It backfired on me!

“I tried to save some money, but it backfired on me!”

Every penny counts for most people, so it’s understandable for grooms to be thinking of ways to cut their expenditure.

We spoke with long term BGA member, Harriet Johnson, who made the wrong choice when trying to save money.

“After 35 years of being around horses I thought, it would never happen to me. We all have a habit of thinking that don’t we? ‘It won’t happen to me’.

I am really safety conscious, I always pay attention to Health & Safety, I am aware of the risks for each of my duties and take precautions to carry out each task in the safest way.

With costs everywhere rising, I found that I had little spare money each month, even though I have plenty of clients, too many really. I realised I would have to increase my charges. I felt bad as my clients are so nice, many are struggling families’.

So, trying to keep my prices as low as possible I detailed my expenditure, looking for unnecessary outgoings. That’s when I decided to cancel my personal accident insurance. I thought I was pretty safe; I’ve never had an accident before, and I work with easy horses.

I couldn't have been more stupid!

It wasn’t long after when I had an accident with the gentlest horse I have ever known. We were hacking when he got scared, it all happened so quickly and before I knew it, I was underneath him. The emergency services were amazing, they arrived quickly, and I was soon air lifted to hospital with a broken pelvis.

The realisation of the situation I was in didn’t hit me for a while. I had no insurance, no income, no security.

If it wasn’t for the support of my family, I could have lost everything.

I am now fully insured again, and this gives me such peace of mind.”

Thanks to Harriet for sharing her story, thankfully she is fully recovered and has been able to return to work - this time with her trusted BGA insurance membership to protect her.