As a normal condition of our policies, carriages, tack 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 include instances where 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.
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 a 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 it could be a matter of minutes or an hour, 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 ready whilst you bring the horse/donkey round to put it together, 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) Gates don't constitute security, as strong men can (and 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 and/or equipment inside.
3) Also, mysterious disappearance is excluded under most policies because it doesn't constitute a theft.
4) Nor does giving your carriage and/or equipment on loan or for pre-sale trial to another person who refuses to return it.
So why insure for theft? Well, most people to keep their carriages and/or equipment under lock and key, so most of the claims 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 contact the police 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 occasion, 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
