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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.

Contact the environmental health team by phone 01395 571517, or email environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.  If renewing a licence you must give at least 3 months notice.

What you will need

You will need to provide us with information about the business such as your operating procedures outlining how you meet and comply with each of the conditions of the licence.
The following documents should be attached to your application:

  • Preventative Healthcare Plan/ Biosecurity Risk Assessment (signed by applicant’s registered veterinarian).
  • Staff Training Policy
  • Cleaning and Hygiene procedure
  • Immature animals opportunities procedure
  • Separating/ grouping of animals policy
  • Feeding procedure
  • Disease control and prevention procedure
  • Cleaning procedure
  • Transport Procedure
  • Monitoring and Ensuring health and Welfare of Animals Procedure
  • Isolation Procedure
  • Death and Escape of Animals Procedure
  • 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.
  • Repair and maintenance procedure/ programme.
  • Letter from vets confirming registration and services provided to operator. (Storage of cadavers, emergency vet treatment & isolation facilities)
  • Site plan of premises
  • Plan of animal accommodation for each enclosure with dimensions
  • 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
  • Introduction of new horses to existing groups (Introduction of New Dogs/ Animals Procedure)
  • Feed plan for all horses
  • structured management and care programme for each horse (foot care, dental care, worming and vet care)
  • Enrichment Procedure
  • Euthanasia Procedure- Who carries it out? Where are horses disposed of? What paperwork is kept in relation to it?
  • Pasture Management Plan

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. 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.

You will need to send us your current certificate of insurance or have this ready to show to our environmental health officer when your premises is inspected

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.

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.