance policies, providing cover should a horse sustain an injury or die whilst in your care, where you are found to be the cause of this.
KBIS freelance policies are designed to meet the needs of all working as freelance grooms, rider, instructors or a combination of these. Whether you are a freelance groom who also competes horses on behalf of owners, or a freelance instructor who also helps with grooming, one simple, tailored policy from KBIS will provide the protection you need for your day to day work.
Did you know? Our Freelance Groom policy automatically includes clipping and schooling horses at the owner’s premises.