Hiring out horses

1. The licence

You must have a licence if you run a business that hires out horses for riding or riding lessons.

This includes

• hiring 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

If you hire out horses which are not ridden, you may need an animal exhibition licence.

Before making an application read through the DEFRA guidance notes below as it provides general and specific licence conditions that are attached to the licence and information on how to meet each required standard.

• Guidance notes for hiring out horses 2018 (PDF 359Kb)

How to apply

To apply for a licence you must read the Conditions for hiring our horses (PDF116Kb) before you download and complete the form below:

There is an application fee which you must be pay when you make your application. You can find full details on our fees page.

How to pay

You can send a cheque for the cost of the licence enclosed with your application form to

Licensing Team
Environmental Health and Trading Standards
Fred Perry House
Edward Street
Stockport
SK1 3XE

Or you can email your application to licensing@stockport.gov.uk.

If you have an invoice you can call 0161 474 4181 and ask for business support.

The inspection

We’ll inspect your premises with a vet before we grant you a licence so we can make sure you meet current the legislation. The more conditions you meet, the better chance you have of being granted a longer licence.

You must

• have a specialist knowledge in the species that you’re caring for and a clear understanding of their welfare and of their physical and mental needs
• have a specialist knowledge of their feeding habits and knowledge of environmental enrichment
• be able to demonstrate that you have researched and followed expert guidance in order to carry out your role
• have comprehensive records that contain all the information required by the conditions of the licence that apply to your particular activities
• have an understanding of risks involved in caring for the animal, including an extensive risk assessment and written policies and procedures that are reviewed regularly
• have training procedures in place to make sure staff know what is expected of them, and clear evidence of good supervision of staff

After your inspection, we’ll send you a report to let you know whether there are any 'minor failings', you have met the 'minimum standards' or you have met the 'higher standards'.

We’ll then award you a star rating of up to 5 stars and licence of between 1 and 3 years. Your star rating must appear where your business is advertised and on the licence.

We aim to issue a licence within 28 days of receiving a valid application.

If you’re not satisfied with the decision, you can make improvements to the premises, and ask for a re-inspection at an extra cost.