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Bloodstock Insurance – Thoroughbred & Standardbred Unborn Foals

E-Quine Insurance Services Pty Ltd can source quotes and arrange pregnancy insurance cover for owners of pregnant mares, ranging from hobby breeders to large commercial stud farms.

Unborn Foal insurance indemnifies the owner of the mare in the event of the foal in utero not being born alive, alternatively if born alive, it fails to survive a certain age, as selected (the expiry date of the policy).

The following circumstances give rise to a claim under a foetus/unborn or prospective foal policy:

• if the mare loses her pregnancy, by abortion or resorption
• if the foal in utero is born dead or fails to survive the period post birth until the expiry date of the policy
• if the mare dies during pregnancy (some insurers require the mare to be insured before they will insure the pregnancy).

Unborn foal or prospective foal insurance (also known as foetus cover) is available from 42 days tested in foal to:

• 30 days after birth
• 6 or 12 months after birth
• "fall of hammer" at weanling or yearling sale
• other periods as required

Some insurers will not accept unborn foal cover until 45 days after last service date, or after the mare has carried her pregnancy for 120 days or longer.

Typically, unborn foal insurance incepts at 42 to 45 days after last service date and continues through until the foal is born and reaches 30 days of age.

Unborn foal is one of the highest categories of bloodstock risk. The premium is principally based on the age of the mare and her breeding history.

Requirements to incept this insurance cover include completion of a prospective foal proposal form, (subject to insurer’s acceptance), recent veterinary report on the mare and confirmation that the mare is positively in foal 42 days or over, and that she is capable of carrying full term, and the evidence of two prior single foetus scans confirming that no twins exist.

For mares that have not yet been served, broodmare barrenness insurance cover is available, continuing as unborn foal or prospective foal (as above) once the mare is positively tested in foal.