Hiring out horses licence
Pay for this application
If you are unable to pay for your application online, please contact the Licensing team using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Licences to hire out horses for riding or instruction are issued under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.
The conditions attached to hiring out horses licences are set out in the regulations. The conditions are mandatory and can't be added to, deleted or amended by us. You can find the conditions and the guidance which accompanies them in the 'Related documents' section of this page.
Who needs a licence to hire out horses?
Businesses which hire out horses for riding or riding lessons. This includes riding schools and those that hire out horses, trekking, loan horses, pony parties (only where the ponies are ridden), hunter hirelings, polo/polocrosse instruction and pony hire, pony and donkey rides.
Who doesn’t need a licence to hire out horses?
- Businesses that run pony parties where none of the ponies are ever ridden – these should be licensed as animal exhibits
- Activities that are carried out solely for military or police purposes eg riding stables that are used exclusively for these purposes
- Riding stables that are exclusively used for instructing veterinary students at university for the purpose of their course
Individuals who occasionally lend a horse, even if a small fee is charged, where there is no profit made and no intent to make a profit
What is the ‘business test’?
The regulations specify two business tests to be considered when deciding if an activity is commercial, and therefore requires a licence. They're not the only method to determine if a licence is required, but we must take them into account when deciding if a licence is required.
- Does the operator make any sale, or otherwise carry on the activity, with a view to making a profit, or;
- Does the operator earn any commission or fee from the activity.
These two tests will be considered alongside the factors in the ‘Who needs a licence to breed dogs’ section when determining if a licence is required.
How long does a licence last?
The length of a dog breeding licence is determined by its star rating:
1 star = one-year licence
2 star = one-year licence
3 star = two-year licence
4 star = two-year licence
5 star = three-year licence
A licence runs from the date it is granted and must be renewed by the anniversary of the date it was granted in either one, two or three years – dependent on the star rating (see above).
Existing licence holders will receive a reminder from us three months before their licence is due for renewal with a renewal application pack enclosed. Renewal applications must be returned to us a minimum of ten weeks before the expiry date of the initial licence.
Required standards and how to meet them
Required standards and how to meet them
Please visit the GOV.UK website for the guidance on the required standards and how to meet them.
Contact Licensing
- licensing@shropshire.gov.uk
- 0345 678 9026 (taxis 0345 678 9046)