EQUEST

R3 Project result 3 of 3

The EQUEST Professional ToolkitSix modules of practical exercises for the stable and the arena

A flexible, stable-ready resource containing a mix of micro-learning modules and practical checklists that practitioners can customise to match their specific experience level and the needs of the person under their care.

Download the Toolkit PDF 4 pages, 96 KB · opens in a new tab See the Toolkit at a glance
In an indoor arena, a team helps a rider in a helmet onto a black-and-white horse.
An indoor session at Rehabilitation, Education and Care Centre „Helenów”, Warsaw, September 2026.
Tested at
Integration Day and Special Olympics, Poland, September 2026
Written by
EQUEST partners from Poland, Italy and Spain
Licence
CC BY 4.0: free to use and adapt, with credit

The Toolkit at a glance

Six modules for learning on the job

The EQUEST Professional Toolkit is a flexible, open-access suite of micro-learning vocational learning resources and practical tools designed for working hippotherapists, instructors, and horse handlers. Translating core professional standards into accessible digital micro-learning units, the toolkit provides ready-to-use safety protocols, equine welfare assessment checklists, visual communication aids ideas, adaptive exercise guidelines, and multidisciplinary tracking templates. By combining key principles with adaptable arena activities, it enables staff to upskill step-by-step on the job, enhance daily session quality, and safeguard equine wellbeing while delivering safer, higher-quality, and more inclusive rehabilitation sessions for individuals with disabilities and/or with special needs.

  1. Module 1Equine Ethology & “One Welfare” Standards5 exercises
  2. Module 2Real-Time Arena Safety & Self-Regulation2 exercises
  3. Module 3Multi-Modal Communication & Inclusive Instruction3 exercises
  4. Module 4Therapeutic Lunging and Vaulting Progressions2 exercises
  5. Module 5Cognitive Mediation5 exercises
  6. Module 6Evaluation & Best Practices in EAI2 exercises

Exercise settings

Every exercise is labelled with the setting it needs.

  • Staff onlyno participants or horse
  • Staff + horseno participants
  • Observing a live session
  • With participants

Six modules

The Modules

Each module is a separate PDF containing the background, practical guidelines and exercises.

  1. Module 15 exercises

    Equine Ethology & “One Welfare” Standards

    Practical Guidelines & Exercises for Welfare Monitoring, Ethological Observation, and Transnational Standards

    Staff onlyStaff + horse

    This module provides foundational resources for understanding natural equine behaviour, body language, and individual horse personality traits in therapeutic and adaptive environments. Practitioners learn how to evaluate horse wellbeing, set ethical workload limits, and spot subtle micro-expressions of stress, pain, or burnout. The materials equip staff to safeguard horse welfare as an essential prerequisite for safe, ethical, and effective human–horse interactions.

    Module 1 PDF 6 pages, 127 KB · opens in a new tab
  2. Module 22 exercises

    Real-Time Arena Safety & Self-Regulation

    Practical Guidelines for Situational Metacognition, The Triangle Model, and Autonomic Self-Regulation

    Staff onlyObserving a live session

    This module offers practical tools and cognitive strategies for maintaining continuous safety and situational awareness during active sessions. It equips the practitioners to track the horse, participant, and support team simultaneously, while delivering mental grounding techniques that help practitioners remain calm under pressure. Learners gain actionable frameworks to manage unexpected disruptions deliberately and prevent stress from transferring across the arena.

    Module 2 PDF 4 pages, 96 KB · opens in a new tab
  3. Module 33 exercises

    Multi-Modal Communication & Inclusive Instruction

    Practical Guidelines for AAC Visual Tools, Clinical Communication RCT Baseline, and Caregiver Trust Onboarding

    Staff onlyStaff + horseWith participants

    This module delivers communication guides and visual support resources tailored for individuals with sensory, speech, or neurodevelopmental differences. Facilitators learn how to use visual schedules, structured body language, and concise verbal cues to prevent sensory overload and foster clear understanding. The module also outlines supportive onboarding protocols that build trust and collaboration with participants and their families / caregivers from day one.

    Module 3 PDF 4 pages, 107 KB · opens in a new tab
  4. Module 42 exercises

    Therapeutic Lunging and Vaulting Progressions

    Practical Guidelines for 3D Gait Biomechanics, Vaulting Gymnastic Progressions, and Lunging Circle Control

    Staff + horse

    This module focuses on harnessing the rhythmic movement of the horse to support physical rehabilitation, balance, and motor coordination. Practitioners gain technical guidance on controlling lunging geometry, maintaining consistent gaits, selecting appropriate adaptive tack, and structuring progressive mounted movements. These resources enable facilitators to deliver physical and posture-building activities tailored to diverse participant needs safely.

    Module 4 PDF 4 pages, 91 KB · opens in a new tab
  5. Module 55 exercises

    Cognitive Mediation

    Practical Guidelines for Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM), MLE Parameters, CBT/ABA Clinical Integration, and LPAD Assessment

    With participants

    This module provides structured frameworks for using routine stable and grooming activities to stimulate cognitive growth, memory, and emotional self-regulation. The practitioners explore strategies for guiding learning through intentional problem-solving, task breakdown, and positive behavioural support. The resources help turn everyday horsemanship tasks into meaningful opportunities for independent learning and personal development.

    Module 5 PDF 5 pages, 124 KB · opens in a new tab
  6. Module 62 exercises

    Evaluation & Best Practices in EAI

    Practical Guidelines for Outcome-Oriented Progress Tracking, Multidisciplinary Coordination, and Equine Welfare Monitoring

    Staff only

    This module offers objective observational tools and tracking templates to measure participant progress across physical, social, and cognitive areas. It provides clear guidelines for aligning team roles across instructors, healthcare specialists, horse handlers, and facility managers, alongside methods for sharing progress transparently with caregivers and medical networks. Learners gain actionable resources to ensure high programme quality, legal compliance, and structured communication across the entire organisation.

    Module 6 PDF 4 pages, 110 KB · opens in a new tab

Activity A3 · Poland

Integration Day and Mazovian Special Olympics at the Helenów Centre

People hold up a Special Olympics Mazowieckie banner in a stable yard.
The Special Olympics banner in the stable yard.
A child in a wheelchair meets a chestnut horse, with two women beside her.
Meeting the horse.
A rider in a helmet sits on a chestnut horse in an indoor arena laid out with cones, with a helper at the horse's head.
Riding work in the indoor arena.
A rider on a chestnut horse with helpers around it in an indoor arena.
Competition in the indoor arena.
Partners sit around a table with papers, laptops and a bowl of apples during a meeting.
The partners’ meeting in Poland.
A large group of practitioners and partners pose together on a lawn in front of trees.

Practitioners and partners at the Integration Day and Special Olympics.

Poland, September 2026

Download and share

Take the Toolkit with you

Each module is a separate PDF in black and white, light and cheap to print. They open in a new tab; save or print them from there.

Download the Toolkit overview

PDF · opens in a new tab · 4 pages · 96 KB

All links open in a new tab.

How to cite

EQUEST consortium (2026). The Professional Toolkit (Result 3). 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.

Previous results R1: The Professional Profile R2: The Professional Path