A horseriding adventure experience in the Forest of Dean has fallen foul of licence rules and been handed a bill of £1,500 for the cost of bringing the business to book.

Severnwye Farm Ltd, which is owned by Alastair and Moira Fraser, runs forest pony trekking as well as opportunities to go walking with llamas.

Located close to the A48 between Chepstow and Lydney, the centre's SevernWye Equestrian website also advertises riding lessons and currently displays a licence certificate from Forest of Dean District Council (FoDDC) for its operation as a riding establishment with 10 horses. The permission, however, is dated to expire in June 2017.

In November 2023, the centre failed a vet inspection to renew its licence due to "flaws in the premises where the horses were kept". This resulted in the centre's licence being revoked, FoDDC said, after which Severnwye Farm did not appeal or reapply.

Alarm bells then rang for the council a year later after a child fell from a horse during an illegal riding lesson - the business consequently being handed an official warning for "carrying out activities which involved animals, without the authority of a licence".

FoDDC said: "Forest of Dean District Council's Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit investigated, finding that Severnwye Equestrian were providing riding lessons without the necessary licence to operate. It continued to do so until August 2024 despite warnings from Licensing Officers. The Severnwye Equestrian website also published an expired 5 star licence."

FoDDC's Legal Team also considered the matter for prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, but as a result of a full admission to the offence from Directors representing Severnwye Farm Limited, the company was issued with a caution and paid costs to the Council of £1,500.

Severnwye Farm Limited has since reapplied to the Council for a licence to operate and after recommendations were implemented, it was issued with a two-star licence.

Cllr Adrian Birch, Leader of Forest of Dean District Council, said the case illustrated how seriously FoDDC treats regulatory offences and highlights the collaborative working relationship between teams at the Council to enforce where required.

He said: "If you own or run a business that requires specific licensing to operate, it is imperative that this is up to date and in place. If not, then the Council will investigate and will enforce it.

"Should you require information on licensing, please see the Council's website, or speak to a member of staff to find out more."

Feedback for the centre published by online reviews site TripAdvisor suggest several visitors had questioned safety aspects of horseriding experience in recent years, while one visitor who attended, in March this year, claimed she has been fatshamed.

The reviewer wrote: "Absolutely shocked, horrified and beyond disgusted at the experience. Moira is very friendly, I disclosed my weight to her upon booking the pony trek and she said I was within weight limit to ride the ponies. Upon arriving Alastair took one look at me, demanded I disclose my weight, which I did, and rudely told me I would not be riding. I let the other members of the party continue with the trek and stayed behind. He was also quite curt to them.

"Alastair invited me to the house for a chat and began making very inappropriate, sustained comments about my weight, as well as using the 's' word to describe neurodivergent clients, which I found deeply uncomfortable and disturbing. I ended up spending the rest of the trek duration (2 hours) in my car holding back tears. Everyone on site was very dismissive and a refund was not offered by anyone. I had to message Moira, whom I booked with, to ask for a refund and was refunded the £85 for my part of the ride. The trek in total for 3 people was £255. Moira handled the refund request very well, and I cannot fault her, but I did not expect to be bullied by Alastair. Honestly shocking, uncomfortable and gross. Would not recommend."

Another visitor wrote: "I booked a four hour trek with my daughter who has ridden for six years and me as a beginner. Trek was lead by a very young girl. I didn't feel safe riding along the long road to the forest and was worried as the mule she was riding wasn't behaving. My horse double backed on itself and I fell off. When I returned I let the owner know I wouldn't be finishing the second half as I didn't feel safe. The owner was very rude and shouted at me in front of my daughter. I couldn't believe someone would act this way to a customer. I wasn't even asking for a refund. All staff seem very young and overworked."

● The business has not responded on TripAdvisor to comments.