We have put the following together about the main things to think about with theft cover. We would like people to be made aware of this, as it gets people thinking and looking at their circumstances and cover. We want to be able to pay claims for people as quickly and efficiently as we can, so if people are more aware of their responsibilities then it should make any future claims easier all round!

As a normal condition of most insurance policies, carriages and harness have to be kept in a securely locked building/premises when unattended unless agreed otherwise by ourselves. When we agree otherwise, this can be that they are chained & locked to something immovable. Effectively this means that for a theft to be covered there has to be forcible & violent entry or exit from the building or breaking of the chains & locks. This is a standard definition as established by The Theft Act.

Our policy automatically makes an exception for when you are away from home competing as the Underwriters accept the carriages are kept by or in the lorries/stabling in a competition situation. So what does this actually mean: It means that you do have a responsibility to look after your own property as if you where uninsured and keep it as securely as you can. i.e. if you leave your carriage or harness in an open fronted building but don't actually secure the carriage itself by chains or appropriate measures, you won't be covered if it is stolen. There is no time limit on this, so effectively it could be a matter of minutes or it could be for 1hr etc or where the carriage is normally kept. So if you go for lunch, leaving your carriage ready to use when you get back and it goes, you have no cover. This doesn't preclude you from getting your horse ready, then getting your carriage out ready whilst you bring the horse round to put it to as the time scales are usually too small for a theft to take place. It really applies if the vehicle is left without anyone being in the area long enough for someone to see it and then have the necessary vehicle to take it away. Never under estimate the ingenuity of the carriage thief!

There are several important points of interest that people need to be aware of:

1. That gates don't constitute security as strong men can (have have been known to) lift carriages over gates/fences.
2. Horse boxes and trailers aren't secure buildings as both are moveable and it is not unknown for them to be stolen with the carriage inside.
3. Also mysterious disappearance is excluded under most policies because it doesn't constitute a theft.
4. Nor does giving your carriage on loan, or for pre-sale trial, to another person who refuses to return it.

So why insure for theft? Well most people do keep their carriages under lock and key, so most of the claims that are made for theft are easily sorted. It is a good idea to photograph any property damaged during the theft, so that you can prove this. Always get the police involved as you will need their details and a crime reference to make your claim.. You must also expect the insurance company to investigate any claim that doesn't fall within the normal cover and on occasions an assessor will visit you to go through what has happened in detail. If you are unsure if your carriage or harness is or can be covered against theft, please call your insurance company to establish that the measures that you take are acceptable to them.

Is this OK? I have tried to include occasions where I know claims have been declined as these give people things to be aware of. At the end of the day, it is much easier/quicker for us to deal with the straight forward theft involving forcible entry rather than one, such as yours, where there is a question of is it covered or not. This is no disrespect but you have suffered the uncertainty and time delay because of this. So if people are aware of the conditions then everyone wins because their claim will be settled quicker and we keep our costs down.

Anyway, it is worth bearing in mind all of these. I have known other companies not cover the carriage wheels when they have been stolen but the main body left behind - even though this was from a locked building! '

Fiona Gordon Clarke
Carriage House Insurance