AN INTERNATIONAL showjumper who represents Great Britain is to breed and train horses for competition at a Welsh farm. 

Professional event rider Charlotte Agnew is relocating her business from Gloucestershire to Monmouthshire, where she has bought Llan Farm, around five miles from Monmouth. 

She has been given planning permission for equestrian use of the land and to relocate and convert an existing agricultural barn to a giant ‘American barn’ with 16 stables. 

The 49×24 meter building, with underfloor heating, will be used to house “expensive, in training and experienced competition horses, as well as breeding mares, foals and young horses”. 

Ms Agnew, who has been recognised by the UK World Class Programme as “a rider to support”, had moved from Scotland to Cirencester in Gloucestershire in 2010, where she rented 10 stables and a track, before moving, in 2015, to larger premises in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. 

The move to Monmouthshire has been prompted by practical difficulties with using shared rented facilities.

The application states: “Llan Farm has adequate land to achieve a quality private equestrian facility for foals to be produced, young horses to be trained, competition horses to reach their full potential and for Charlotte to develop her sporting potential even further.” 

The business employs four members of staff, and all are expected to relocate to Llan Farm, while it is also anticipated additional local jobs will be created once the business is established. 

The permission also covers the erection of an indoor riding arena which will be 49x31m so that it is big enough to allow the applicant to practice for her own competitions and prepare other horses to compete. 

Information provided to Monmouthshire County Council’s planning department says competition horses need to practice dressage movements and jumps, which cannot be risked on hard, uneven or slippery surfaces outdoors. 

According to the application, the proposed indoor arena will be the minimum size required for preparing horses for top level competition, usually held in 100x80m arenas, in line with governing body the Federation Equestre Internationale’s (FEI) specifications. 

The application states: “This is the standard FEI competition size and the size at which Charlotte regularly competes with her horses. The recommended size for all other competitions which involve showjumping is a minimum of 50m x 80m.” 

An outdoor riding area at the farm, where Ms Agnew has already moved to with some of her horses, has already been approved. 

The stables on the southern side of the ‘American barn’ will allow the competition horses, that spend less time outside compared to other horses, an outside view which is considered beneficial to their welfare. 

There will be a further 10 external stables on the northern side of the barn which will also have solar panels on its roof. 

The existing access to the farm will be retained and planning officers are satisfied it is adequate for associated traffic and a condition of the permission is that the development is in line with the submitted plan that states it is for use by the applicant and isn’t a commercial livery open to the public.