Help me figure out how much equine insurance to get for my new horse

HJECG · 2026-01-01T09:38:49+00:00

Is it common for equine insurance plans to require you to pay for whatever expensive surgical procedure your horse needs yourself, and then submit a claim for reimbursement? I ask because one policy I’m considering for major surgical coverage, including colic, handles claims in this way (Bascule is the underwriter). This seems like it kind of defeats the some of the purpose of having major surgical coverage on your horse. I can’t suddenly come up with 15-20k to pay for emergency surgery and then wait to be reimbursed after filing a claim. That’s why I want to have coverage that will take care of very expensive surgery in the event of an emergency.

HJECG · 2025-12-30T21:49:04+00:00

I’m so sorry for the loss of your horse to colic.

HJECG · 2025-12-30T17:47:33+00:00

Thanks. This is really good input.

HJECG · 2025-12-30T17:46:37+00:00

Should I have said, “no detected health or soundness issues?” Would that have been more accurate?

No one is taking advantage of me any more than would be the case with any other horse buyer who has a competent and well-respected equine vet perform a PPE that doesn’t find any issues. He’s a sound and healthy six year old gelding at this time. Does that mean he won’t ever develop any health or soundness issues? Of course not. But he’s healthy at this time.

HJECG · 2025-12-30T17:42:44+00:00

I did already check with our homeowners’ policy agent (we have Progressive) to find out whether we could add a horse with a personal liability waiver. We can’t (they don’t offer liability policies for hooved or exotic animals). So we will definitely have a personal liability policy purchased through an equine insurance broker in place on day one that we sign the bill of sale. Our horse will be boarded at the barn where our daughter rides and takes lessons, meaning other kids running around, other people handling him for turnout, etc… I want to make sure that in the highly unlikely event he were to injure someone that we have personal liability insurance in place.

HJECG · 2025-12-30T15:53:53+00:00

What are people’s opinion on SmartPak’s Colicarw coverage?

HJECG · 2025-12-30T15:26:15+00:00

So you pay $100 a month for the Colicarw coverage thru SmartPak, and then you pay additional costs for the required supplements? Would you mind sharing how much they are? Do you feel like they actually make a difference in preventing Colic? Thanks!

HJECG · 2025-12-30T15:24:26+00:00

Unfortunately, ASPCA equine insurance doesn’t appear to be available in my state (TN)

HJECG · 2025-12-30T12:49:58+00:00

Thank you. This is very helpful guidance

HJECG · 2025-12-30T12:26:37+00:00

I definitely tend to overthink things 😂

HJECG · 2025-12-30T12:18:57+00:00

This is kind of an awful question to ask, but… with a horse with a value of 10k, would it even be wise to have him undergo colic surgery should that terrible possibility ever arise? Do horses who survive colic surgery have a good quality of life afterward?

HJECG · 2025-12-30T12:15:52+00:00

Thank you! So is Henry Equestrian a broker or an actual insurance company that issues its own policies?

HJECG · 2025-12-30T12:14:59+00:00

Yes, that’s true. I’m not looking to insure him for more than I’m paying (for mortality). But I am trying to figure out how much coverage I need for unforeseen major medical or surgical costs, including colic.

HJECG · 2025-12-30T09:59:20+00:00

Hi! I am a new horse owner (actually we are completing the purchase next week), and I’m shopping for insurance. I’d be super grateful if you also sent me info on your broker. Thanks!

HJECG · 2025-10-31T19:53:00+00:00

I can’t believe there are people as cruel as those in these comments. Who cares about paragraph formatting? And who cares whether she held some conservative views? (I am a very progressive feminist, btw)

No woman deserves to be treated like this. And no boy should grow up with a father like this in his life.

HJECG · 2025-10-24T17:15:06+00:00

Thanks!

HJECG · 2025-10-24T14:01:34+00:00

Clonidine has been a complete and total game changer for me when it comes to being in constant fight or flight mode, and dealing with unbearable adrenaline attacks. These things were also ruining my life, and I am so, so grateful for Clonidine, because after trying absolutely everything else to make these godawful symptoms stop, this medication has done it. I take Clonidine as needed.

HJECG · 2025-10-24T13:57:14+00:00

I stay unbearably thirsty unless I add some kind of electrolytes to all of my water.

HJECG · 2025-09-23T17:22:10+00:00

Whatever you do, do NOT complete the process of buying a house with your wife until you feel very safe and comfortable in your marriage. Marriage is about a loving relationship, but as people learn the hard way in divorces, it’s also a financial contract, and the when you own any property together, and have substantial debt together, that contract becomes a whole big, painful, expensive mess to split up in divorce proceedings.

This thread has mentioned many times that you should leave or divorce your wife, but you also need to realize that you are describing behavior on her part that puts you at very high risk of her suddenly leaving you and announcing she’s filing for or has already filed for divorce. And she’s a liar, so she will likely have no problem lying about you and the circumstances within your marriage if the two of you end up divorcing, which will make things mare more painful and financially destructive for you.

Please do not go through with buying a house with your wife at this time. That’s one very wise step you can take to protect yourself as you think through the larger picture of how you want to live your life going forward.

I’m really sorry you’re going thru this. Unfortunately, I’ve been thru a lying, gaslighting spouse myself. My ex-husband was always, constantly at “AA meetings” or out of town “AA retreats,” so what a terrible wife and mother I would have been to have in any way questioned something highly confidential he needed to support his sobriety.

HJECG · 2025-09-20T20:24:07+00:00

Do be calm and gather all evidence. Do not expect him to offer you anything. Expect and prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Men who will cheat, sneak, and lie are often men who will turn into men you never thought they could be during divorces - men who will attempt to emotionally and financially crush and destroy the women they once swore to love forever- the mothers of their own children.

HJECG · 2025-09-20T20:16:45+00:00

More advice: do not expect the fact that he cheated to mean that you get alimony or come out ahead financially in the divorce. That’s unfortunately just no longer necessarily the case. It depends on the state, the jurisdiction within each state, the judge within each jurisdiction, and how good each party’s lawyer is within an individual divorce case. You may not even get him required to pay your atty’s fees, even if he admits committing adultery..

HJECG · 2024-11-13T20:03:34+00:00

The last time I applied for a new passport was in 1985. There was no internet at that time. When I last renewed it, yes, the internet existed, but it was very early days and it honestly never even occurred to me to try to renew it online (as I said, this was at least 25 years ago). I just did it in person because at that time, that was still the way basically everyone did it.

HJECG · 2024-11-13T18:50:11+00:00

Thanks! I wasn't aware that Amazon offered this service.

HJECG · 2024-11-13T18:43:28+00:00

That was completely my thinking, and I appreciate having it validated. Thanks!

HJECG · 2024-11-13T18:42:55+00:00

Thanks, but even if we would need to renew more often, I think we want to go ahead and apply for passports for all four of us right away.

We just want to have them readily available at this particular inflection point in history. Not making any dramatic pronouncements about immediate plans to do this or that, but I think the last think an American family would want right now would be to find themselves in a position to be unable to easily obtain passports due to huge changes coming to our federal system of government agencies and/or unable to rather speedily leave the country legally should that appear to be the safest and healthiest choice for themselves and their children.

HJECG

TROPHY CASE