Blog

Once again the Young Horse Finals drew a capacity crowd on the final day of the 2021 British Dressage National Championships.  All eyes were on the best 4, 5 and 6-year-old dressage horses in the country.  Three young horses stood head and shoulders about the rest, all with three key attributes, all had an impressive hind leg, all showed trainability and all three were black and extremely eye catching.

Buying a new horse is an exciting time as well as being a huge financial commitment.  Factoring in on-running and unexpected costs should play a key part of your buying decision and budgeting to ensure that a horse, or an additional horse, is an affordable acquisition. Costs can rapidly spiral out of control and cause significant stress and worry for owners, whether it be in connection to feeding, clothing, training or providing veterinary care for your animal.  Here our equine team share their advice on ways of limiting your financial burden when buying a new horse.

Just the same as our own homes stable yards come in all shapes and sizes, from two pony boxes in the garden, to homemade livery yards, to the palatial surroundings of 5* facilities.  As the epicentre of your equestrian life, having the right level of insurance cover in place is key to not only protect your investment but to ensure than any downtime following a disaster is minimised.  Here our equestrian insurance team share their advice on what essential insurance cover could look like.

With the Summer show season in full swing riders and owners alike are spending more time on the road.  Travelling horses often raises several questions, from what type of insurance is needed, and what should I do in the event of a breakdown? The Shearwater equine motoring team tackle some of our your most frequently asked questions in relation to travel.

Owning a horse is a huge financial commitment, not only in the initial purchase but on a daily basis as well.  However, it can be the unforeseen costs that rapidly spiral out of control and cause significant stress and worry for owners.  Having horse insurance is a way of limiting your financial burden should your horse, or pony, suffer an illness or injury.  Here our industry experts break down the key areas of horse insurance.

Insuring your equestrian property, and everything in it, shouldn’t be a stressful experience.  It can however be confusing knowing what is covered, what could be covered and how certain policies can work together. Shearwater Insurance, understand this niche market and the importance of getting equestrian property insurance tailored to meet your individual needs.

Here Shearwater’s specialist equine insurance brokers answer key questions regarding stables and equine property insurance, explaining the difference between equine specific and mainstream policies and why a tailored equine policy is best.

Home insurance is one of life’s unavoidable costs, but could insuring your home and your horse’s home at the same time turn out to be a win win situation?  Working with an equestrian insurance broker who can handle your personal insurance matters could not only leave you with more time to spend in the saddle but financial savings as well.  Here our personal lines team explain more about household insurance.

Just the same as our own homes stable yards come in all shapes and sizes, from two pony boxes in the garden, to homemade livery yards, to the palatial surroundings of 5* facilities.  As the epicentre of your equestrian life, having the right level of insurance cover in place is key to not only protect your investment but to ensure than any downtime following a disaster is minimised.  Here we share our expert advice on what essential insurance cover could look like.

With all of the Home Nations now under varying National Lockdowns there are a number of new restrictions which will have a direct impact on horse owners, riders, equine practitioners and businesses. 

We understand that our clients are eager to keep business moving forward, keep horses and themselves fit and healthy, and also follow the Government's new lockdown laws that come into affect from the 6th January.

The overriding message during this time is 'stay at home'.  There are a number of permissible reasons for leaving home which include for work, if you cannot reasonably work from home, to care for animals and other people, for medical attention, to shop for essentials and for exercise.

Unlike the November lockdown exercise should now be limited to once per day, however in a difference to the March 2020 lockdown exercise may be taken with 1 other person from a separate household or with members of your household or support bubble.

In general, all of the equestrian policies currently being provided by Shearwater Insurance are operating as normal as long as the insured are acting within Government guidelines.

The following updates are tailored to England and our Equestrian clients.

As Winter is fast upon us, it is inevitable that we will experience periods of sub-zero temperatures.  During these times your home, equestrian and commercial buildings will be at risk of frozen pipes and subsequent damage caused by escaping water.

When the Beast from the East hit in 2018 the country saw temperatures as low as -14C and clocked up £193million of domestic weather related claims.

Here the Shearwater Insurance team, with a little help from our underwriters, offers some help and advice to get you Winter ready.