The Register will consider applications for membership from practitioners who are currently in practice but do not have equine-related qualifications, or who hold qualifications that are not recognised by the Register.

In such cases, applicants must successfully satisfy the conditions defined by this Certificate of Proficiency.

All applicants will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and either accepted or rejected. In the case of rejection, applicants will be advised of the reasons and given the opportunity to address the issues and resubmit.

Requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency

To be awarded a Certificate of Proficiency, applicants must demonstrate a minimum of five years of continuous practice, and provide the following:

1. Copies of all professional qualifications supporting the application (non-equine).

2. Transcript and/or details of any previous equine-related learning (Equine Assisted Services).

3. Three written Equine Assisted Services case studies of approximately 1,500 words each (one client per case study), based on at least 3–4 sessions per case study.

4. Two client references, who may be contacted directly by the Register.

5. One professional referee who has worked alongside you or observed your work and can confirm, in writing, the quality and effectiveness of your Equine Assisted Services practice.

All submitted case studies must have been undertaken and completed within the 12 months prior to the date of application.

Successful applicants will still need to comply with the general commitments and conditions of registration.

Written Case Study Outline

Case studies do not need to detail every element of every session. However, they should provide answers to the following questions:

• What did your client want help or support with? (If objectives were unclear, explain the context.)

• If there was no specified objective, what approach did you take?

• On a session-by-session basis, what did you do to support or help them with their objective?

• What did they learn in each session from the interaction and/or your facilitation?

• How was that learning transferable to real-life challenges or experiences?

• What did you assign them to practice or reflect on between sessions, and how effective was it?

• Over the full series of sessions, what was their overall learning and what changed for them in life as a result?

  • What specific skills did they take away?

  • Where possible, include direct quotes or feedback from them.

• What challenges did you encounter with the client or process, and how did you resolve them?

• What did you learn about yourself and/or your practice from this case study?