InformationApply for a Hiring out Horses Licence

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

How to apply

If you want to run a business hiring out horses for riding or riding instruction then you will need to apply for a licence.

If renewing a licence, you must submit your application to the Council no later than 10 weeks before your current licence expires.

To make a new application or renew a licence, please use this application form.

If you have any questions, please contact the Environmental Health Team by email environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.

Restrictions

You must be over 18 to apply for a licence. You may not be given a licence if you’ve been convicted of animal health or welfare offences.

If you have a previous conviction and/ or disqualification for an animal related offence, please contact the Environmental Health Team to check if it will affect your ability to hold a licence.

What you will need

In addition to submitting a completed application form and paying the licence fee, you will need to provide us with a copy of your standard operating procedures. These should be a step-by-step guide for staff to follow which outlines how various tasks and activities are carried out in compliance with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) licence conditions and statutory guidance.

The following documents must be submitted with your application:

Preventative Healthcare Plan/ Biosecurity Risk Assessment (agreed and signed by applicant’s registered veterinarian). This Preventative Healthcare Plan/ Biosecurity Risk Assessment template document may assist you in structuring the information.
Staff Training policy
Cleaning and Hygiene procedure
Immature Animals Opportunities procedure
Separating/ Grouping of Animals policy
Feeding procedure
Disease Control and Prevention procedure
Transport Procedure
Monitoring and Ensuring Health and Welfare of Animals procedure
Isolation procedure
Death and Escape of Animals procedure, including euthanasia procedure (who carries it out? where are carcasses disposed of? what records must be kept?).
Written Emergency Plan covering fire (evacuation, firefighting equipment, how animals are evacuated and kept safe during the emergency, smoke & CO detector locations/ testing & fire drills), loss of utilities, extremes of weather/ temperature, breakdown of vehicle during animal transport, alternative accommodation provision in the event of premises becoming uninhabitable, emergency contacts list, including emergency keyholder contact information.
Repair and maintenance procedure/ programme for the premises and facilities.
Letter from your registered veterinary practice to confirm registration and services they agree to provide to your business. (Storage of carcasses, emergency veterinary treatment & isolation facilities).
Site plan of premises.
Plan of stables, stalls and any isolation facilities with dimensions in metres.
Public Liability Insurance Certificate for at least £5 million cover (not to be confused with employers’ liability which is different)
List of staff qualifications.
Staff training records for each member of staff (including volunteers)
DBS Certificate for the licence holders.
Introduction of New Horses to Existing Groups procedure
Feed plan for all horses.
Structured management and care programme for each horse which sets out the regime for foot care, dental care, worming, vaccines, veterinary care, fly management and saddlery checks.
Enrichment procedure.
Pasture Management Plan.

If you want to achieve a 4- or 5-star licence, you will need to provide a copy of the following documentation:

Out of Hours Horse Inspection procedure.
An enhanced structured management and care programme for each horse which includes:
- Exercise and suitable alternatives for horses who are unable to exercise.
- Age of each horse
- Any health related conditions and how these are managed.
- Monitoring the diets for each horse and monthly body condition scoring records. Where the body condition of a horse is not optimum, advice must be sought from a vet or equine nutritionist which is documented.
Training and monitoring plans for horses who have training needs to improve their use within a riding school. Evidence must be kept to show that these horses are receiving regular and effective saddler checks, for comfort and fit.
New rider initial assessment procedure. Records must be kept for each assessment undertaken.
Documented risk assessments for horse clippers, horse walkers, yard blowers, arena levelling equipment and any extra therapy-based machines or equipment.
Documented risk assessments for activities, including the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needs for each task or situation.

Payments

You will need to pay a fee for your licence. Please make sure you are aware of how much this will cost.

You will also need to pay the vet's fee for inspecting the premises. As this cost varies depending upon the amount of time the vet takes to inspect, we will ask you to pay this after the inspection has taken place.

You will need a credit or debit card to pay by phone.

Any personal information which you provide will be held and used by East Devon District Council for the purpose of issuing you with a licence for hiring out horses and on the basis of public task.

What you can do if you haven't heard from us

After the Council has advised you that your application is valid, the Council has up to 10 weeks to issue their decision in relation to the application.

If you have received a notification from us that your application has been passed to the Animal Health and Licensing Officer, but they have not yet contacted you to book an inspection, please contact us by emailing environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.

You must wait for the grant of a licence before you start operating.

What you can do if your application is unsuccessful

Decisions to refuse or vary a licence are explained in writing. If you do not understand the reasons provided, or you wish to discuss the decision with the Animal Health and Licensing Officer, please contact the officer using the details at the top of the decision letter for an informal discussion.

Appeals

If you've had an informal discussion with the Animal Health and Licensing Officer and this has not resolved your disagreement with their decision, you can appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal to review the Council's decision. The First-Tier Tribunal may give directions on the issue of a licence or on any conditions imposed.

Who will receive or see my personal information?

Your information may also be shared within East Devon District Council for the purposes of carrying out our lawful functions. Otherwise your personal information will not be disclosed to anybody outside East Devon District Council without your permission, unless there is a lawful reason to do so, for example disclosure is necessary for crime prevention or detection purposes. Your information will be held securely and will not be retained for any longer than is necessary. There are a number of rights available to you in relation to our use of your personal information, depending on the reason for processing. Further detail about our use of your personal information can be found in the relevant Privacy Notice.