License Required.

1. (1) No Person shall hold himself or herself out as a horse riding instructor for hire unless licensed by the Department.
2. (2) Any Person desiring to apply for a riding instructor license shall submit, on a form provided by the Department, an application and the appropriate fee.

3. (3) The Department may license any applicant who meets the following minimum requirements:

   1. (a) The applicant must be 18 years of age or older as of the date of application;
   2. (b) The applicant must have completed a six month apprenticeship with a licensed riding instructor, including at least 60 hours of directly supervised instruction to mounted students or must be licensed as a horse riding instructor by another governmental entity;

   3. (c) The applicant must have received a satisfactory score on a written exam administered by the Department. The exam will evaluate an applicant's knowledge relative to the following:

      1. 1. riding theory;
      2. 2. safety;
      3. 3. laws and regulations pertaining to horses including M.G.L. c. 128, §§ 2A and 2B;
      4. c. 129, §§ 9 and 44; c. 272, § 77 and 330 CMR 16.00; and

      5. 4. horse anatomy, physiology and general health issues.

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4. (4) All riding instructor licenses shall expire on March 31 following the date of issuance.
5. (5) Upon submission of an application and the appropriate fee, the Department may renew a license of any applicant who provided 60 hours of horse riding instruction during the preceding licensing year.

6. (6) The Department may revoke or suspend any license after a M.G.L. 30A hearing and upon a finding that the licensee:

   1. (a) Is not competent to provide horseback riding instructions;
   2. (b) Provided instructions in a manner unsafe to either the student or the horse;
   3. (c) Allowed an issued license to be used by an unlicensed Person;
   4. (d) Violated M.G.L. 129, § 9 and c. 272, §§ 77 through 79B;
   5. (e) Violated a quarantine order issued by the Department; or
   6. (f) Made a material misstatement on the license application.