Sports professionals really rack up the miles over the course of their careers, with the average professional sports person facing the gruelling task of covering huge distances in their vehicle in order to earn their living.

Most of these professionals are effectively self-employed, their earnings dictated by their ability to show up and compete. They simply cannot afford to be out of action and off the road for long.

Relentless racing

This issue is particularly pertinent to horse racing, where there are 1,500 meetings comprised of more than 10,000 individual races every single year, driven by burgeoning demand from the betting industry. From East Lothian to Exeter, Perth to Plumpton, horse racing is genuinely non-stop, seven days a week, come rain or shine.

In addition to racing around the track, jockeys have to motor up and down the country for the majority of each year, not to mention all of the training, fitness and other preparatory work that they must cram in in-between. It’s perhaps no wonder that jockeys suffer a burnout rate 40% higher than in any other professional sports[1].

A trusted partner to the UK’s Jockeys

Just as it’s vital that jockeys take steps to protect themselves against burn out and look after their own well-being, it’s also important that they have the right motor insurance in place.

Too often sportspeople get a raw deal on their insurance because their professions are automatically classified as ‘high risk’. That’s why Jockeys will benefit from using a specialist motor insurer and a sports professional broker expert – from both a cover and a claims perspective. At ERS, our policies are manually underwritten by experts that fully understand the unique nature of their work. For example, jockeys often require comprehensive cover for other cars - beyond their day-to-day vehicle. By manually underwriting each case, we can ensure that the risk is priced accurately.

We also know that high-profile, professional sports clients seek a quality claims service that they can rely on, and that’s why in April this year we launched our newly enhanced Prestige Claims proposition – meaning that our new dedicated claims handlers will go the extra mile in solving each claim as quickly as possible.

And, as there’s little value in jockeys showing up to work horseless, we also have a dedicated Horsebox product – tailored cover for Horseboxes worth up to 300K as well as Motor Breakdown Cover – to guarantee the horses can get to the race!

Drive Smart

Jockey’s safety on the road is a priority for ERS Prestige and we’re proud to be partnering with All Sport & JETS with a 'Drive Smart' campaign to help more jockeys stay safe in the seat as well as the saddle, because we’re passionate about protecting their safety and livelihoods.