Saddlery & tack cover can be added to your horse insurance for an additional premium. This will protect you in the event that your equipment is accidentally damaged, lost, stolen or destroyed. Some policies can also include equipment such as rugs and boots, but always check your policy details. There can be various levels to a saddlery & tack policy, dependent on the value you wish to insure, but as a rule of thumb most have an upper limit of £2,000 for tack cover to be added to your horse policy. If you need more than £2,000 you will more than likely need to do one of the following. Add tack cover to your household policy under the “all risk” section of your policy. Under the all risk section your saddlery and tack should be covered when you are away from home, for example at a show, and/or during transportation. However, household policies may be subject to a maximum single article limit and may not cover you if your tack is not kept at home over night. If you do keep your tack away from your main residence over-night a specific equine contents policy is likely to be more suitable.
If you do decide to take out a saddlery & tack policy, items must be kept in a locked building and some insurance companies may even specify particular safety measures, such as a 5 lever mortice deadlock/padlocks. Some policies offer the chance to replace “new for old”, which means your tack is insured for the cost it would be to purchase it as new. However this is usually at a higher cost and if equipment is several years old it may be more affordable to take out a policy based on the current market value. Do bear in mind that insurance companies generally won’t pay for damage that occurs when tack is being cleaned, dyed, repaired or restored, and general wear and tear is not covered.