The following is the information regarding civil liability insurance for mushers:
Insurance to a maximum of 5,000,000 pounds, including:
1. Public Liability (damage to third party property or persons)
2. Product Liability (goods supplied)
3. Errors and Omissions (advice given or not given)
4. Member to Member Liability
5. Trespass
6. Libel, Slander and all other matters under Civil Law
 
The above cover is limited to the United Kingdom, but insurance for participants in non-UK events is also available at additional cost.
 
We would be able to provide this cover for up to 100 members of the National Sled Dog Sports Centre. We had to have an organised body for this insurance so the National Sled Dog Sports Centre was chosen for this, it has also been used for individual insurance policies for overseas competitors.
This year's quote is 44 pounds per member, including insurance tax. This insurance covers all training, travel, and competitions in the UK, and each participant is named. We will be able to issue insurance certificates.
I think that it would be difficult for anyone to get this kind of cover at this cost on an individual basis. Let's hope that people take up the offer.

Regarding membership in the National Sleddog Sports Centre there would be a one time charge of five pounds to cover the costs of registration, membership cards, etc.

This insurance is being arranged through John Coyne.

Q - Will quad training be covered?
A - Regarding training with a quad, since the cover is for sled or rig, with no determination of what constitutes a rig, the assumption is that quads are included.

Q - Have seen the ad re insurance on your web site and am hoping you can explain a bit more about it, anyway could you just tell me why it would be a good idea to have this and give me an example of what it would cover me for for or is it the for dogs??
A - the insurance gives cover for all training and racing with the dogs. Any damage done by the team or individual dogs will be covered. This means that if one of the dogs bites some person or some dog, cat, hamster, etc, it will be covered. The cover is for the person taking it out as you can't sue dogs - although I am sure lawyers in America are working on it. Whatever the musher or the dogs do, they are covered.

Q - Just a quick question that we have heard mentioned before, if you have this insurance and you are also insured via the SHCGB & SSHC membership, you have in effect got 3 insurance policies. If you had to make a claim, do all three companies argue on who will pay out? And you end up not being covered.
A - I believe that the normal procedure is that no matter how many policies one has one may only claim on one. To do otherwise would constitute fraud. This means that an individual would have to make only one claim or notify all the companies involved of the multiple policies.

Q - Is it an established company?
A - The insurance is arranged through an established sports insurance broker. From past experience in dealing with them, the cover is obtained from the major insurance companies.

Q - Are there any excesses involved?
A - There are no excesses.

Q - Are there household rates as well as per person?
A - The insurance is available to members of the National Sleddog Sports Centre so each person in a household must be individually named to be covered.

Q - Does it cover 'at home' as well as working/competing, e.g. if a dog gets out and kills something/causes an accident?
A - The insurance is sport related so it covers all activities connected with the sport. This means training and competing, travel to training and competition venues. Most household insurance policies cover damage caused by pets. Promotional activities would be covered if related to the sport. If anything was done for pay, it is not likely that it would be covered. If done for charity, it would probably be covered if it was done to promote the sport as well and in that context, however it would be best to inform the insurance providers beforehand.

Q - Is this insurance £45 per person e.g £90 per couple?
A - That's correct £90 per couple
updated with 2007/8 premiums

Q - Will we get a copy of the policy?
A - This would incur an extra cost that would have to be paid by the individual. It could be as expensive as the premium. The normal procedure would be to issue an insurance certificate instead.

Q - Is this a general policy for all Sled Dogs, or specifically for Sibes only?
A - Regarding types of dogs, all that is required is that they are being trained or raced as sleddogs. Breeds have nothing to do with it.

Q - If someone makes a claim, will our policy be directly impacted, re higher premiums the following year, i.e. loss of No Claims Discount, if appropriate, or would and increase the following year be through standard inflation?
A - There is no indication that our premim would be adversley affected by claims.

Q - Trespass - Does this mean that if I am training somewhere I should not be or somewhere I do not have a permit for that I am covered? Or is it something else? Just curious as although I have a permit for the forest, I sometimes train on the beach without a permit, and I am sure others train in places without permits too.
A - Trespass is a difficult one to respond to. I do not think any insurance policy would cover criminal trespass or any other criminal act, but ordinary trespass is another matter and it appears from the policy statement that any accident that took place in conjunction with non-criminal trespass would be covered. This would include training on a beach without permission.

Q - Is this policy available to Juniors (under 16 years old), or only for adults? If it is available, would it be at a reduced rate?
A - There was no question of the age of participants and no special rates for juniors.