Riding Establishment

Application Forms

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Application Process

Applicants are advised to apply at least 10 weeks in advance of their intended operation date or expiry of their licence.

For holders of riding establishments licences please note that a licence cannot be renewed after it has expired, and therefore licences can not be backdated where the Council has been unable to determine an application. Licence holders may be subject to enforcement action if operating for a period without a licence, and are reminded that if they do not have a licence in force, this may affect their insurance policy.

To apply for a Riding Establishment licence, applicants must complete and submit an application form and relevant fee.

Additionally, the licence holder/proposed licence holder must produce a current insurance policy. The policy should insure against liability for any injury sustained by persons hiring a horse for riding, or those paying to use a horse for instruction and arising from the hire or use of the horse. The policy should also insure those persons in respect of any liability which may be incurred by them in respect of injury to any person caused by, or arising out of, the hire or use of a horse.

Any certificates held by the person who has direct control of management of the establishment must be included, as set out in the application.

Vale of Glamorgan will arrange for an authorised veterinary surgeon/practitioner to undertake an inspection of your establishment and produce a written report which the Council will then use in the determination of your application.

Vale of Glamorgan Council may also arrange for an officer of the Fire and Rescue Service to inspect the premises.

In determining an application for a Riding Establishment Licence, Vale of Glamorgan Council will have regard to whether:

• Applicant is suitable and qualified either in qualifications or experience, or the applicants employs in the management of the establishment a person so qualified
• Horses are in good condition and maintained in good health and fitness
• Horses kept for the purpose of it being let out on hire for riding or kept for providing instruction in riding, are suitable for this purpose
• Horses feet are properly trimmed and that, if shod, their shoes are properly fitted and in good condition
• Suitable accommodation is available at all times, with regards to the construction, size, and number of occupants, lighting, ventilation, cleanliness, and drainage
• Horses will be adequately supplied with food, drink and bedding materials and will be regularly exercised, groomed, rested and visited at suitable intervals
• Horses kept at grass have adequate pasture, shelter and water and that supplementary feeds will be provided when required
• All reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent/control the spread of infectious or contagious diseases
• Veterinary first aid equipment and medicine are provided and maintained on the premises
• Appropriate steps will be taken to protect the animals in the event of a fire or other emergency
• Adequate accommodation is provided for feed, bedding and stable equipment and saddlery
• Notice is displayed in a prominent position on the outside of the premises showing the name, address and telephone number of the licence holder or some other reasonable person, alongside instructions as to action to be taken in the event of fire and with regard evacuation of horses

Tacit Consent

No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the local authority within a reasonable period, please contact us.

The target time period is 44 calendar days.

Background and Eligibility Criteria

Anyone can apply unless they are now, or have ever been:

- Disqualified from keeping a riding establishment

- Disqualified from keeping a dog

- Disqualified from keeping a pet shop

- Disqualified from having custody of a dog

- Disqualified from keeping a boarding establishment for dogs

- Subject to a prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 2006

Conditions

Fees

Application for a Riding Establishment Licence: £341.00

Additionally, the cost of the veterinary inspection must be borne by the applicant.

Supplementary Information

A licence according to the applicants requirements relate to the year in which it is granted or to the next following year, in the former case, the licence shall come into force at the beginning of the day on which it is granted, and in the latter case it shall come into force at the beginning of the next following year.

A licence shall remain in force for one year, beginning on the day on which it is granted and shall then expire. Licence holders will receive a written reminder from Vale of Glamorgan Council three months prior to the expiry of their licence.

In the event of death of a person who is keeping a riding establishment at any premises, that licence shall be deemed to have been granted to his personal representatives in respect of those premises and shall remain in force until the end of the three months, beginning with the death and shall then expire.

Provided that the local authority by whom the licence was granted may from time to time on application of those representatives, extend or further extend the said period of 3 months if the authority is satisfied that the extension is necessary for the purpose of winding up the deceased’s estate and that no other circumstances make it undesirable

Offences and Penalties

Any person who is found guilty of wilfully obstructing or delaying any person in the exercise of his powers of entry or inspection shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.

Any person who is found guilty of the following shall be guilty of an offence under the Riding Establishments Act 1964 and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both:

• at a time when a horse is in such a condition that its riding would be likely to cause suffering to the horse, lets out the horse on hire or uses it for the purpose of providing, in return for payment, instruction in riding or for the purpose of demonstrating riding
• lets out on hire for riding or uses for the purpose of providing, in return for payment, instruction in riding or for the purpose of demonstrating riding any horse aged three years or under or any mare heavy with foal or any mare within three months after foaling
• supplies for a horse which is let out on hire by him for riding equipment which is used in the course of the hiring and suffers, at the time when it is supplied, from a defect of such a nature as to be apparent on inspection and as to be likely to cause suffering to the horse or an accident to the rider
• fails to provide such curative care as may be suitable, if any, for a sick or injured horse which is kept by him with a view to its being let out on hire or used for providing, in return for payment, instruction in riding or for the purpose of demonstrating riding
• in keeping a riding establishment knowingly permits any person, who is for the time being disqualified under the Riding Establishments Act 1964 from keeping a riding establishment, to have control or management of the keeping of the establishment
• with intent to avoid inspection, conceals, or causes to be concealed, any horse maintained by the riding establishment

Where a person is convicted of any offence under the:

• Riding Establishments Act 1964
• Protection of Animals Act 1991
• Pet Animals Act 1951
• Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
• Animal Welfare Act 2006, Sections 4,5,6(1), and (2), 7 to 9, and 11

the court by which he is convicted may cancel any licence held by him under the Riding Establishments Act 1964 and may, whether or not he is the holder of such a licence, disqualify him from keeping a riding establishment for such period as the court thinks fit.

Authorised officers of the Council and/or authorised veterinary surgeons/practitioners may enter and inspect a riding establishment premises at any reasonable time.

Complaint and Other Redress

Failed Application Redress: Contact the Local Authority in the first instance. Any person aggrieved by a refusal to be granted a licence may appeal to the Magistrates Courts who may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as it thinks proper.

Licence Holder Redress: Contact the Local Authority in the first instance. Any person aggrieved by any conditions to which a licence is subject may appeal to the Magistrates Courts who may give such directions regarding the licence or its conditions as it thinks proper.

Consumer Complaint: View our consumer complaints procedure.

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