Association for Animals, Horticultural & Equine Practitioners

UK Professional Standards for Nature-based learning and therapies, including Animal and Equine Assisted Services as well as Horticultural Therapy

The Association for Animals, Horticultural and Equine Practitioners (“AAHEP”) was established to define and promote professional standards that support the delivery of Animal Assisted Therapies, Interactions or Interventions, Horticultural/Nature-based Therapies, and Equine Assisted Services Interactions (known as, for example, Equine Assisted and/or Facilitated Learning, Therapy, Counselling, Psychotherapy, Occupational Therapy or Hippo therapy) – defined here - through independent regulation and the registration of individual practitioners.

The Register is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority in the UK under their accredited registers programme. Accredited Practitioners are permitted to display the Accredited Registers Quality Mark—a clear sign that the Register and its registrants meet the PSA’s Standards for Accredited Registers.

Accredited Registers give employers, patients, service users, and the public confidence that practitioners have signed up to robust professional and ethical codes of practice.

Our Mission and Commitment to Excellence

The core objective of AAHEP is to protect the public and promote confidence in the therapeutic and educational benefits of Nature-based Therapies and interactions.

We achieve this through four key commitments:

Protecting the Public – Setting and upholding robust professional and ethical standards to protect clients from harm.
Building Confidence – Promoting and maintaining trust in the field of Animal and Equine Assisted Services, as well as Horticultural/Nature-based therapies.
Defining Standards – Providing a clear and comprehensive framework for safe, effective, and ethical practice.
Ensuring Compliance – Requiring ongoing adherence to professional and ethical standards by all registered practitioners.

For the Public: Your Assurance of Quality

Choosing a PSA-accredited practitioner means you can be confident that they have:

Verified qualifications and experience
Committed to a strict professional and ethical code
Prioritised animal and equine health and welfare in their practice
Met the benchmark of excellence required to display the PSA Quality Mark

This gives you peace of mind that your practitioner is part of a regulated professional community dedicated to safety, ethics, and quality.

For Practitioners: Join a Community of Excellence

AAHEP is open to all UK-based practitioners in the Animal and Equine Assisted Services as well as Horticultural Sectors, regardless of:

Training provider
Qualification body
Specific area of practice

To join the register, you must demonstrate that you:

Adhere to our professional standards and code of ethics
Place animal and equine welfare at the heart of your practice
Commit to ongoing professional development
Maintain full compliance with all conditions of registration

Apply or Learn More

To find a practitioner, learn more about the register, or apply for registration, please contact our
team:

Email: [email protected]