The Spanish Hippotherapy Association

AEDEQ, the Spanish Association for equine mediated education and therapies is a small non profit association of volunteers with 25 individual members, and 12 organization members, funded in 1996 and registered in 2001with the statutory main goal of promoting best practices of the Equine Assisted Interventions, EAI.

AEDEQ is an umbrella organization coordinating a network of Spanish non profit organizations of the field of EAI.

AEDEQ have participated at over 30 national and international congresses in different countries and have recollected a patrimony of information and practical know-how in the fields of the equine assisted activities and social education.

We have organized many courses in different regions of Spain in order to diffuse knowledge and best practices of our field, and actually we are responsible of the equine part of the ISEP (Superior Institute of Psychology Studies) Master Degree in Animal Assisted Interventions, besides other lower level courses, clinics and practices (stages and placements).

We have hosted European students coming with Erasmus and LdV grants over the last four years and our programmes normally involve volunteers. We have been the first ones in Spain in the field of EAI in obtaining the EVS accreditation as sender, host, and coordinating organization. Since last year, AEDEQ coordinates EVS projects for itself and for its associate organizations.

AEDEQ is a member of HETI, the International Federation of the Horse in Education and Therapy, of AIEJI International Association of Social Education/Pedagogy (which is member of ENSACT, represented in the European Council), and of ACEB, the Spanish Scientific and Professional Alliance for the State of Welfare. Our president is member of the Directive board of these three organizations. AEDEQ is also member of FITRAM, the International Federation of Assistance and Therapy Through Mediation (which is member of EASPD, represented in the European Council).

We accept the ethical code proposed by GEITAC (International Group of Studies of Horses Assisted Therapy) and we are working on new ethical codes.

AEDEQ promotes the best practices in the EAI sector through higher education courses, VET courses, non formal education programmes, and general information events such as fairs, meetings, congresses, radio and TV programmes. We also participate in local events related with a sustainable development, the animals and nature protection, the social education and integration, the culture and history of our rural community and the stride for a better and more equal world.

AEDEQ helps running directly three Equine Assisted Intervention centres and indirectly another nine centres in Spain, and it is a referent for many other centres around the world, specially in Latin America.