If you intend to run a horse-riding school or hire horses out for rides you must be licensed.
Changes to animal welfare licensing
The government has recently published the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Under the new laws a number of animal related activities will all be covered under a single type of licence, known as an animal activity licence, rather than under separate licences. The legislation is accompanied by new nationally set licence conditions and guidance.
The regulations come into effect on 1 October 2018 and will replace the licensing and registration under the following legislation:
- Pet Animals Act 1951
- Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
- Riding Establishments Acts 1964 and 1970
- Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 and Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999
- Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925
Inspections
All premises will be inspected before the licence is granted. The inspector will be looking to make sure the applicant has the following:
- A specialist knowledge in the species they are caring for and a clear understanding of its needs and welfare - i.e. mental and physical health, feeding, and knowledge of environmental enrichment.
- Comprehensive records that contain all the information required by the conditions that apply to their activities.
- An understanding of risks involved in caring for the animal, including an extensive risk assessment and written policies and procedures that are reviewed regularly. These documents should be available for the Inspector to examine.
- Training procedures in place to make sure staff know what is expected of them, and clear evidence of good supervision of staff.
We contract our inspections to the City of London, and they can take up to 20 days from receiving a valid application to arrange a visit to your premises. Horses are subject to inspection by a veterinary officer.
Before we can send your application to the inspection team, we need a copy of your procedures and associated documents. We will also need a plan of the premises.
If you are renewing your licence you need to complete the application and supply a copy of your insurance certificate.
Costs
Schedule of animal activity licensing fees.
The duration of your licence will depend on the level of compliance that is achieved at inspection and a 'star rating' system is used to show your level of compliance. Therefore, the fee is split into 2 parts, A and B. The part B fee cannot be determined until the inspection has taken place and the level of compliance has been ascertained.
Part A is payable before the veterinary inspection takes place and is made up of the following:
Admin fee (see fee list). This covers the cost of the authority processing your application and the associated documents that must be provided.
Plus, the inspection fee. The inspection covers all the points listed under 'General conditions' and 'Specific Conditions' of the minimum standards as detailed in the guidance notes.
The remainder of the fee, part B, will be determined after the inspection takes place and depends on the risk rating that the premises is given at inspection, and is made up as follows:
Council admin charge for a 1,2- or 3-year licence (see fee list) plus the fee for a midterm inspection plus annual Inspection. (see fee list)
The midterm will be carried out before the expiry of your licence.
We will inform you of the star rating and duration of the licence once the inspection has taken place.
Guidance notes
FAQs for new animal activity licensing regulations (PDF, 335.75KB)
Guidance: Hiring out horses (PDF, 462.92KB)
Pre-inspection: Hiring out horses (PDF - 169.24 KB)
Planning permission may need to be obtained before a licence is issued. Contact our planning department for further information.
Apply for a licence
Download and complete the riding establishment licence application form and return to the licensing team, by email with the required procedures.
Part A fee is payable when you submit your application.
Payment can be made through our licensing payments form.