ABSTRACT
Providing equine-assisted therapy is a nuanced specialty. Appropriating another species to work in a human healthcare setting necessitates an additional level of training and education, both to protect the animal and the patient, and to safely and ethically provide the service. In this chapter, readers will identify core competencies related to equine-assisted therapy; describe the ethical and legal considerations related to competency and equine-assisted therapy; demonstrate their ability to differentiate between a training program, a certificate of completion, and a credentialing process; and analyze their own level of competency in the various core areas.
