Customer Stories

Owning a horse can be a great joy, whether you are a happy hacker or an events champion. Unfortunately though, our horses can fall ill and need expensive veterinary care when we least expect it and riding accidents do happen. That's why you have Petplan Equine horse insurance, it can help take away the financial worries and gives you peace of mind, so that you can focus on getting your horse and you back to the best of health.

We receive thousands of letters each year from customers who want to share their horse insurance experiences and we've published a handful of their stories here. If you have a tale to tell about your own experience with Petplan Equine's horse insurance, Veteran Insurance or our Rider Plan why not send us the details?

Back to his old self again, thanks to Petplan Equine

Some of our customers were kind enough to share their experiences with us in person. Just click on the story you'd like to view.

Lily's StoryPetplan Equine's Horse Insurance policy Paid over: £7800

Thanks to the vet, a family's beloved horse has come back to good health after three serious injuries.

When 14-year-old Lucinda Cashen outgrew her pony, her mother Heather spent �10,000 on Lily, a six-year-old show-jumping Dutch Warmblood of 16hh. From Autumn 2006, Lucinda rode Lily at many events, winning prizes at Hickstead and Patchetts.

However, at Arena UK in 2007, Lily wasn't herself � her stride had shortened up. She had medial collateral ligament damage. �I called Petplan Equine, who we had arranged our horse insurance with, the next day and they were so sympathetic and knowledgeable,' says Heather. Despite three shock-wave treatments and several expensive Cartrophen injections, the Cashens saw no progress. �We thought she might be able to do dressage one day, but were sure her jumping career was over.' Lily was kept in her stable for six weeks and walked out once a week.

Then, six months later, Heather spotted her playing in the field and doing an extended trot downhill! The vet confirmed she had healed.

Then, in March 2009, Lily panicked while she was being transported in a horsebox on the motorway. �She was throwing herself on the floor. The incident closed both sides of the M23,' says Heather. Lily was successfully treated for a broken splint bone, damaged neck muscles and travel trauma, and we once again turned to our trusty horse insurance policy to cover us.

But, just 10 days later, disaster struck again. 'One morning, she couldn't put any weight on one of her feet. The yard manager told me she had removed a screw from her foot the day before. But when the farrier took off her shoe and we saw the hole in her frog, I called our vet immediately,' explains Heather. Lily had injured her pedal bone � the vet needed to keep her in for two weeks and do bone scraping to stop any infection spreading. 'If the hole had been 2mm deeper, it could have been disastrous,' says Heather. Lily was discharged with a dressing and plate on her foot to keep the wound clean, and orders for six weeks' box rest.

'We knew Lily was feeling better the day someone left the gate open and she took herself over several of the jumps,' laughs Heather. Lucinda was soon jumping her beloved horse again. Heather smiles: �I'm so grateful for Petplan Equine's horse insurance policy and their support throughout. The process was quick and there were no quibbles over claims. I believe Petplan Equine insurance is the choice for serious owners.'

Mrs Cashen (September, 2010) Read more

Luke's StoryPetplan Equine Paid over: £850

This has been a very interesting year for Miss White and her horse Luke. It seems Luke is determined to ensure he stays with his current owner, despite all the odds.

'After a serious fall at the end of last year which broke my collar bone, I had to have surgery to insert a metal plate to support the joint. My confidence was shattered after the fall. Slowly I got back into riding Luke, until one day he managed to get not only me off but a few other friends who tried to help too! I was so upset, I thought the best thing for us both was to loan Luke out (as I didn't want to sell him) to someone who could manage him and let him do what he enjoys doing, including jumping.

Finding a suitable family for Luke proved to be trickier than anticipated; car problems were frequently to blame. My search for another horse proved equally disastrous.

Soon after all these complications, I was travelling to the yard and looked in the field as I drove past and noticed Luke wasn't there. As I drove around the corner, there stood Luke with a crowd of people around him. From where I was, all I could see was blood on the ground. As I approached I noticed the blood was coming from a nasty leg wound.

Luckily, one of the liveries at the yard is a vet nurse so she had bandaged his leg up and called the vet. The vet arrived on the scene, assessed Luke and informed me he had severed an artery in his hind leg. It took several months of box rest before it healed. The cause of the injury remains a mystery to this day.

It came to my mind and many others' that after everything we had been through, it was all a sign that Luke had to stay. I had never owned a horse before so this was my first horse insurance claim; it was so great that Petplan Equine made everything so simple and easy with no hassle.

A few months later, another call was made to the vet. Luke had a deep hole on the inside of the same leg. Again he was on box rest. After another call to Petplan Equine a claim form was sent out; a week later it was paid. I was very impressed with how friendly, quickly and easily Petplan Equine made this and would recommend their insurance to anyone!'

Miss Dove (February 2010) Read more

Joe's StoryPetplan Equine Paid: £3500

Joe suffered a severe bout of colic which had to be surgically corrected; the intestine had become tangled around the spleen, causing Joe severe discomfort.

Miss Dove (February 2010) Read more

All stories have been reproduced with our customers' permission. Petplan Equine does not accept responsibility for the views expressed in our customer stories, which are in our customers' own words and based on their own personal experiences. Cover is provided subject to policy terms, conditions and excesses, so please always refer to your own latest policy documents for details of the cover available for your horse.