Horses on farms or in stables and livery yards are protected by the Animal Welfare Act . If you own or are responsible for a horse, you have a duty to look after its basic welfare by: providing it with a suitable place to live giving it a suitable diet protecting it from pain, injury, suffering and disease making sure it can behave normally and naturally keeping records of all medical treatment keeping up to date with a vaccination programme (under the control and advice of a vet) registering it with a veterinary practice and a registered farrier Your horse must also have a valid passport and a microchip. You can get an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to 6 months if you are cruel to an animal or do not care for it properly. You may also be banned from owning animals in future. There are additional welfare guides for horses used for agricultural purposes or for producing pharmaceutical products .

You may need an environmental permit to store or spread animal waste. When you dispose of horse manure, it’s waste unless all of the following apply: it is used as soil fertiliser it is used lawfully for spreading on clearly identified pieces of agricultural land it is only stored to be used for spreading on agricultural land You must not spread horse manure as soil fertiliser near water. It can be a health hazard and could harm the environment. You’ll need to follow rules for both: Nitrate Vulnerable Zones the pollution of groundwater You must not put temporary piles of horse manure where there is risk of it draining: to nearby drains in fields within 10 metres of a watercourse, for example a stream or river within 50 metres from a spring, well or borehole that supplies water for people to drink Getting rid of solid waste Solid waste includes things like: contaminated bedding food containers horse manure (if not used as soil fertiliser) empty pesticide and other chemical containers plastics such as silage wrap, bags and sheets tyres, batteries, clinical waste, old machinery and oil You must use a licensed facility to get rid of solid waste - it’s against the law to dump or burn it. Contact your local authority or the Environment Agency for information on how to get rid of solid waste. Environment Agency helpline 03708 506 506 Find out about call charges enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk Water and liquid waste To prevent pollution, you must not allow uncontrolled draining from: dirty yards washing out of stables soaking hay exercise pools You must store liquid waste in a waterproof container (such as an impermeable lagoon or a sealed effluent tank). It can then be removed or disposed of at a permitted facility or land spread . You must get permission from your local water company to dispose of liquid waste to the sewer or a controlled water source . You must leave water from an exercise pool to stand for 7 days after chlorination or other chemical treatment before disposing of it. Clinical waste Clinical waste must be treated as hazardous waste and collected separately. This includes: infected linen bandaging used syringes empty medicine containers Biodegradable waste Some biodegradable waste can be composted at a composting plant registered with the Environment Agency. You may need an environmental permit for on-site composting of some materials.

You should not transport a horse in a way that may cause it harm or distress. There are welfare regulations for transporting live animals. You must keep your horse passport with your horse, pony or donkey whenever it is transported. There are other rules you must follow if you’re importing or exporting an animal , even if you’re only transporting them overseas temporarily.

If a horse dies or has to be put down on your property, you will have to arrange its disposal as ‘fallen stock’ under animal by-products ( ABPs ) controls . This includes: entire animal bodies parts of animals products of animal origin other products obtained from animals that are not for human consumption You must deal with ABPs promptly to protect people, animals and the environment. In most cases, this will mean arranging for them to be taken away to approved premises, like: rendering plants incinerators collection centres storage plants Your local council can provide a list of approved premises for the disposal of ABPs . The National Fallen Stock Scheme is a not-for-profit scheme which helps farmers and animal owners to follow the law on disposing of fallen stock. National Fallen Stock Scheme helpline 0845 054 8888 Find out about call charges Pet horses If your horse was a pet, you may be able to bury your animal. You should contact your local animal health office or national agricultural department for advice. If you think that a horse has a notifiable disease A ‘notifiable disease’ is a type of animal illness which you must report, even if you only suspect an animal might have it. If you think that a horse has a notifiable disease, immediately contact your local animal health office or national agricultural department. Contact your local Animal Health Office or national agricultural department If you live in England Call the Defra Rural Services Helpline and choose the relevant option for the Animal Plant Health Authority (APHA). Defra Rural Services Helpline 03000 200 301 Find out about call charges If you live in Wales Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Animal and Plant Health Agency 0300 303 8268 apha.cymruwales@apha.gov.uk Find out about call charges You can choose to hear the telephone message in English or Welsh. If you live in Scotland Contact your local Field Services office . If you live in Northern Ireland Contact your local Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) regional office .

Keeping horses

Q: Stables and livery yards

At a livery yard, horses are housed and cared for in return for payment, but do not belong to the owner of the yard. Depending on the type of livery , you may share responsibility for the care of your horse with the owner. You should make sure the yard has a process in place for parasite control.

Looking after horses

Horses on farms or in stables and livery yards are protected by the Animal Welfare Act.

If you own or are responsible for a horse, you have a duty to look after its basic welfare by:

providing it with a suitable place to live
giving it a suitable diet
protecting it from pain, injury, suffering and disease
making sure it can behave normally and naturally
keeping records of all medical treatment
keeping up to date with a vaccination programme (under the control and advice of a vet)
registering it with a veterinary practice and a registered farrier

Your horse must also have a valid passport and a microchip.

You can get an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to 6 months if you are cruel to an animal or do not care for it properly. You may also be banned from owning animals in future.

There are additional welfare guides for horses used for agricultural purposes or for producing pharmaceutical products.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Keeping horses

Looking after horses

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Keeping horses

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