Pro-EFW History, Ethics and Guiding Principles 

A Little History

A multidisciplinary group of professionals and practitioners working, studying, and researching Equine Facilitated Wellness (EFW) across Canada came together in 2005 to build a community of like-minded people who shared a philosophy of working with both humans and equines. They envisioned an organization grounded in high standards of ethics, certification, education, and training that would bring credibility and professionalism to this important field of work.

Pro-EFW is also committed to creating a strong national and international network of people who want to work with their own equines in a respectful, relationship-centered way, while providing support, education, and mentorship throughout this learning process.

Originally, the organization was named Equine Facilitated Wellness–Canada, reflecting our deep Canadian roots and our pride in developing an in-depth Equine Facilitated Wellness training and certification program. The name was also designed so that other regions or countries could adopt it as the program expanded internationally.

However, we soon received feedback that the “Canada” label led some to believe the program was exclusive to Canadians, which unintentionally limited our reach. In 2019, we changed the name to the Professional Association for Equine Facilitated Wellness (Pro-EFW) to better reflect our growing community of practitioners across Canada, the United States, and beyond.

Many terms describe this evolving field, including Equine Assisted Learning, Equine Assisted Therapy, and Equine Facilitated Learning. Our term, Equine Facilitated Wellness, was chosen in 2009 during a gathering where members sought a name that represented our holistic, ethical, and relational approach to partnering with equines as sentient beings. Emily Pelletier of Generation Farms in Nanaimo, British Columbia, proposed the phrase Equine Facilitated Wellness, and it was unanimously embraced as a reflection of our shared philosophy.

Since then, Pro-EFW has welcomed a diverse community of certification candidates, mentors, and certified professionals who integrate Equine Facilitated Wellness into their work in counselling, education, coaching, and wellness. During the certification process, candidates develop a personal Scope of Practice, outlining how they will safely and ethically apply these principles within their own profession.

Pro-EFW became a National Non-Profit Organization in 2011 and formalized its structure to support this meaningful work.

Compared to short-term or introductory programs, Pro-EFW offers a comprehensive, in-depth certification process that takes a minimum of one year to complete. It includes online and on-site Equine Facilitated Wellness training, practice hours, mentorship, the development of a Scope of Practice, and completion of a certification portal that supports understanding and application of Equine Facilitated Wellness principles. The portal helps candidates document skills, demonstrate competencies, and identify areas for further growth.

The purpose of creating this organization was to meet the needs of professionals already working in the field who wanted to belong to an association that honours the equine, upholds high ethical and professional standards, and brings credibility and integrity to the practice of Equine Facilitated Wellness. We remain committed to these guiding principles and to working in partnership with equines as sentient beings in respectful, mutually beneficial relationships.

Working Within a Scope of Practice

The purpose of the Scope of Practice is to clearly state competency in working with a defined population and field of expertise. This document is to help develop and work within your competence and expertise following Pro-EFW guidelines. Pro-EFW specialists will also work within the code of conduct of their own professions.   It is an evolving document that defines your EFW practice and informs your clients about your scope and limitations.  It is a document that protects you as a professional and a specialist in your field, describes your unique practice, and protects clients seeking EFW services. 

Each Pro-EFW specialist considers and defines their scope of practice in the following three key areas:

• • in working with people

  • in working with equines

  • in equine facilitated wellness.

All approved Pro-EFW Trainings will give you the confidence and ability to practice Equine Facilitated Wellness within your scope of practice and showcase to your clients and fellow practitioners the highest standard of code of ethics and principles in the Equine Facilitated industry today!

The Role of the Equine Facilitated Wellness Teams

In many situations it is desirable and even necessary for equine facilitated wellness practitioners to work together in a partnership. The role of the EFW team is to create a safe space in which clients are able to learn, experience, explore, and express themselves. In order for this to happen, it is important that the professionals complement one another’s knowledge, experience and skills, and that their relationship is based on mutual respect. It is also crucial that they have a shared understanding of equine facilitated wellness principles, ethics and values.

Working as a team allows practitioners greater freedom and flexibility in terms of the diversity of clients they may work with and the nature of services provided. For example, teams may be able to offer group sessions and workshops, as opposed to strictly working on a one-to-one basis with clients. The Scope of Practice statements and Levels of Expertise documents available on the certification portal are useful documents to help the team determine the parameters of their combined services.

Principle 4

Responsibility to society and the equine facilitated wellness profession