Meet Your Operative

Who is Ed?

Growing up in rural West Texas, Ed was the son of a farrier who worked with large breed horses. His childhood was spent on the back of a quarterhorse, experiencing firsthand the freedom and responsibility that comes with the agricultural lifestyle.

Ed’s path took a turn when he attended Texas A&M University, initially focusing on Agribusiness. However, his passion for community wellbeing led him to transfer to SUNY Upstate Medical Center, where he refocused his studies on public health as it pertained to rural communities. His diverse educational background, combined with a lifetime of rural community experience and livestock management, provided Ed with a unique perspective on the needs of equestrians.

Founding the Agency

About 10 years ago, Ed took those unique experiences and determined that the best way for him to be of service was to provide security. While working with food security organizations, and eventually founding his own, he began to see that there was a giant hole in the market. The farmers, ranchers and equine businesses he worked with were chronically (and sometimes tragically) underinsured. To his horror, Edward discovered that some didn’t have insurance at all.

As a result, Edward delved deeply into what people want, what they need and why they didn’t already have it. Edward discovered that the good folks whose lives revolve around horses had suffered deplorable treatment. This lack of care extended to equestrians and equine businesses of all shapes and sizes. Mostly, Edward discovered a complete lack of education on the part of other agents and companies. Agents explained nothing, important coverage was missing, large firms (you know who they are) used drones to shoot aerial images and only covered what they could see. On a truly basic level, how can a carrier possibly cover indoor arenas or stables without VISITING the property? They can’t. The final straw was when Edward met a client who had not been contacted by her ‘agent’ in 8 years. 8 years! To say it made Edward angry is being polite.

English Pleasure, in particular, has very specific risk management needs which, in this country at least, have been lumped into large corporate portfolios. Many of the agents who sell these coverages are not equestrians themselves and understand neither the culture nor the nuanced understanding of the specifics and needs of the English Pleasure world.

It was this neglect and disconnection that inspired Edward to create The Equerry Group—a company born from a desire to fill the gap by offering true, bespoke protection and eventually, peace of mind to English-disciplined equestrians. An equerry is defined as, “An officer of the household of a prince or noble who had charge over the stables.” Considering the ancient, royal roots of this equitation, and the care provided by these archaic, royal positions – the name meshed perfectly with the DNA of The Equerry’s genesis.

Today, The Equerry is composed of operatives (not agents) who have vast knowledge of the English Pleasure world. Most are riders themselves and are held to a (sometimes unattainable) standard of excellence and customer service.

In support of these values, Edward issued an edict saying that, “We will not insure ANY properties we have not visited.” If you have stables in Kentucky and New York, we are on a plane to visit and document them.

As our priority is people first, we decided on partnership over profit. As such, we like to use the phrase, “We look after you” with our clients because we intend on being involved with you, your family, your horses, your business and your events. We intend to remain in constant contact with you regarding everything happening in your world. Changes big and small matter and we are on your team. Don’t be surprised if one of our operatives mysteriously appears at your dressage event…stranger things have happened. THAT is what it means to be ‘looked after.’

Our Purpose

The Equerry’s purpose is to fill the dangerously unmet, vital risk management needs of the English Riding Community by providing comprehensive, client-focused, custom solutions through unprecedented, high-touch customer relations.