The cost of the Freelance Groom Liability policy is £278.49 per annum/£25.12 per month (including Insurance Premium Tax) for grooming activities only or £334.17 per annum/£30.14 per month (including Insurance Premium Tax) if you choose to include instruction too. 

This does not include competing horses on behalf of clients/third parties and does not include additional coverage such as Employers Liability. 

The cover is provided at £2,000,000 per incident with a £500 excess in respect of Third Party Property Damage.

It also includes Care, Custody or Control cover at £15,000 per animal limited to £100,000 in the policy year with an excess of £500 for each and every loss (increased to £1000 where the claim arises out of clipping) 

You have the option to pay for the policy in full by credit or debit card or by monthly direct debit. Monthly direct debit payments are facilitated by Premium Credit Ltd and are subject to an 8% interest charge. 

Public Liability insurance covers you for any claims made against you in respect of third party property damage or third-party injury.

Should a claim be filed against you then your insurer will act in one of two ways; in the event that they feel you are not liable, the insurer will defend your position and cover any legal costs incurred.

In the event that insurers are unable to defend the claim or that the incident has been caused by your negligence then they will settle any claims up to your limit of indemnity. You should not, at any point, admit liability.

If you are employed then speak to your employer. They must have a public liability policy in place covering the business activities and you must be covered under this, they must also have Employer's Liability Insurance. 

If you are covered and do not carry out work for anyone else then you will not need to take out your own Public Liability policy.

As such, having a policy in place which covers as many eventualities as possible is preferable and should be considered as part of your business’s running costs.

If you increase your prices by just 25p per hour, then in approximately 1000 hours of work, or 20ish working weeks,  you will have covered the cost of your Freelancers Liability Insurance. 

This policy is designed specifically for grooms, by KBIS British Equestrian Insurance, so you can rest assured that you will be fully covered in your line of work.

Having a Public Liability policy in place means that if something goes wrong and someone sues you that you’ll be fully supported through the claims process. This means that:

It is voluntary coverage, meaning that you are not required to have a policy covering this risk because of a law or statutory act.

However, you should still consider carefully whether you have Public Liability insurance as without it you could be liable for any claims against you.

If you are working on a full or part-time basis then you should speak to your employer to ensure that they are providing Public Liability insurance covering your activities.

Even if, for example, you work in a large riding school, a racing yard and a big dressage yard, if you are working as a groom on a freelance basis for a number of businesses the people using your services consider you to be a contractor, and would not include you within their Liability Insurance policy.

Speak to each business for clarification on whether or not you are covered under their insurance policies and make sure you understand any gaps in cover which may exist.

Employer’s Liability is a type of insurance cover purchased by employers. The policy covers the employer where they are held liable for injury/death of, illness contracted by an employee/volunteer/helper in the course of working for them. 

Employers are only required to have it if they employ one or more members of staff. 

As an employee, you don’t need to purchase this cover.

Even if you are not actively interacting with the public as part of your job, you are unlikely to be in an environment where there is no public property nearby, roads, pavements or footpaths in the vicinity. For instance, is there the possibility a horse could escape?

Even if it’s accidental there are a number of ways in which you could be held liable for Third Party Property Damage or Bodily Injury without coming into direct contact with the public yourself.

If you are working freelance for multiple different people you are unlikely to fall under their insurance as an employee so it would be strongly advisable to have your own public liability policy in place.

The Public Liability policy offered through the BGA policy covers you for all grooming activities, including when at an event, and also when exercising horses i.e. hacking out.

This is a Freelance Groom Liability policy, however, if you do teach/coach in addition to your work as a groom you can add on cover for that activity.

The teaching/coaching cover does not require proof of qualifications and only provides cover for you to teach/coach your clients on their own horse(s).

I have been told that means that the responsibility falls with the owner of the horse. Why do I need Public Liability if this is the case? 

The Animal Act sets out when an individual is strictly liable and there are certain conditions that must be met. Liability claims are very complex, even if you are not liable a claim could still be filed against you and legal costs incurred.

I am a member of BD or BS, for example, and they say that my membership includes Public Liability Insurance. Why doesn't the BGA and what is the difference with those policies - they must be very cheap?

Associations that are providing Public Liability cover as part of their membership package are usually doing so for consumers, not commercial activities.

Association policies can often provide cheaper cover because there tend to be a large number of people being covered under one policy. They might also be more restrictive in their coverage so it is very important to check the terms of the policy carefully.

Care, Custody and Control insurance provides cover should a horse in your care sustain an injury/illness or die as a result of your negligence.

Benefits are usually paid for veterinary fees and in the event of the horse’s death, the current market value of the horse up to the incident limit but depending on the circumstances it might also include reimbursement for other costs, such as entry fees lost.

The BGA Freelance Grooms Liability policy includes cover for Custodial Liability, up to £15,000 per horse, limited to £100,000 in the policy period.

The Care, Custody and Control section of the policy is included without charge so doesn't affect the premium for the policy.

Examples could include

• A horse escaping causing third party property damage,
• If you do not adhere to an owner’s instructions or act in a negligent manner causing injury to a horse,
• If you are wrongfully held liable for injury or damage and your Insurer’s are required to provide a defence on your behalf.

Cover is provided on a worldwide basis but limited to claims brought against you under the law and jurisdiction of courts of countries that are members of the European Union only.

This means that someone can hold you liable for third party property damage and bodily injury arising as a result of an incident happening anywhere in the world but the claim must be brought against you in a European court of law.

This may change after Brexit.

The policy automatically includes cover for up to £15,000 per horse restricted to £100,000 in the policy year where an owner of a horse holds you liable for the death or injury.

If you need to increase this please contact KBIS to discuss your requirements (please be aware an additional premium is likely to be due if you choose to increase this limit). 

It is very important that you do NOT tell your clients you have this cover, and that in the event of an incident occurring you do not admit liability as this could prejudice your position in the event of a claim and potentially result in the policy not providing any cover.

The process of any claim, as outlined below, would not change but instead of an insurer managing the process and paying any settlement due, you would have to handle the claim and cover any settlement yourself.

Yes, the policy includes a personal liability extension which would cover the insured on their own horse. The policy will protect you, or anyone riding or handling horses belonging to you with your permission for pleasure purposes and not in connection with the business. 

If under 18 years old the policy must be taken out by a parent/guardian with the minor as the Insured person. Please contact us if this situation applies for further information as to how to apply for cover. 

This only will cover minors aged 14 and up and excludes the provision of instruction. This is subject to the following additional information being satisfactory: 

• Details of experience
• Confirmation they are a true freelance groom and not in fact a case of false-self employment
• Details of why they need this cover