About This Policy

Athena is the education and training trading name of the Association for Animals, Horticultural & Equine Practitioners CIC ("AAHEP", "We", "Us", or "Our") and located at High Lees Farmhouse, Wagon Lane, Paddock Wood, TN12 6PT.

Athena is a registered trademark of AAHEP in the UK, Europe and Australia and is committed to protecting your privacy. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies we use on https://athenaherd.org (the "Website") and why.

Athena delivers structured, ethical and evidence-informed education and training and holds Athena memberships for those working or aspiring to work in equine assisted services and related fields (referred to as “EAS”.  Being in nature, around horses and animals inspires learning, recovery, regain of self-esteem and provides a sense of purpose and community to learners, communities, service users and clients ("Services").

For the purpose of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation and/or any relevant law implemented as a result of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (2003) (PECR) Law (together, "Data Protection Laws"), We are a:

(i) data controller in respect of any personal data that You share with Us, or that We collect, through Our Websites (including any personal data that you provide to Us, or that We collect, during your registration for, and subscription to, the Services we provide) or otherwise in Your communications with Us; and

(ii) data processor in respect of personal data that You share with Us as part of Your use of the Services that We provide, and in respect of which You are the data controller. Our and Your respective obligations in relation to that personal data are set out in this Cookie Policy, Our Privacy Policy and Our Terms and Conditions.

You can contact Us directly through the respective Website or by email for AAHEP: info@aahep.uk, Athena: info@athenaherd.org.

This Cookies Policy applies to all use of Our Websites and the provision of Services to You, and any other communications You have with Us from time to time.

1. Information About Our Use of Cookies

Cookies are small text files that a website asks your browser to store on your device. Our Website use a few cookies that they need to work. With your consent, they also use analytics cookies and advertising measurement cookies.

When you first visit, a cookie banner asks for your choice. Analytics and advertising cookies are not set until you accept them, and nothing is set for them if you choose "Deny all". You can change your choice at any time with the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of every page. The Cookie documentation page lists each service the banner controls.

For more information about cookies, go to www.allaboutcookies.org. To find out how to remove them from your browser, go to www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies.

2. Cookies We Use

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are needed for the Website to work and to keep it secure. They are set without asking for consent.

Analytics cookies (only with your consent)

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the Website is used, for example which pages people visit. Google Analytics does not store your full IP address. Google acts as our data processor for this. On athenaherd.org, Google Analytics advertising features (Google signals) are switched on, so Google may link visits to signed-in Google accounts to produce aggregated reports. See Google's Privacy Policy and how Google uses cookies.

Advertising measurement cookies (only with your consent)

We use the Meta Pixel (Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd) to measure how well our Facebook and Instagram adverts work, for example whether someone who saw an advert later sent us an enquiry. On the Athena member portal, the same events are also sent to Meta from our server (Meta Conversions API), only if you have accepted Meta Pixel cookies. See Meta's Privacy Policy and Meta's Cookie Policy.

3. Third-Party Content

Some pages load content or code from other companies. When a page loads, these companies receive your IP address and basic browser details. In our checks on 4 November 2026 they did not set cookies before you made a choice, but they may set their own cookies if you interact with them, for example by playing a video or donating. Their own privacy and cookie policies apply.

• Google Maps, on contact and map pages
• Google Fonts, for the text on the Website
• Cloudflare Turnstile, which checks that forms are sent by a person and not a bot
• PayPal, for donations
• Mapsemble, for the practitioner map on aahep.uk
• Gravatar, for profile pictures on the Athena member map
• YouTube, where a page includes a video
• jsDelivr and unpkg, which deliver code libraries the Website uses

4. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

Cookie settings. Use the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of any page to accept or refuse each service. If you withdraw consent, we stop loading that service. Cookies it already set stay in your browser until they expire or you delete them.

You can control and manage cookies in several ways:

Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to refuse or accept cookies, delete existing cookies, and set preferences for certain websites. Instructions for common browsers:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Safari
• Edge

Google Analytics Opt-Out: You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Please note that blocking certain cookies may impact Website functionality.

5. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

6. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

Email: info@athenaherd.org

Address: Association for Animals, Horticultural & Equine Practitioners CIC, High Lees Farmhouse, Wagon Lane, Paddock Wood, TN12 6PT