Back in 2012, HBO's crime drama "Luck" was canceled after a third horse was euthanized in a string of grisly accidents. At first they were determined to continue the show, but the RSPCA, PETA, and various other acronyms that protect animal welfare got involved and shut the whole thing down. Now, we'll agree that horses need to be looked after. But this does raise an interesting question: who's looking after the humans that ride them?
On average, something like 100 people die from horse riding each year. Given the risks involved, that's not really a surprising number. It's not as simple as sitting on some docile animal's back and letting it do its thang. Horses can be skittish, unpredictable, and very difficult to handle, even for experts. Just ask this guy how his ride turned out.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.