Riding Establishment Licences

Stables that hire out horses or ponies for riding or instruction must be licensed under The Riding Establishments Acts 1964 and 1970.

 

The legislation is in place to ensure the welfare of the animals and that their accommodation is suitable.

 

 

 

The Riding Establishments Act 1964 defines the keeping of a riding establishment as:

 

'... the carrying on of a business of keeping horses for either or both of the following purposes, that is to say, the purpose of their being let out on hire for riding or the purpose of their being used in providing, in return for payment, instruction in riding'.

 

A riding establishment licence will not be issued if the applicant has been disqualified

 

 

 

 

A new application is £196.00 and must be sent with the application form, available as a downloadable document at the bottom of the page (vets fees are additional to this amount and are payable directly to the vet at inspection). 

 

The renewal fee for a riding establishment is £167.00 (plus vets fees).

 

 

 

Please print and complete the downloadable application form at the bottom of the page and send it to the Licensing General section.

 

 

 

It is advisable to submit your application to the Licensing General section as soon as possible as your application could take up to two months to be administered.

 

Once your application is submitted, a copy is sent to the Animal Control and Enforcement Section who will arrange to inspect your premises. During busy times, for example, at the end of the year when there are a large number of renewals of licences, it is not guaranteed that an appointment will be made straight away. Therefore, the earlier your application is submitted, the more likely you are to have your licence issued for when your premises opens or when your previous licence expires.

 

If your licence is not in place, you will not be permitted to operate as a riding establishment.

 

 

 

Where a licence is granted, that licence and any subsequent licence will expire on 31st December of the year to which it relates and must be renewed before that date if the premises are to continue as a riding establishment.