Hiring out horses licence
You need a licence to hire out horses for riding and for instruction in riding.
This includes pony and donkey rides and pony parties where the ponies are ridden. This is to ensure the welfare of the animals and the safety of the public.
The London Borough of Bexley is the licensing authority for riding schools and stables. It is against the law to run a riding school without a licence.
Licence summary
A local authority may authorise an officer, veterinary surgeon or practitioner to inspect licensed premises.
Application form
To apply, change or renew a licence, you must comply with the licence conditions and guidance.
Application for a licence to carry out the activity of hiring out horses (PDF)
Written procedures and records
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
Hiring out Horses: Written procedures and records
This highlights the written policies, procedures and records that are required to meet the minimum conditions.
With your completed application form you need to submit the following:
- all your written procedures (these are all listed below)
- copy of a valid public liability insurance certificate which both
• insures the licence holder against liability for any injury sustained by, and the death of, any client
• insures any client against liability for any injury sustained by, and the death of, any other person, caused by or arising out of the hire of the horse
By submitting all the above will ensure you will meet the minimum conditions for a license to be granted.
List of required written procedures for Hiring out Horses
4.3 - The licence holder must provide and ensure the implementation of a written training policy for all staff
The staff training policy must be reviewed and updated each year.
It must include:
- an annual appraisal
- planned and continued professional development
- recognition of knowledge gaps
5.5 - Procedures must be in place to make sure housing and any equipment within it is cleaned as often as necessary and good hygiene standards are maintained
Stables must be kept in a clean condition, there must be a documented procedure for this. It must detail the routine daily cleaning regime and the procedure for cleaning between periods of occupation.
Where there is a pest problem, a pest control programme must be put into place.
6.1 - The animals must be provided with a suitable diet, in terms of quality, quantity and frequency that reflects their needs. Any new feeds must be introduced gradually to allow the animals to adjust to them.
There must be a plan or record of the quantity, frequency and type of food each horse is given.
7.5 - All immature animals must be given suitable and adequate opportunities to:
(a) learn how to interact with people, their own species and other animals where such interaction benefits their welfare
(b) become habituated to noises, objects and activities in their environment
Processes must be in place to meet the needs of new and young horses.
This must include:
- appropriate training
- slow introduction to different noises and sights that will be part of their daily routine or workload
8.2 - The animals must be kept separately or in suitable compatible social groups appropriate to the species and individual animals. No animals from a social species may be isolated or separated from others of their species for any longer than is necessary.
A policy must be in place for monitoring the introduction of new horses to existing groups. This will help avoid stress to either new or resident animals.
9.1 - Written procedures must:
(a) be in place and implemented covering:
(i) feeding regimes
(ii) cleaning regimes
(iii) transportation
(iv) the prevention and control of the spread of disease
(v) monitoring and ensuring the health and welfare of all the animals
(vi) the death or escape of an animal (including the storage of carcasses)
(b) be in place covering the care of the animals following the suspension or revocation of the licence or during and following an emergency
9.3 - Appropriate isolation, in separate self-contained facilities, must be available for the care of sick, injured or potentially infectious animals.
There must be adequate isolation facilities for animals with infectious diseases. This may be on-site or at another location, such as a local veterinary practice.
The licence holder must have a biosecurity plan agreed with a vet. This must include the ability to isolate a horse for up to 21 days.
9.4 - All reasonable precautions must be taken to prevent and control the spread among animals and people of infectious disease, pathogens and parasites.
Procedures must be in place to prevent the introduction of infectious disease and spread from any infected animals. All staff must understand the procedures.
A preventative plan must be in place and include information about:
- effective grassland management
- use of current anthelmintics (treatment of parasitic worms) alongside faecal egg counts where needed
9.7 - Where necessary, animals must receive preventative treatment by an appropriately competent person.
Routine and documented treatment must be in place for internal and external parasites.
A vaccination plan must consider:
- biosecurity
- horse travel movements
10.1 - A written emergency plan, acceptable to the local authority, must be in place, known and available to all the people on the premises used for the licensable activity, and followed where necessary to ensure appropriate steps are taken to protect all the people and animals on the premises in case of fire or in case of breakdowns for essential heating, ventilation and aeration or filtration systems or other emergencies.
There must be a preventative fire risk assessment that includes a location map showing access and exits for people and horses. Entrances and fire exits must be clear of obstructions at all times.
Suitable firefighting, prevention and detection equipment must be provided and maintained in good working order. Buildings that are subject to building regulations need at least one working suitable fire detection system installed. It must be in a suitable location on each separate level or floor of the property. This includes any buildings where horses are kept in stables or stalls.
There must be awareness about the risk of entrapment of horses and the procedures to release them.
Emergency drills must be practiced regularly. These practices must be recorded with any failings noted and addressed in the procedures. Drills must be carried out at least annually, or as determined by fire risk assessments.
All new members of staff must have this fire awareness as part of their induction programme.
There must be a plan for housing for the horses if the premises become uninhabitable - even if field-only provision is available. There must also be contingency planning for extreme weather.
10.2 - The plan must include details of the emergency measures to be taken for the extrication of the animals should the premises become uninhabitable and an emergency telephone list that includes the fire service and police.
Note: Your emergency plan should be one to two sides of A4 and cover all the requirements stated above.
6.1 - The horses must be maintained in good health and must be in all respects physically fit.
All horses must have a structured management and care programme set out on an annual calendar or diary. It must include information about:
- foot care
- worming
- veterinary care
6.2 - There must be a preventative healthcare plan in place agreed with the appointed vet or appointed veterinary practitioner.
The health plan must show:
- the measures taken to prevent and control disease
- any medication or treatments for each horse
| Condition | Details of what to record |
|---|---|
| 4.3 | Staff training records (records of courses, written or online learning, keeping up to date with any research or developments and annual appraisals). |
| 6.1 | There must be a plan or record of the quantity, frequency and type of food each horse is given. |
| 6.2 | Feed and (where appropriate) water intake must be monitored, and any problems recorded and addressed. The body condition of every horse must be monitored on a regular basis. |
| 9.4 | If there is evidence of external parasites, such as fleas, ticks, lice or mites, treat the horse according to best practice. Use a product authorised by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate where necessary. Records of treatment must be kept. |
| 9.7 | Routine and documented treatment must be in place for internal and external parasites. |
| 9.12 | A record of all animals that have been euthanised must be kept for 36 months. It must include: the name of the person who euthanised the animal how the carcass was disposed of |
| 9.14 | Any signs of pain, suffering, injury, disease or abnormal behaviour must be recorded and the advice and further advice (if necessary) of a vet must be sought and followed. |
| 6.3 | A daily record of the workload of each horse must be maintained and available for inspection at any reasonable time. The record will set out hours of work that each horse has carried out and must be maintained over the course of that year. |
| 6.4 | There will be records to show that each horse workload or regime is balanced to meet the needs of each horse. They will show the maximum weight of a rider for each horse. |
| 6.6 | If shod, their shoes must be properly fitted by a registered farrier. The frequency of trimming and shoeing for each horse must be recorded and available for inspection. |
| 6.9 | The licence holder must keep a register of all horses kept for the licensable activity on the premises and each horse’s valid passport showing its unique equine life number and microchip number (if any). |
| 7.1 | Hats must be stored, clean and fit for purpose with clearly documented records of regular safety checks. Rider registration forms must be completed and kept up to date. They must include: emergency contact details client health conditions |
| 9.3 | Appropriate isolation, in separate self-contained facilities, must be available for the care of sick, injured or potentially infectious animals. There must be adequate isolation facilities for animals with infectious diseases. This may be on-site or at another location, such as a local veterinary practice. The licence holder must have a biosecurity plan agreed with a vet. This must include the ability to isolate a horse for up to 21 days. |
| 9.8 | The licence holder must register with a vet with an appropriate level of experience in the health and welfare requirements of any animals specified in the licence and the contact details of that person must be readily available to all staff on the premises used for the licensable activity. The vet’s details must be displayed where they can be easily seen by all staff members. This must include the: name address telephone number out of hours telephone number |
| 6.2 | There must be a preventative healthcare plan in place agreed with the appointed vet or appointed veterinary practitioner. The health plan must show: the measures taken to prevent and control disease any medication or treatments for each horse |
The Licensing Partnership will write to you at least three months before your licence expires to remind you to renew it. You must apply for a renewal licence at least 10 weeks before the current licence expires if you wish to continue to operate without a break in trading.
Fees and charges
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 - Riding establishment
Keeping of a riding establishment
- new licence application £613 plus vets fee*
- renewal of licence £426 plus vets fee*
Additions/amendment to the 'Approved Schedule of Horses' per application £137 plus vets fee*
- mid-term/annual licence visit (recharged to licence holder) £111 plus vets fee*
- re-assessment of star rating £263 plus vets fee*
- complaint visit (recharged to licence holder) £111 plus vets fee*
- duplicate licence £35
- minor variation (minor changes to licence not requiring a site visit) £239
- major variation (more substantial changes to licence requiring a site visit £426 plus vets fee*
- general admin charge - for work on applications which cannot be resolved/made valid (to be deducted from any refund of application fee - where this exceeds the application fee then no refund shall be given) £54
*Vets inspection fees for riding establishments:
- new premises licence inspection veterinary fee £432 plus fee per horse**
- existing licence inspection veterinary fee £300 plus fee per horse**
- annual vet inspection veterinary fee £216 plus fee per horse**
- midterm inspection visit £156
- re-assessment of star rating £156
- complaint visit £156 (first hour) + £52 for each additional hour or part thereof
**Fee per horse:
- for the first 10 horses £17
- for 11 to 50 horses £11
- 51 horses and over £10
Eligibility criteria
You need to be eligible to apply for a licence, you will find information on persons who may not apply in the regulation summary below.
Regulation summary
The regulation relating to animal activities requiring a licence.
Application evaluation process
Fees will be payable for applications and conditions will be attached.
The licence runs for one to three years from the date of issue.
You will receive a one to five-star rating on your licence, with a five-star rating the highest possible. The rating will be an accurate reflection of the level of risk of your business and the animal welfare standards you adopt.
Once we grant a licence, there are separate procedures for varying, suspending or revoking it as well as requesting a review of your star rating.
Will tacit consent apply?
No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the local authority within a reasonable period, please contact the Licensing Partnership.