When driving a horsebox or towing a trailer on UK roads, it’s a legal requirement for you to have the right insurance. But even the best horsebox insurance might not cover you for every eventuality on a standard policy. You’ll also need horse insurance and cover for the rider, too.
Another area you might not have already considered, but is worth looking into, is that of legal cover. If you’re wondering whether you need to add legal cover to your horsebox insurance then you’ve come to the right place. In this quick guide, we’ll review what legal cover is and how it could help you financially if the worst happened.
Remember, whatever policy extras you choose, safety has to be paramount whenever you’re out on a hack or travelling with your faithful companion. Because sometimes, no matter how careful we are, accidents happen. Having great horsebox insurance from Equesure means there’s always help available.
Legal cover, sometimes known as legal protection, is a common add-on to all manner of insurance policies. Indeed, you might already have some legal cover included as part of your car or home insurance policies. It’s designed to cover legal fees and losses, up to a pre-agreed limit, following an accident that was not your fault. It can cover both bringing legal claims as well as defending a court case. The legal cover arranged by Equesure covers legal costs up to £100,000.
Most often you’ll find it offered as an optional extra to a horsebox insurance policy that you can choose to add for an additional cost. For example, legal cover arranged through Equesure only costs £34.95, which equates to just 67p a week! While legal cover is not mandatory, it’s really a no-brainer when you think about it. For a comparatively small fee, you could cover the cost of legal fees that could easily run into hundreds or even thousands of pounds. However, be aware that for particularly complex or drawn-out cases the legal bill could be even more!
Although some policies may include legal cover as standard it’s important to be aware that not all legal cover will give you the same protection. Always make sure you understand your policy terms before agreeing to the add-on. Because, when an accident has happened you don’t want to only then find out your legal cover isn’t what you bargained for. Dealing with an accident is worrying and stressful enough without insurance concerns, too! That’s why speaking to the helpful team of insurance specialists at Equesure is so important.
With the right legal cover in place, you’ll be able to make or defend a claim involving another motorist without having to stress about the financial implications.
Legal cover is an invaluable way to deal with legal expenses, including for claims relating to:
It’s important to be aware that legal cover doesn’t provide the compensation or damages awarded for these claims. Instead, it covers just the legal costs associated with making such claims. So, you won’t receive a lump sum from the insurer, only the amount to cover these legal and court fees. However, even though it won’t pay compensation, it will still cover the cost of solicitor’s fees, which can be very significant indeed.
Before taking out legal cover, it’s always worth checking the policy wording first. If possible, you want to avoid overlap with your existing policies. That said, just because you have legal cover with your home insurance policy it doesn’t mean legal cover with your horsebox insurance isn’t useful. As each one may well cover different types of court action. For example, consumer champion Which? says that adding legal cover to a home insurance policy might also cover you for legal costs related to employment disputes, faulty goods and enquiries into your tax affairs.
And remember to see what else the insurer is offering in terms of added value. For example, legal cover offered with policies through Equesure include access to a 24/7 legal helpline. It’s available online and over the phone so whatever time of day or night the accident occurs you’ll be able to make contact and start the claims process.
Before an accident even happens, it’s important to keep all your insurance policy documents in a secure location. From horse insurance to legal cover and everything in between, when disaster strikes you don’t want the added stress of hunting high and low for important paperwork. You need them close to hand so you can refer to them when you need to.
Even if you’re nervous about keeping the originals in your horsebox, making copies and keeping them in a safe place in the vehicle is a good idea. While many people download a copy of their policy document onto their phone, it’s not wise to rely on this. After all, if your phone gets damaged, lost or simply runs out of power, you could get stuck. To guard against mishaps, it’s also wise to make sure someone else knows where the documents are kept. Just in case you’re not able to get to them yourself.
Once an accident has happened, it’s important you follow a number of steps to give yourself the best chance of a successful outcome.
Then you’ll want to call your insurer. To make a legal cover claim follow this straightforward three-step procedure:
Once your claim has been processed, if you have legal cover, your insurer will probably appoint a solicitor to deal with your legal case. Although you might be able to choose your own representation. They will then get on with contacting the other party’s insurer to inform them that you’re looking to recover costs not covered by your insurance.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that a legal cover claim will be accepted by your insurer. For example, if it’s not clear who was at fault for an accident then they might feel that a legal case is not likely enough to succeed.
You may also be unable to claim on your legal cover for:
Sometimes insurers reject claims if too much time has passed since the accident. For example, if the accident happened six months ago then an insurer might say it’s too late to claim. Or perhaps the amounts involved are not worth going to court for. For example, if the claim is for £300, but legal costs will be £1,000 then it doesn’t make commercial sense to go to court.
It’s really simple to add or remove legal cover. Just call your insurance provider and they’ll talk you through the process. However, you shouldn’t rush into removing legal cover. After all, it’s a relatively small cost that could end up saving you thousands of pounds.
Before making a decision to add or remove legal cover from your horsebox insurance policy, always weigh up the pros and cons first.
Pros:
Cons:
Whatever life throws at you, a policy arranged through Equesure will guard against the financial consequences of any mishaps.
Our experienced team is best placed to offer you an insurance policy tailored to your type of horse transport.
Get a quote for horsebox insurance today.
Once again I threw Arlo in at the deep end, affiliating him purely for the Arena UK second round show, and once again he pulled it out the bag. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful little horse? We haven’t really competed this year. I don’t really compete over the winter, and also my horsebox was away for repairs up until the beginning of June, so I had no transport even if I’d wanted to.
With the dry ground we don’t seem to be having much luck with shoes, as little madam managed to pull both her front shoes off within 12 hours the other day! We entered the arena with two shoes on for a schooling session and left it with one missing (took about an hour to find it). Then that afternoon, as I went to put some hoof ointment on, I looked down and had to double take, thinking I was looking at the wrong hoof. But, no, the other shoe was missing too.
After having a long wait and some lunch at the onsite café, it was time to get ready for the Joan Wolfe Overall Supreme Shetland Pony Championship. I got changed out of my usual showing outfit into black trousers and a maroon top with white spots, as you are expected to be a bit more “bling” in the evening.
We were all set to go for our next outing, and were super excited. That was until I heard the dreaded clunk of a loose shoe! I checked it over, praying it wasn’t too loose, but, nope, it was going to need a refit.