Eligibility for membership of the Register is dependent on holding appropriate qualifications and/or successful completion of the Certificate of Proficiency. In addition to the provision of appropriate stated documentation. In addition, there is the commitment made to ethical care and treatment of animals, as defined here.

This commitment is taken very seriously by the Register and as such, the Register maintains the right to undertake a pre-registration site visit for applicants where it might be deemed to be necessary and appropriate to do so.

When?

For individual practitioner site visits are engaged when something arises in the standard application process, including checks of website or social media presence, that the ethical standards of the register are not being upheld. Or any other information comes to light that suggests:
 –  The horses are not being kept in healthy conditions – for example – poor field conditions, filthy stables
 –  There are concerns about the physical health of the horses, poor hoof care or visibly
 –  Horses are being deprived of equine company
 –  There is evidence of horses are expected to work when they are showing signs of ill-health or injury

Please note, this list is indicative, not exhaustive.

The Register will also undertake site visits where an organisation or “centre” has a number of individual practitioners onsite that are seeking registration and where the horses are clearly undertaking this work regularly and on a larger scale.

Where it is considered a more viable alternative site visits will be considered virtually and will be limited to one-hour.

Virtual site visits will also form part of the annual membership audit process.

The Register maintains the right to visit a practitioner’s or organisation’s site at any time where a justifiable reason is provided. In such situations, at least 48-hours notice will be given.

Where it is considered a more viable alternative site visits will be considered virtually and will be limited to one-hour.

The Register will also undertake site visits where an organisation or “centre” has a number of individual practitioners onsite that are seeking registration and where the horses are clearly undertaking this work regularly and on a larger scale.

What does the process cover?

Site visits will cover the following areas:
 –  The physical health of the horses
 –  The indoor living areas of the horses
 –  Any covered barn areas and/or turn out spaces available to the horses and the frequency of use
 –  Track systems or similar environments where a herd might live 24-7
 –  Feed storage and preparation areas
 –  Check of any medical diaries maintained pertaining to equine care
 –  Guide to all the public and private spaces used during interactions

The detail of the assessments that support these checks can be found here in the site visit framework document.

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