Apply for a licence to hire out horses for riding lessons

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, if you run a business to keep horses and hire them out for riding or lessons, you must have a licence.

How much a licence costs

You'll also need to pay any vet fees. As part of the licence, it's a legal obligation for a certified equine vet appointed by us to attend all inspections. If the licence runs for longer than 12 months, you will have a yearly vet inspection and must pay all related fees.

What you need to submit with your application

• A plan of the premises - this doesn't need to be to scale, but should show how it's laid out. It also needs to show measurements for stables and paddocks.
• A list of the horses that will be used, including their name, date of birth, height, colour, microchip number and their Universal Equine Life Number (UELN).
• A copy of relevant insurance policies.
• A copy of your DBS check.
• A preventative healthcare plan signed by the business' vet.
• A copy of the training policy and training certificates held by any staff.
• A copy of the cleaning procedures.
• A copy of the immature animals policy (for horses under two years).
• A copy of the separating or grouping of animals policy.
• A copy of the feeding policy.
• A copy of the biosecurity/disease control and prevention policy.
• A copy of the transport policy.
• A copy of the monitoring and ensuring health policy.
• A copy of the isolation policy.
• A copy of the death and escape policy.
• A copy of the emergency policy.
• A copy of the repair and maintenance programme.
• A copy of the introduction of new horses to an existing group policy.
• A copy of the pasture management plan.
• A copy of the preventative fire risk assessment.
• A copy of the individual feeding plans for each horse (this is optional).
• A copy of the new rider's assessment form.
• The individual management and care programmes for each horse.
• A copy of the activity and equipment risk assessments.

To see what needs to be in the documents, you should check the hiring of horses supporting documents guidance.

How to apply for a licence

You must check the documents list to make sure you submit the right evidence.

Apply for a licence to hire out horses

You need to email your application form and the documents to envhealth@canterbury.gov.uk.

Once you've submitted your application we'll send you an invoice to pay. However, you can choose to pay by:

• Calling 01227 862 427 to pay over the phone or
• Sending a cheque made payable to Canterbury City Council

See details of businesses licensed to hire horses