WHEN Niamh Christopher found her horse in pain one day, she quickly found herself facing any horse owner’s worst nightmare - serious colic, and some really tough decisions. Yet, because she has a unique vet fee insurance policy, her story is very unlike that of other horse owners dealing with this frightening situation. And now this insurance has launched in Ireland.

“I’ve had Poppit for 10 years. Mainly we hack out, and she’s my life horse, my one and only,” says Niamh, an NHS employee from Dorset, England.

Poppit lives out, but on a usual afternoon visit to feed the mare, it was apparent that she was unwell. “She began kicking at her tummy with her back legs and soon her nostrils were really flared. She was evidently in a lot of pain.”

Despite swift pain relief from a vet, and an injection to help relieve her gut, Poppit deteriorated.

The vet returned later and recommended that she go to the equine hospital, a journey of two-and-a-half hours. Once she arrived, it was apparent that Poppit was in shock, and she collapsed when taken into a treatment stall.

“My two options then were to put her to sleep or send her in for colic surgery, and I chose the latter,” says Niamh.

“By the time I got home, I had a phone call to say Poppit was out of surgery and that the vets had found a bag and a half of compacted black sand in her gut, which had caused her colon to twist 360 degrees.

“The whole incident was quite traumatic. But Poppit was fighting it so hard, she really deserved that extra chance of surgery, and it was a relief to know I was insured, and it’s been no hassle at all dealing with Agria.”

Poppit recovered well from her treatment — which came at a cost of over £6,000 (€7,164), which was covered by her lifetime equine insurance policy.

Remarkable

What makes this story remarkable, however, is that Poppit remains insured for any issues arising from colic in the future - and can be for her entire life, under Agria lifetime equine cover, providing the policy is maintained. Furthermore, if Poppit should be sold, the new owner may, if they wish, take on the policy with full continuity of cover.

This game-changing vet fee insurance recently launched in Ireland, having already made a big impression on UK horse owners when launched there two years ago.

That’s because no new exclusions are added to your policy after claims like Niamh’s, and because the range of conditions covered is not adjusted in any way as the horse grows older, as is usually the case with most policies.

Massively needed

It’s certainly something that Aoife Bolton will be looking at, having funded surgery privately for her much-loved family mare Sirocco, aged 13, when she developed serious colic.

“There’s a view in Ireland that you can insure only for the death of your horse and not vet fees; I looked into but could not find much cover available,” explains Aoife, who lives in West Wicklow.

“It was clear I had to decide quickly either to euthanise my mare or have colic surgery, which the vet anticipated could cost between €10,000 and €12,000. I realised what a horrible situation I was in, only to be insured if she died.”

In the event, Aoife paid for the surgery herself. “Sirocco is my pet, she’s precious to me”, and her mare has made a great recovery, but she reflects: “Agria’s cover would have been so helpful and is massively needed in Ireland. I’m definitely taking a look at it.”

Swedish-owned Agria is a massive pet insurer, which insured its first animal - a horse - almost 130 years ago.

Since launching its equine vet care insurance in Ireland in early October, Agria Ireland has received a large number of enquiries from horse owners. Bernard O’Sullivan, Country Head for Agria Ireland, said: “This outcome aligns perfectly with our expectations, considering the unique and game-changing nature of Agria Lifetime Equine insurance. “Agria’s affordable premiums offer peace of mind for horse owners, eliminating the agonising decision of whether to call the vet or wait and see. This ultimately improves the welfare of horses throughout their lives, as seen in Niamh and Poppit’s story.”

For more information, visit www.agriapetinsure.ie