Hiring out horses licence - Print version

To run a riding establishment (where horses or ponies are hired out for riding or used for riding instruction) in Coventry, you need a licence from the Council.

In order to make an application for a riding establishment in England and Wales applicants must not have been disqualified from:

• Keeping a riding establishment. 
• Keeping a pet shop under the Pet Animals Act 1951. 
• Having custody of animals under the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1954.
• Keeping boarding establishments for animals under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963.
• Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 from keeping or owning animals, being able to influence how animals are kept, dealing animals or transporting or being involved in the transporting of animals. 
• Owning, keeping dealing or transporting animals under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Applicants must be aged 18 or over.

Cost

The cost of a Hiring out horses licence is £420.00 plus vet inspection fees.

A licence is valid for 12 months from the date it is issued. You will need to renew the licence after this period.

Apply for a hiring out horses licence

Before making a decision, the Council must see a report from a veterinary surgeon or practitioner saying if the premises are suitable for a riding establishment, and telling of the conditions of the premises and any horses.

The Council will also look at whether the person making the application is suitable and qualified to hold a licence. They must also be satisfied that the applicant meets the following criteria:

• that consideration will be given to the condition of the horses and that they will be kept in good health, physically fit, and where the horse is to be ridden or used during riding instruction, be suitable for that purpose; 
• that the animals’ feet will be trimmed properly and that shoes are fitted properly and are in good condition; 
• that there will be suitable housing for the horses; 
• that for horses kept on grass there is suitable pasture, shelter and water and that extra feed will be provided as and when needed; 
• that horses will be given suitable food, drink and bedding materials and will be exercised, groomed, rested and visited at suitable intervals; 
• that precautions will be taken to reduce the spread of diseases and that veterinary first aid equipment and medicines will be provided; 
• that plans are in place to protect and remove the horses in the case of a fire and that as part of this the name, address and telephone number of the licence holder is displayed outside the premises and fire instructions are displayed; 
• that storage facilities for forage, bedding, stable equipment and saddlery are provided.

As well as any other conditions, a riding establishment licence must be subject to the following conditions:

• any horse inspected by an authorised officer and found to need veterinary attention will not be returned to work until the licence holder has received a veterinary certificate saying the horse is fit for work; 
• a horse will not be let out for hire or for use in a lesson without the supervision of a responsible person aged 16 years or older, unless the licence holder is satisfied the rider doesn't need supervision; 
• the business will not be left in the charge of someone under 16 years of age; 
• the licence holder holds indemnity insurance; 
• the licence holder keeps a register of all horses in their possession that are three years old or younger and that the register is available for inspection at all reasonable times. 

You also need the following documents to support your application:

• public liability insurance certificate,
• site plan and layout of facilities,
• training/qualifications certificates.

Do I need to wait for written permission?

No, if no-one objects to your application. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the Licensing Authority by the end of 30 working days.

How to apply

• Before applying for your hiring out of horses licence, please read the guidance notes [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hire-out-horses-licence-england].
• To apply for your licence, please download the Hiring of horses licence application form. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/5741/hiring_of_horses_licence_application]

If you have any questions relating to downloadable application forms please email our Dog Enforcement Officers, dogenforcement@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:dogenforcement@coventry.gov.uk] - Please do not call us - our phone is for live incidents only (such as stray dogs) and you will be asked to send an email instead, please be patient and a Dog Enforcement Officer will respond to your email.