Eventers awaiting news on entry fees for fixtures cancelled owing to coronavirus pandemic will receive refunds.
British Eventing (BE) announced today (Thursday, 20 August) it had “confirmation of full settlement of the abandonment insurance claim”.
The affected events were Great Witchingham (1), Munstead (1), Cirencester Park, Thoresby Park, Goring Heath (1), Portman and South of England (1).
“We would like to thank all those members affected for their patience whilst we have pursued this claim, and would like to thank our brokers, KBIS, for their continued help throughout the process,” said a statement from BE.
It added the cover for wet weather cancellations or abandonments, the most common claim, remains in place. BE has also added a number of DEFRA notifiable diseases to the policy, covering cancellation for West Nile virus, African horse sickness, equine infectious anemia and foot and mouth.
Ongoing cover for cancellation due to pandemic will not be included.
“The abandonment insurance cover will remain in place for the 2021 season at the same cost as currently,” added the statement.
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“We are processing refunds across the sport as quickly as we can and will process the abandonment claims as soon as possible following receipt of the money from the underwriters.
“We will process refunds within seven days of receipt of the funds and we aim that money will be with members within the next month.”
Those who have recovered their money from BE using the “charge back” process, via their credit card or bank, will not receive the money twice.
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BE has a separate pandemic refund policy for 2020, agreed with its organisers. This means the amount refunded in the event of a Covid-related cancellation will be a minimum of 30% of the net entry fee, plus VAT, up to three days before the start of the competition.
Organisers can return more money if they wish and any additional refund information is published in their schedule.
“We would recommend that members check the Pandemic Refund Policy for each event prior to making their entry,” said the statement.
Start fees are currently being collected with entry fees, as part of BE’s safe return to sport protocols. These are not covered by abandonment insurance, but if the event does not run for whatever reason or if a rider does not start the event, the start fee will be returned.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
