EQUEST

R2 Project result 2 of 3

The Professional PathSuggestions for the Professional Development of Equestrian Therapeutic Practitioners

A modular career development framework offering clear, step-by-step training pathways so active practitioners can advance their skills on the job without interrupting their daily work.

Download the Path PDF 12 pages, 375 KB · opens in a new tab See the Path at a glance
In a covered arena, a woman holds a bay horse by the bridle while three women talk beside it.
Arena work at the transnational seminar at C.R.E. “Girolamo De Marco”, Rome, June 2026.
Developed at
Transnational seminar, Italy, June 2026
Written by
EQUEST partners from Poland, Italy and Spain
Licence
CC BY 4.0: free to use and adapt, with credit

The Path at a glance

Four roles, each with its own path

The Path suggests how staff in equine-assisted activities could develop on the job. For each role, it describes who can take it on, the knowledge, skills and attitudes it needs, and how it could be validated in Italy, Poland and Spain. Staff can grow vertically, taking on more responsibility, or laterally, deepening their skills in the role they already have.

  1. Role 1 · EQF 2/3Horse HandlerPrepares and trains the horse, checks its health and stress, and works beside the therapist as a side-walker.For grooms, stable staff, engaged volunteers
  2. Role 2 · EQF 4Equestrian Therapeutic InstructorDesigns inclusive riding lessons, manages lunging and vaulting, and selects adaptive tack with the therapist.For riding instructors, vaulting trainers, sports facilitators
  3. Role 3 · EQF 5/6Licensed Therapist in EAIDesigns and leads clinical sessions with the horse, and holds clinical responsibility.For university-licensed healthcare professionals
  4. Role 4 · EQF 6/7Centre Executive & Operations ManagerRuns the centre’s business, finances, risk and quality, and leaves clinical decisions to licensed specialists.For centre owners, NGO managers, VET and quality leadersOutside the project’s main focus

Across all four roles

  • One team around the participantTherapist, instructor and horse handler work together, with the horse as a sentient co-actor.
  • Clear boundariesVocational training adds to university degrees; it does not replace them. Diagnosis and treatment stay with licensed professionals.
  • One Welfare at every stageThe horse’s well-being is part of the assessment at every level.

Each role ends with suggestions for possible next steps towards recognition across Europe. Select a role to read it in full.

EQUEST Result 2

The Professional Path: Suggestions for the Professional Development of Equestrian Therapeutic Practitioners

The primary objective of Result 2: The Professional Path (R2) is to offer suggestions for the continuing professional development of staff working in equine-assisted activities across Europe. Due to historic fragmentation across national healthcare, sports, and agricultural sectors, training standards for equine practitioners vary significantly between member states. R2 addresses these inconsistencies by suggesting a structured, flexible, and modular career pipeline that allows staff, including riding instructors, therapists, special educators, and horse handlers, to upskill on the job without disrupting their professional employment.

Part 1

1. The EQUEST Framework Assumptions

1.1 The Quadripartite Model

EQUEST grounds its vocational roadmap in a four-part team structure centred entirely around the participant’s safety and developmental progress:

  1. The Participant is the central focus of all therapeutic, educational, and sports goals.
  2. The Licensed Therapist as a healthcare professional holds primary clinical responsibility for diagnostic intake, goal formulation, and therapeutic evaluation in accordance with national health and education laws.
  3. The Equestrian Therapeutic Instructor directs riding technique, adaptive equipment selection, arena or area safety, and inclusive group management.
  4. The Horse Handler manages equine biomechanics, gaits, physical balance, and emotional state throughout the session.

The Horse as a sentient co-actor is respected as an active, living partner whose welfare, ethological needs, and stress limits are strictly protected under the “One Welfare” paradigm, which includes all health and welfare aspects of the horse.

Participant Licensed Therapist Horse Handler Equestrian Therapeutic Instructor Horse: sentient co-actor
Erasmus+ project KA210-VET-AB89430F
The Quadripartite Model. Source of the illustration: own design

1.2 The Scope

A critical pillar of the EQUEST framework is the strict delineation of professional boundaries to preserve clinical quality, legal compliance, and liability:

  • Complementary VET Upskilling (not professional replacement). Vocational training courses, including microcredentials, and certificates issued by recognised entities provide practical, often on-the-job upskilling for working staff. They do not replace state-regulated university degrees in medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology, or special education required by national legislation.
  • Prevention of Professional Intrusion. Equestrian instructors and horse handlers operate in technical and supportive roles within the interdisciplinary team. Diagnostic intake, clinical treatment planning, and medical evaluation remain the exclusive domain of university-licensed healthcare professionals.
  • Equestrian instructors with a higher degree in the educational or pedagogic field may lead and assume the complete responsibility for Equine-Assisted Educational (or Learning) Interventions, including treating or attending to participants with disabilities, provided that it is clearly stated that it is not a therapeutic intervention, but educational. Also, they may lead Equine-Assisted Activities (recreational or sport), if they are skilled and trained following national laws.
  • Insurance and Regulatory Protection. Respecting national professional boundaries ensures that equestrian rehabilitation centres maintain valid professional liability insurance, conform to regional healthcare regulations, and protect participants from unregulated practice.

1.3 The “One Welfare” Foundation in Professional Development

The Professional Path is fundamentally anchored in the “One Welfare” paradigm, recognising that human physical and emotional safety is directly linked to equine emotional and physical well-being. A state of relaxation in the horse promotes neurobiological synchronisation (including heart-rate variability alignment) with the rider, enhancing postural balance and therapeutic outcomes. Detecting the horse’s micro-expressions signalling pain, managing physical fatigue, and applying non-submissive training methods are embedded as mandatory evaluation metrics at every stage of career progression.

A bay horse with a white blaze looks out over the half-door of a stable.
A horse at the C.R.E. stables in Rome.
Two women sit at a table covered with papers in a seminar room with a projector screen.

Human physical and emotional safety is directly linked to equine emotional and physical well-being.

EQUEST Professional Path

Part 2

2. The Roles in the Team

The Professional Path maps career development across four occupational specialisations. Staff can progress vertically (advancing knowledge, skills and attitudes), which results in handling more responsibilities within an organisation, or laterally by deepening specialised practical skills which results in professional growth in a given role:

Current role Vertically more responsibilities within an organisation Laterally deeper specialised practical skills
Erasmus+ project KA210-VET-AB89430F
Vertical and Lateral Professional Development. Source of the illustration: own design
  1. Role 1Horse HandlerEQF 2/3
  2. Role 2Equestrian Therapeutic InstructorEQF 4
  3. Role 3Licensed Therapist in EAIEQF 5/6
  4. Role 4Centre Executive & Operations ManagerEQF 6/7
Erasmus+ project KA210-VET-AB89430F

Role 1

The Horse HandlerValidation: EQF Level 2/3

How to become a horse handler in equine-assisted activity for persons with disabilities and/or special needs? How to improve in the current role as a horse handler?

A horse handler is a person that ensures safe horse preparation, trains the horse to its role as co-actor in horse-assisted interventions (such as accepting new objects and special activities that are needed during the session, e.g. special mounting block, special needs such as getting on the horse from the right, the use of non-conventional objects for particular participants etc.). A horse handler supervises stable hygiene, checks the horse’s health and stress level before, during and after the session and also keeps a journal of the horse with the type of work and hours of work. The horse handler gives advice to the therapist about how to work with the horse, and may assist in session setup. The horse handler should work in the therapy in a strong collaboration with the therapist and act as a side-walker.

Who can aspire to this role: helpers1, equestrian grooms, stable and other support staff at rehabilitation centres, engaged volunteers and persons interested in a profession related to equine-assisted therapies.

A man in a black polo shirt guides a young man in a riding helmet beside a bay horse in a covered arena.
Practising guidance and positioning beside the horse in the arena in Rome.

Key Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes:

Knowledge:

  • General: Fundamentals of equine ethology, essential veterinary knowledge, stress signal detection, basic equine biomechanics, paddock/stable safety, horse training ability, equestrian skills to train and keep the horses healthy by working both from the saddle and through ground work, team setup.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Identifying horse pain micro-expressions and early burnout indicators (Spain A1 / Module 1), recognising individual horse neurotypes and sensitivities, and strictly adhering to the max. 4-hour daily work limit for therapy horses (the Polish canons).

Skills:

  • General: Safe equine lead techniques, applying correct physical support holds during mounting/dismounting, setting up adaptive arena equipment, and emergency horse containment.
  • Transversal skills: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaborative alliance with others on the team.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Maintaining correct physical positioning relative to the horse and participant during active gait transitions, assisting side-walkers at mounting blocks, and keeping the horse calm during unexpected arena distractions.

Attitudes:

  • General: Respecting the horse as a sentient co-actor, openness to following role descriptions and resulting responsibilities, sensitivity towards animal welfare, and sensitivity and empathy towards “otherness”.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Treating the horse as a living partner rather than a passive piece of equipment (Spain A1 / Ley 7/2023), remaining attentive without attempting clinical or diagnostic interpretations reserved for the therapist, and displaying a calm presence to prevent emotional contagion to the horse.

VET Validation Indicator:

Italy: Officially regulated by the Ministero della Salute (Linee Guida Nazionali IAA) as Coadiutore del Cavallo (56-hour certified course registered on Digital Pet).

Poland and Spain: No standalone state qualifications exist in Poland’s ZSK or Spain’s INCUAL for equine therapy handlers/assistants; it remains an informal role.

Validation Mechanism: Recognised as an EQF Level 2/3 Stackable Microcredential. In Italy, validation occurs via regional accreditation and direct enrolment in the official Ministerial Digital Pet registry as Coadiutore del Cavallo. In Poland, Spain and across Europe, there are recognised vocational qualifications and partial unit standards referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). These include official titles such as Equestrian Tourism Guide (AFD339_2), Monitor of Physical and Sports Activities in the Natural Environment (RD 652/2017), Equine Breeder and Stable Manager (AGA169_3 / RD 652/2017), Farrier (AGA768_2 / RD 148/2022), and Equestrian Instructor (RD 933/2010). All these professional profiles correspond to formal VET training programmes and accredited competency units that can be documented, compared, and benchmarked across European borders using standardised Europass Certificate Supplements and Europass Mobility documents.

European VET Alignment & Next Steps: The mechanism fits the EU Council Recommendation on microcredentials for lifelong learning. To bridge current national gaps in Poland and Spain, a follow-up EQUEST KA210/KA220 project should formally submit a standardised “Equine Therapy Assistant” unit to Poland’s ZSK (Zintegrowany System Kwalifikacji) and Spain’s CNCP (Catálogo Nacional de Cualificaciones Profesionales). To guarantee participant safety and intervention quality, horse specialists should undergo a two-tier qualification assessment: an initial screening test evaluating equine ethology, biomechanics, veterinary basics, practical riding, and in-hand leading, followed by a final certification exam covering human disability awareness, session exercises, and specialised horse training. This rigorous dual evaluation ensures that horse handling remains the exclusive domain of certified professionals, rather than volunteer helpers, who can execute conditioned safety responses in critical situations.

Role 2

The Equestrian Therapeutic InstructorValidation: EQF Level 4

How to become an Equestrian Therapeutic Instructor? How to improve in the current role as an Equestrian Therapeutic Instructor?

An Equestrian Therapeutic Instructor is a person that designs inclusive riding lessons, manages therapeutic lunging and vaulting progressions and selects adaptive tack in collaboration with the therapist and other members of the team. The Equestrian Therapeutic Instructor has mastered horse control, also on the lunge line, in inclusive and therapeutic activities. May also be a vaulting specialist.

Who can aspire to this role: traditional riding instructors, vaulting trainers, and persons active as sports facilitators who wish to transition to a professional inclusive practice and persons interested in a professional advancement.

In a covered arena, a rider in a helmet sits on a dark bay horse while two women stand at its side and one holds the lead rope.
Mounted work with support on both sides of the horse, Rome.

Key Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes:

Knowledge:

  • General: Advanced equine biomechanics, gaits and rhythm control, adaptive equestrian equipment, therapeutic lunging and vaulting progressions, and inclusive group management.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Lunging technical expertise in managing circle geometry, gait rhythm, and pelvic movement (Italy A2 / Module 4); configuring specialised stirrups, handles, and adaptive saddles tailored to participant sensory/physical needs; and understanding adaptive sports contest rules (Special Olympics, Poland A3).

Skills:

  • General: Precise lunging and long-reining, structuring adaptive riding exercises, dynamic risk management in the arena, and leading volunteer helpers.
  • Transversal skills: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaborative alliance with others on the team.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Applying mounted balance and motor-planning exercises (e.g. vaulting “airplane” balance poses) to stimulate trunk stability, executing real-time arena safety checks using the Triangle Model (simultaneously tracking horse mood, rider comfort, and horse handler positioning), and adapting lesson plans instantly (“processual flexibility”) if a participant arrives hungry, dysregulated, or exhausted.

Attitudes:

  • General: leadership and guiding, boundary protection, sensitivity and empathy towards “otherness”, and commitment to continuous professional development (CPD).
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Maintaining firm, unyielding control over arena safety boundaries while remaining encouraging and welcoming towards neurodivergent participants, valuing fluid position exchange and open communication with therapists and horse handlers, and actively participating in peer review and video storyboarding sessions.

VET Validation Indicator:

Spain: Officially recognised under the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) as Técnico Deportivo en Hípica (RD 933/2010 & RD 652/2017), which includes mandatory modules on adapted sport.

Italy: Recognised by FISE / CONI as Tecnico di Equitazione Integrata / Volteggio combined with Ministerial IAA endorsement (Tecnico IAC).

Poland: Listed in the labour classification (Praca.gov.pl kod 342303 - Instruktor jazdy konnej / PTHip certification), but lacks a registered ZSK market qualification.

Validation Mechanism: Validated as an EQF Level 4 Vocational Qualification. In Spain, practical units directly convert into credit modules within the official Técnico Deportivo en Hípica diploma (under RD 933/2010). In Italy, validation is granted via FISE/CONI technical licensing and Digital Pet cross-registration. In Poland, assessment is conducted via practical arena evaluation following PTHip canons.

European VET Alignment & Next Steps: Aligns with European VET mobility and credit transfer frameworks. To ensure full cross-border equivalence, future EQUEST actions could register an official ZSK Market Qualification (Kwalifikacja Rynkowa) in Poland titled, for example, “Prowadzenie integracyjnych zajęć jeździeckich i woltyżerki” to formally match Spanish and Italian sports ministry licences. To clarify, registering a Market Qualification within Poland’s state-administered Integrated Qualifications System (ZSK) does not create a new regulated profession or commercial brand, but serves as the official national mechanism to validate a learning outcomes framework and competence profile aligned with EQF Level 4.

Role 3

The Licensed Therapist in Equine-Assisted InterventionsValidation: EQF Level 5/6

How to become a Licensed Therapist in Equine-Assisted Interventions? How to improve in the current role as a Licensed Therapist in EAI?

A Licensed Therapist in Equine-Assisted Interventions is a person that integrates the horse into clinical rehabilitation and therapeutic interventions, aiming to raise care quality, ensure participant safety, and respect equine welfare, based on competences gained through an appropriate state licence. Their core role is designing and executing evidence-based clinical therapy sessions (hippotherapy / equine-assisted therapy) utilising advanced knowledge of neuromotor and psychomotor rehabilitation, safety tracking, practitioner autonomic self-regulation, and multi-modal communication. The specialist holds primary clinical responsibility for diagnostic intake, functional assessment, therapeutic goal formulation, and outcome evaluation within their licensed scope of practice.

Attention: to prevent professional intrusion, diagnostic intake, clinical treatment planning, and medical evaluation remain the exclusive domain of university-licensed healthcare professionals. Equestrian instructors and horse handlers operate in technical and supportive roles within the interdisciplinary clinical team. However, equestrian instructors or special educators holding higher degrees in education or pedagogy may independently lead non-clinical educational, learning, or sports activities for participants with disabilities, provided these are explicitly designated as non-therapeutic and comply with national legislation.

Who can aspire to this role: University-licensed healthcare professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, speech therapists, and physicians) seeking post-graduate specialisation in equine-assisted clinical interventions. (Note: Special educators and riding instructors seeking specialisation in non-clinical learning, educational, or sports activities are covered under Role 2 / Educational Frameworks).

A man in a grey cap and polo shirt gestures towards a projected slide with the headings Ethics, Ethology and Learning Psychology.
A seminar with Dr Angelo Telatin at C.R.E. “Girolamo De Marco” in Rome.

Key Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes:

Knowledge:

  • General: Knowledge required when completing an official medical and healthcare degree, including human neurodevelopment, clinical pathologies (ASD, CP, ADHD, PTSD), 3D pelvic movement biomechanics, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), cognitive mediation theories, and national/EU healthcare regulations.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Understanding the neurobiological impact of the horse’s 3D pelvic movement on neuromotor rehabilitation; applying Feuerstein’s Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) and Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) for intellectual disabilities (Italy A2); and utilising AAC pictogram protocols (visual cards) for non-verbal riders (Spain A1).

Skills:

  • General: Clinical diagnostic intake, dynamic functional assessment, autonomic self-regulation under pressure, therapeutic session design, multi-modal communication, and real-time situational tracking using the Triangle Model (simultaneously tracking the horse’s state, participant comfort, and handler’s positioning).
  • Transversal skills: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaborative alliance with others on the team.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Executing the 5-step autonomic self-regulation loop (Stop → Breathe → Observe → Use Knowledge → React) under stress to prevent anxiety contagion between therapist, horse, and participant; structuring unmounted grooming tasks as cognitive enrichment exercises to test working memory; and conducting dynamic “test-mediate-retest” evaluations (LPAD paradigm) in the stable.

Attitudes:

  • General: Participant-centred radical empathy, filtered emotional containment, scientific evaluative curiosity, commitment to “One Welfare”, and strict adherence to healthcare scope-of-practice boundaries to prevent professional intrusion.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: Providing a calm “filtered containment” for participants’ emotional releases (e.g. fear, aggression, sensory overload), maintaining an evidence-based mindset that rejects guesswork in favour of objective clinical tracking, and strictly respecting national healthcare laws to prevent professional intrusion or unregulated practice.

VET Validation Indicator:

Italy: Officially regulated by the Ministero della Salute (Linee Guida Nazionali IAA), where this operational role corresponds to the Intervention Coordinator for Animal-Assisted Therapy and Education (AAT/AAE; Italian: Referente di Intervento TAA/EAA). Certification requires an accredited state university degree in a healthcare discipline plus completion of the official Advanced Course (Corso Avanzato IAA), granting enrolment on the national Digital Pet portal. (Note: Overall project design and legal governance belong to the Project Manager / Responsabile di Progetto).

Spain: Practice is regulated under national health framework standards and animal welfare legislation (Ley 7/2023), requiring a state-licensed healthcare degree (fisioterapeuta, terapeuta ocupacional, psicólogo, etc.) combined with university post-graduate specialisation diplomas (Máster/Diploma Universitario en IAC).

Poland: The role is officially catalogued in the Ministry of Labour classification (Praca.gov.pl, kod 323006: Instruktor hipoterapii), accessed by healthcare and specialised pedagogical professionals through post-graduate university or association training following Polish Hippotherapeutic Society (PTHip) canons.

Validation Mechanism: Formatted as an EQF Level 5/6 Post-Secondary Specialisation Framework / Microcredential. In Italy, formal validation is achieved through regional health authority recognition and direct listing on the ministerial Digital Pet portal as Referente di Intervento. In Poland and Spain, validation requires verifying an accredited university healthcare degree alongside a specialised EAI clinical portfolio assessment evaluating diagnostic intake, dynamic clinical session design, real-time safety tracking, and participant outcomes.

European VET Alignment & Next Steps: Strictly respects EU directives on regulated healthcare professions (Directive 2005/36/EC), ensuring microcredentials enhance rather than attempt to replace university clinical degrees. Future EQUEST initiatives can establish a standardised European Post-Graduate Competence Framework recognised by European EAI federations, creating a harmonised VET specialisation bridge across university medical faculties.

Role 4

The Equine-Assisted Centre Executive & Operations ManagerValidation: EQF Level 6/7

Although the EQUEST team did not focus extensively on this role during the project as it was outside of the scope of the project, it aligns with an overall development of a work environment of equine-assisted rehabilitation centres. The business side of equine-assisted interventions should be addressed.

How to become an Equine-Assisted Centre Executive & Operations Manager? How to improve in the current role as an Equine-Assisted Centre Executive & Operations Manager?

An Equine-Assisted Centre Executive & Operations Manager is a person that directs centre-wide business, administrative, financial, and facility operations, leads interdisciplinary operational teams, manages structural risk plans and legal compliance, oversees EQAVET quality assurance audits, and executes strategic communication initiatives—while delegating clinical diagnosis and treatment oversight strictly to university-licensed healthcare specialists within the multidisciplinary team.

Who can aspire to this role: Facility Owners & Directors: Equestrian centre owners, riding club managers, and sports facility directors expanding into inclusive or therapeutic operations. NGO & Social Enterprise Administrators: Executive directors, foundation managers, and administrators of non-governmental organisations running equine-assisted programmes. VET & Quality Assurance Leaders: Vocational education and training (VET) managers, quality assurance auditors, and facility compliance officers in social and healthcare services. Senior Operational Personnel: Experienced senior administrative employees transitioning into executive centre management or multi-centre operational coordination.

Partners sit in a wooden clubhouse with papers on their laps, listening to a man seated at a table; saddles stand along the wall behind them.
Partners at the C.R.E. clubhouse in Rome.

Key Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes:

Knowledge:

  • General: Strategic business administration, financial management and budget forecasting for healthcare and social enterprise centres, facility governance, labour laws, liability insurance, EQAVET quality assurance auditing frameworks, and stakeholder communication models.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: transnational regulatory mastery (Italy’s Linee Guida IAA / Digital Pet, Poland’s PTHip canons, Spain’s Ley 7/2023); integrating objective clinical diagnostic systems (with solutions combining infrared thermography, baropodometry, and computerised kinematic analysis from C.R.E. Rome); mapping ecosystemic communication workflows across families, medical boards, VET institutions, and funding agencies; and enforcing “One Welfare” operational limits (such as Poland’s strict max. 4-hour daily work limit for horses).

Skills:

  • General: Business financial management, budget oversight, leading interdisciplinary operational teams, executing centre-wide risk assessments and quality audits, and managing public relations and stakeholder communications.
  • Transversal skills: critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration.
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: implementing secure, GDPR-compliant communication protocols between clinical specialists, caretakers, and funding bodies; conducting Quality Assurance (QA) and risk management audits aligned with Erasmus+ VET standards; organising internal knowledge-transfer to upskill staff; and executing strategic communication initiatives that highlight measurable health/social benefits for individuals with disabilities.

Attitudes:

  • General: Executive leadership, strategic vision, commitment to business ethics and social enterprise impact, participant-centred advocacy for persons with disabilities, and dedication to continuous quality improvement (CQI).
  • Examples derived from the EQUEST project: championing “One Welfare” as both a bioethical standard and a core business asset that builds caregiver and physician trust; fostering a supportive organisational culture that prevents staff burnout; maintaining absolute transparency with families, medical partners, and auditors; and driving the recognition of equine-assisted interventions as high-value, evidence-based practices across Europe.

VET Validation Indicator:

Italy: Officially regulated by the Ministero della Salute (Linee Guida Nazionali IAA) under the title Responsabile di Struttura (Facility Manager), responsible for facility health, safety, biosecurity, and administrative compliance. Overall clinical project governance is strictly separated and reserved for the Responsabile di Progetto and licensed medical directors (Direttore Sanitario).

Poland and Spain: No official state qualification or vocational registry code exists specifically for “Equine-Assisted Centre Executive” in Poland’s ZSK (Zintegrowany System Kwalifikacji) or Spain’s CNCP/INCUAL.

Validation Mechanism: Validated as an EQF Level 6/7 Executive VET Microcredential in Centre Governance & Operations. In Italy, formal structural recognition is granted through ministerial registration on the national Digital Pet portal as Responsabile di Struttura. In Poland and Spain, executive competence is validated via a professional portfolio defence evaluating business sustainability, facility risk management plans, EQAVET quality audits, labour/GDPR compliance, and European project alignment.

European VET Alignment & Next Steps: Fully aligns with EQAVET (European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training) and the EU Council Recommendation on Microcredentials. Because executive centre management lacks a standardised VET classification across most of Europe, this establishes the strategic foundation for, potentially, EQUEST 2.0 (a future KA220-VET Cooperation Partnership): establishing a European Executive Academy and accredited Master-level VET microcredential for Equine-Assisted Centre Executives & Operations Managers, validated across borders via EPALE, Europass, and university business or healthcare management faculties.

Reference

Abbreviations used on this page

AAC
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
AAE
Animal-Assisted Education
AAT
Animal-Assisted Therapy
ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
ASD
Autism spectrum disorder
CNCP
Catálogo Nacional de Cualificaciones Profesionales (Spain’s national catalogue of professional qualifications)
CONI
Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano (Italian National Olympic Committee)
CP
Cerebral palsy
CPD
Continuous professional development
CQI
Continuous quality improvement
CSD
Consejo Superior de Deportes (Spain’s Higher Sports Council)
EAI
Equine-Assisted Interventions
EQAVET
European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training
EQF
European Qualifications Framework
FISE
Federazione Italiana Sport Equestri (Italian Equestrian Sports Federation)
GDPR
General Data Protection Regulation
IAA
Interventi Assistiti con gli Animali (Italian: animal-assisted interventions)
IAC
Equine-assisted interventions (Italian: Interventi Assistiti con il Cavallo; Spanish: Intervenciones Asistidas con Caballos)
INCUAL
Instituto Nacional de las Cualificaciones (Spain’s National Institute of Qualifications)
KA210 / KA220
Erasmus+ Small-scale Partnerships / Cooperation Partnerships
LPAD
Learning Propensity Assessment Device
MLE
Mediated Learning Experience
NGO
Non-governmental organisation
PTHip
Polskie Towarzystwo Hipoterapeutyczne (Polish Hippotherapeutic Society)
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder
QA
Quality assurance
RD
Real Decreto (Spanish Royal Decree)
SCM
Structural Cognitive Modifiability
TAA / EAA
Terapia / Educazione Assistita con gli Animali (Italian: animal-assisted therapy / education)
VET
Vocational education and training
ZSK
Zintegrowany System Kwalifikacji (Poland’s Integrated Qualifications System)

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How to cite

EQUEST consortium (2026). The Professional Path: Suggestions for the Professional Development of Equestrian Therapeutic Practitioners (Result 2). Erasmus+ project KA210-VET-AB89430F. Luminar Foundation, C.R.E. “Girolamo De Marco”, AEDEQ.

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). You may share and adapt this document, including for training, as long as you credit EQUEST and indicate any changes.

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