Hiring out Horses

Hiring out Horses

Licences to hire out horses are issued under The Animal Welfare (Licencing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The legislation is designed to ensure the welfare of the animals and the suitability of their accommodation.

This application is not subject to tacit approval under the European Union Services Directive.  The indicative timescale for dealing with the application is proposed to be within 10 weeks of receipt of a full application.  

When is a licence required?

If you hire out horses or donkeys or provide a riding school service, or provide ridden pony parties, you will require a licence if you are operating such a business.

The council will arrange for the inspection of horses and premises whilst accompanied by a veterinary surgeon. The licence will be issued subject to receipt of a satisfactory report, compliance with licence conditions and payment of the licence fee and vets fees.

Licence application fees.

A licence will not be issued to individuals who are not over the age of eighteen years or a body corporate who is disqualified.

• from keeping a riding establishment under the Riding Establishment Act 1964,
• under Section 34(2), (3) or (4) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006,
• from keeping a pet shop under the Pet Animals Act 1951,
• from having custody of animals under the Protection of Animals (amendment) Act 1954,
• from keeping an animal boarding establishment under the Animal Boarding Establishment Act 1963.

What conditions apply to Hiring out Horses?

The Government has published statutory guidance on its website, which sets out all of the licence conditions that must be met before a new licence will be granted.  

Making an application

Before making an application you are advised to consider the following:

• will the activity require planning permission?
• can you comply with the licence conditions?

Once you are satisfied you can meet the licence conditions, a licence application form, together with the required written procedures must be submitted to the Council.  Fees are payable.

If you require assistance with your application, please contact the Council's Animal Licensing Officer for further guidance.

Health & Safety

You are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of anyone affected by your business. You will need to undertake a risk assessment, record the significant findings and make sure that hazards are eliminated where possible, residual risks reduced as far as possible, and that systems are in place to make people aware of these and that anyone employed receives adequate instruction and training. If you want advice on Health and Safety, please contact Environmental Health's Health and Safety team.

Licences

Subject to the local authority being satisfied that the business will meet at least the minimum standards set by The Animal Welfare (Licencing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, a licence will be granted and a star-rating applied of between 2 and 5 stars.  The star-rating achieved will depend on how well the business complies with the licence conditions set out in the Regulations.  Licences are granted for a period of either 1, 2 or 3 years, depending on the star-rating achieved.  New businesses are automatically regarded higher risk and can only be awarded a 2-star or 4-star licence.  Existing businesses if considered to be a lower risk, can achieve a 3-star or 5-star rating depending on whether they achieve the higher standards or not.  A 1-star licence is only awarded to an existing business with minor failings.  

If you require any further information please contact the Food, Health and Safety Team.

Contact Details:

E-mail: fhsadmin@tendringdc.gov.uk
Address:
Environmental Health
Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 1SE
Telephone: 01255 686767