- 01273 294 266
Animal Wardens collect and return lost and found dogs. They also provide information on animal licensing, including pet shops, boarding, breeding and performing animals.
Apply for a licence to hire out horses for riding
You need a riding establishment licence if your business provides horses for riding, like riding schools or donkey rides.
When you need a riding establishment licence
You need a licence if you run stables which hire out horses or ponies for riding or instruction.
This includes:
- riding schools
- trekking
- loan horses
- pony parties where people ride on the ponies
- hunter hirelings
- polo or polocrosse instruction
- pony hire
- pony or donkey rides
You do not need a licence if you:
- own a livery stable
- run pony parties where none of the ponies are ever ridden - if you run pony parties, you'll need a licence to keep an animal for entertainment or education
- occasionally lend your horse, even if you charge a small fee, where there is no profit made and no intent to make a profit
Find more information in the government's guidance on animal activities.
Licence inspections
We'll get a qualified veterinary practitioner, relevant to the licensable activity, to come with the officer during an inspection. As the applicant, you'll be responsible for the cost of this.
Licence costs
Find out how much your animal business licence will cost.
Apply for a licence
To apply for a riding establishment licence, download and complete the riding establishment application form and send it to: Animal Wardens, Brighton & Hove City Council, 2nd floor, Bartholomew House, Bartholomew Square, Brighton, BN1 1JP.
You also need to download and complete the animal activity licensing privacy notice, and send it to us with your application form.
More information
For more information contact the Animal Warden team.
Animal Wardens