This guide is intended to help you find the appropriate level of cover for a Black Saddle safari. Every rider has a unique set of circumstances — age, pre-existing health conditions, country of residence, safari destination — and you must speak with your provider to confirm that your policy will protect you for every element of your holiday. Accidents are rare, but you must be prepared for them.

Why is travel insurance essential?

Imagine you’re riding in the mountains on your dream safari. The worst happens, and you’re out of cell reception. Your guide presses the SOS button on their satellite phone, and the emergency responder asks who is injured. A helicopter is organised — but before they fly out to save you, they want approval from your insurer that they’ll be paid. You freeze as you realise you never got around to taking out that insurance.

Every rider on every Black Saddle safari must have travel insurance that covers medical expenses abroad and repatriation home. Your cover must include horse riding as an activity, and you may need safari cover specifically. Once you’re there, it’s too late to fix gaps. We require a copy of your travel insurance certificate before you depart for your holiday and share this with your local guide.

Being under-insured is almost as bad as having no insurance at all. £30 – £250 spent on the right policy before you leave is the best peace of mind you can buy and it’s a requirement to join any of our rides.

What does good cover look like?

Use this as your checklist when comparing policies:

  • Medical cover over £$€500,000 — to cover search & rescue and any medical costs

  • Repatriation cover over £$€50,000 — the cost of getting you back to your home country

  • Horse riding included as an activity (many standard policies exclude it). Be sure to include jumping if your holiday itinerary includes it (Castle Leslie, Nurpur Noon)

  • Your destination country covered and any countries you transit through

  • Any other adventurous activities on the trip — wildlife safaris (walking, riding or game drives), ATVing, rock climbing, hot air ballooning, sailing, etc.

  • Pre-existing medical conditions covered, if you have any

  • Cost coverage insurers often have different tiers of cover. Make sure yours includes the full cost of your holiday and flights.

  • Cancellation cover sufficient to refund the cost of your safari and flights

If you’re riding in the mountains, also check the altitude limit on search & rescue. Some policies only cover S&R up to 3,000 metres — too low for parts of the Andes, Pamirs, Kyrgyzstan and other high-altitude rides.

How do I check my policy is sufficient?

Search your policy document for each element above (horse riding, destination, altitude). If you can’t find them explicitly mentioned, or you’re not sure, ask your insurer to confirm in writing by email. Verbal assurances won’t help you in a dispute. We will need written confirmation if your policy isn’t clear on any required cover element.

What about my local health insurance or credit card cover?

Your local or national health insurance will not cover you horse riding in a foreign country.

Credit card travel insurance may be insufficient too and typically won’t apply if you’ve paid by bank transfer rather than on that credit card. Don’t rely on either as your primary cover. If you do use your credit card travel insurance we will need a letter confirming coverage and the policy details from your bank.

Should I get an annual plan?

If you travel more than once or twice a year, an annual multi-trip policy is often cheaper and less administrative hassle than insuring each trip individually. Just make sure the activities, destinations and cover limits still meet the checklist above.

What can invalidate my cover?

Even a suitable policy can be invalidated under certain conditions.

Government travel advice against your destination. If your country’s foreign office advises against all travel to your destination (or to part of it), your insurance will typically be void if you continue to travel there. This change in travel advice from your country of residence precipitates an insurance payout and you should claim from them for the cost of your holiday as you can no longer travel.

In the UK, this advice is issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Always check current advice before booking, and again before you travel.

USA Travel Advice: https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories.html

Riding without a helmet. Most policies require a helmet during riding. If you choose not to wear one, your cover may not apply in the event of a head injury — check your policy before taking off your helmet.

How do I protect my trip from the Middle East conflict?

The Middle East conflict that escalated on 28 February 2026 is now treated as a “known event” by insurers. That has two important consequences for travellers.

Standard travel insurance excludes acts of war. Almost all policies carry a war and armed-conflict exclusion. Cancellation or disruption caused by the conflict itself — airspace closures, flight rerouting, government travel advisories — typically won’t be covered. Allianz, Axa and most major insurers have stated this explicitly.

New policies won’t cover known events. A policy bought today, after the conflict was already underway, won’t cover claims arising from it. This is why the timing rule is critical:

Buy your travel insurance as soon as you book your safari. Often abbreviated “ASAB” (As Soon As You Book), this means your cover starts before any new event becomes “known” — so you’re protected against things that crystallise after you commit but before you travel.

How this might affect your safari

Most Black Saddle destinations are well outside the conflict zone, but the flights that get you there often aren’t. Routes to Pakistan, Kenya, Botswana, Namibia and Central Asia commonly transit Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi — all of which have seen airspace closures, mass cancellations and lengthy delays. Even rides in Europe or the Americas may be indirectly affected by higher jet-fuel prices and tighter airline capacity.

Practical steps to protect yourself

  • Check the FCDO travel advice for your destination and any transit countries before booking, and again before you fly. Travelling against FCDO advice will almost certainly invalidate your policy.

  • Choose flight routes that avoid the most affected airspace where possible. Hubs in Europe (Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Istanbul) or East Africa (Nairobi via Addis Ababa) may offer alternatives to Gulf transits. For Botswana and Namibia you can fly direct to Johannesburg or Cape Town from Europe and then onto your destination. Fly through Turkey with Turkish Airlines instead of through Doha or Dubai. If travelling from New Zealand or Australia travel through China, Singapore or the USA to get to Europe or Africa.

  • Build buffer days at both ends of your safari so a 24- or 48-hour flight disruption doesn’t cost you the start of the ride.

  • Consider Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) or Interruption For Any Reason (IFAR) cover if available in your country. These optional upgrades are the most realistic way to recover costs for trips disrupted by geopolitical events — though they typically reimburse only 50–75% of pre-paid expenses and must be added at the point of purchase.

  • If your trip is disrupted, contact in this order: your airline first (many are offering fee-free rebooking), then us as your booking agent, then your insurer. Save every receipt and email — even where war exclusions apply to cancellation, you may still be eligible for delay benefits or unrelated medical cover.

We usually recommend the best flights to get to your holiday destination on premium airlines less at risk of default for fuel price increases and the most direct routes that avoid conflict zones. If you have specific concerns about your routing or cover, get in touch with us before you book. We’d rather help you plan around the disruption than deal with it on the day.

Which insurance providers can I look at?

We’re not affiliated with any provider and don’t formally recommend their cover — you’ll need to do your own due diligence. As a rule, it’s usually more cost-effective to take out insurance with a company based in your country of residence.

Providers other guests have used:

These providers should also cover transfer delay and lost baggage alongside the medical core — though some providers (particularly in the USA) do not. We require travel medical insurance, and we strongly recommend cancellation insurance too. Some ride operators have a no-refund deposit policy, and all rides become non-refundable 90 days before departure.

Cancellation insurance would cover you if you need to cancel before you holiday but after 90 days when your holiday is non-refundable. It will also cover you in the case your airline cancels your flight and you are not able to make arrangement to begin your holiday.

What if I need special cover for a trip?

If you have many existing health conditions or a trip has many elements that need cover (altitude, high cost) you may need to stack policies, by taking out multiple policies, to get sufficient coverage.

Some trips require you to transit through areas against government advice and so are not insured by mainstream insurers. You will need specialist insurance that will underwrite your trip personally. For this you should seek out companies like:

Voyager Insurance

Cancel for Any Reason Insurance

This product is more common in the USA for USA residents.

Allianz "Cancel Anytime" is the most flexible CFAR product available. It reimburses 80% of prepaid trip costs — above the industry standard of 50–75% — and lets you cancel up to the day of departure, whereas standard CFAR requires cancelling at least 48 hours out. Worth knowing because most other CFAR plans cap reimbursement at 75%.

Travel Insured International (FlexiPAX) is Squaremouth's top-ranked CFAR plan for 2026. It accounts for roughly 45% of all CFAR sales on the platform, offers an industry-leading 21-day purchase window after the initial deposit, covers up to $100,000 per person, and reimburses up to 75% of prepaid expenses.

Seven Corners Trip Protection Basic is the budget pick. It's the best-value CFAR plan available, averaging roughly 7.5% of prepaid trip cost, with 75% reimbursement and a 20-day time-sensitive window. Bonus: this policy automatically includes an Interruption For Any Reason add-on alongside CFAR, which is rare.

What do you need from me before I travel?

On behalf of the ride operator, we need a copy of your insurance certificate that shows the parameters below. Insurers issue a certificate when you take out insurance as standard. We need this as a pdf. Where an element is not specifically shown on the certificate we will need a copy of your full policy to validate coverage.

  • Your name

  • Policy number

  • Dates covered

  • Horse riding covered

  • Country of travel covered

  • Emergency phone number

If the worst happens, your ride operator and we as your booking agent will do everything we can to get you home safely — help us by sharing your insurance information well before you leave on safari.

What else can I do to be prepared?

Brief your emergency contact. Share Black Saddle’s WhatsApp number (+44 7828 293 791), the link to your ride page (with the itinerary), the name of the ride operator (on the ride page and your invoice), and a copy of your insurance policy. Forward the policy email to them before you leave so they can make decisions with your insurer and medical staff on your behalf if needed.

Get a GHIC (UK residents). If you hold a current European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), it stays valid until its expiry date. Otherwise, apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) via the NHS. Neither the EHIC nor the GHIC replaces travel insurance — they don’t cover all medical costs or repatriation — but they make state-provided medical treatment smoother when travelling in Europe.

Final thoughts

A well-prepared rider enjoys the safari more. Accidents are rare, but what we do with horses carries an element of risk. Be sensible: don’t drink to excess and ride, admit to your guide when you’re out-horsed and ask to change if you feel unsafe, and wear your helmet.

Then all that’s left to do is have a good time!