As an EFW Canada mentor and trainer I regularly support equine therapy certification candidates as they collect and document their hours of experience and training with both horses and people to meet the various EFW Canada and other certification requirements. One area of confusion which seems to be shared by many candidates is where to include which hours, and how to accumulate the required hours in each requirement area.
My aim here is to shed some light on this area and hopefully reduce some of the confusion. I will define some of the key areas where you need to show experience and then, through a series of examples, show which hours can be included where. While my focus here is the requirements of the Canadian Certification body, EFW Canada, I hope this discussion will also be helpful in providing ideas for meeting practicum, experience and personal growth requirements for other equine therapy certification bodies.
Areas where you need to collect hours/ show experience for EFW-Canada certification:
1. Pre requisite Equine Hours
All candidates need to show some experience with equines, separate from any training and experience in Equine Facilitated Wellness. The amount and nature of these hours depends on what level of certification you are seeking on the Equine side.
If you are seeking certification as an Equine Professional (EP) you need to show 2,500 hours of experience with equines. 1,000 of these hours need to be with you in a leadership position (i.e. you teaching horsemanship rather than being taught it), and 500 of that 1000 need to be with you in a leadership position with novices.
If you are not seeking certification as an EP you still need a minimum of 60 hours of experience working with and learning about horses. This is what EFW Canada refer to as your ‘cross training’ hours. This is also where the level of expertise table comes in. 60 hours of equine experience puts you at a level one, while 2,500 hours puts you at a level four which is equivalent to certification as an EP. Levels 2 and 3 lie somewhere in between and while specific numbers of hours are not defined for levels 2 and 3 descriptions are provided (on the levels of expertise table) and your EFW Canada trainer or mentor will help you determine where you lie on this table. The Levels of expertise tables also define what you can do with equines as a non EP and what level of equine supervision is required. EFW Canada are currently revising these requirements to provide greater clarity for levels two and three above. This information should be available from EFW Canada shortly.
2. Pre requisite Human Service Hours
This follows a similar approach to the EP hours discussed above.
To certify as a mental health professional you need to be a member of a certifying MH body plus have 2500 hours of experience in your field. To certify as an EFL professional you need to show 2,500 hours of experience working in a leadership capacity with people. This can be met through a credential and related work experience (e.g. if you are a teacher or certified life coach) or it can be met on a portfolio basis similar to the approach discussed above for EP.
If you are certifying as an EP only (i.e. not MH or EFL) then you will need a minimum of 60 ‘cross training’ hours in a human services field and will refer to the level of expertise tables to define your level of experience and expertise and thus need for supervision in this area.
3. Personal Growth Hours
All certification candidates are required to show 30 hours of personal growth of which 15 need to be in an equine environment. These are hours where you are the client. Thus your personal growth is the key and direct goal for these hours. Personal counselling and personal growth workshops would be good examples.
Other training courses, riding or horsemanship lessons do not meet these requirements. There is no denying that we experience personal growth within a number of contexts and environments and this certainly extends to training workshops including those with horses. However there is something different about attending a workshop or session where the defined purpose and focus is upon your own personal growth, rather than the personal growth being a by product of another training or educational experience. While this can be a vulnerable and scary experience it is precisely what we ask our clients to trust us to create and provide for them. Thus we need to be ready to experience it ourselves.
EFW Canada allow you to choose who you complete your personal growth hours with. This does not need to be with an EFW Canada trained or approved program, provided it is a program within which the horse is respected and worked with as a sentient being and partner as per EFW Canada core principal in this area. That being said I do recommend that you check the credentials of the person offering the program you are considering attending and be sure you feel comfortable doing personal growth work with them.
4. Core Training
All candidates take the core EFW Canada training courses: Exploration (2 days plus 15 hours distance ed) Focus training (2 weeks) and Integration training (one week). It is recommended to take these trainings over a minimum period of 18 months and a longer training schedule is often followed.
5. Practicum Hours
All candidates are required to collect 85 practicum hours. This is where you are facilitating EFW work with clients. It can be paid or unpaid. It can be at someone else’s program or within your own developing program. For your practicum hours to be valid you need to first have a supervision arrangement in place with an EFW Canada mentor (see below). Your supervisor/ mentor does not have to be physically present during your practicum hours.
Up to 20 of your 85 practicum hours can be collected by supporting a trainer at a training you have already attended and up to 15 can by doing practice sessions with another EFW Canada candidate, provided a minimum of 50 hours are with actual clients.
6. Supervision/ Mentoring Hours
All candidates are required to complete 10 hours of supervision with an EFW Canada mentor. These are in addition to (not a part of) the 85 practicum hours discussed above. A minimum of four of these hours need to be with your trainer. These can be in person, by Skype or by phone. One of these hours needs to be completed before week two of focus training and two before integration training. The purpose of these hours is to supervise and support you through your practicum (through case consults and the required four session evaluations), to guide your development of your scope of practice, and to provide you with support and guidance during your training process.
More information on all of the above is available, with updates posted on any changes as they are approved, on the EFW-Canada website
Examples of Which Hours Could be Counted Where:
Riding lessons, horsemanship lessons or attendance at horsemanship clinics
These would be counted within your pre requisite equine hours, or cross training hours if you are not seeking EP certification. Auditing clinics can be a great and low cost way of gaining some extra hours in this area.
People sometimes ask if these count as personal growth hours as we often learn about ourselves as we learn abut horses. However the main focus of these activities and lessons is learning about horses and horsemanship; it is not personal growth and you are not in the position of a client, thus these hours fall within your equine hours.
Personal growth workshops in an Equine Environment (e.g. Epona’s ‘Way of the Horse’)
These count as a part of your 30 personal growth hours. They also count within the 15 of these 30 hours which are required to be in an equine environment
Personal counselling sessions
These count as a part of your 30 personal growth hours. 15 of these hours need to be in an environment which includes horses but 15 can be in a non equine environment.
Practicing sessions with another EFW Canada candidate
Up to 15 of these hours can be included as a part of your practicum. The advantage of this approach is that the person facilitating counts these hours as practicum while the person ‘receiving’ can count them as personal growth, ideally at no cost to either of you. While this is a wonderful, and usually low cost, way to accumulate some of your personal growth hours I usually recommend that you do not seek all of your hours this way. There are many advantages to gaining at least some of your personal growth hours with an experienced EFW practitioner.
Reviewing session plans or case consults with your EFW Canada mentor
These count as part of your 10 hours of supervision/ mentoring time. This can be done in person, by phone, over Skype, Facetime or by e-mail.
Volunteering with or working for an EFW program
Provided you are working with both clients and horses, and are discussing this work with your EFW Canada mentor, these hours count towards your 85 hour practicum requirement. Your hours here should match the certification stream you plan to certify within. E.g. if you are working towards certification as a MHP in EFW you need to ensure a significant number of your practicum hours are within a program which also has a MH scope and focus.
Working with clients within your own developing EFW program
Provided you are working with both clients and horses, and are discussing this work with your EFW Canada mentor, these hours count towards your 85 hour practicum requirement.
Volunteering with a mental health related organisation (e.g. crisis line) and related training
If you are a credentialed MH professional, a member of a credentialing professional body and this work falls within your scope of practice as defined by that body then these hours will count towards the 2,500 work experience pre requisite hours required for the MH professional.
If you are not seeking certification as a MH professional these could count towards your 60 hours cross training requirement.
Volunteering at a horse rescue program
These would be counted within your pre requisite equine hours, or cross training hours if you are not seeking EP certification.
Volunteering at a therapeutic riding (TR) program
These could be counted within your pre requisite equine hours, or cross training hours if you are not seeking EP certification. If you are also interacting with and supporting the TR clients then some of the hours may be counted within your EFL pre requisite hours. Depending on the scope of the TR program there may also be the possibility of these hours counting as a part of your 85 practicum hours. Your mentor will be able to guide you on where best to count these hours.
Caring for your own or other people’s horses
These would be counted within your pre requisite equine hours, or cross training hours if you are not seeking EP certification.
Teaching 4H or pony club lessons
These would be counted within your pre requisite equine hours, and would be included with the 1,000 hours which require you to be in a leadership role with equines.
Work experience in a mental health setting
If you are a credentialed MH professional, a member of a credentialing professional body and this work falls within your scope of practice as defined by that body then these hours will count towards the 2,500 work experience pre requisite hours required for the MH professional.
Work experience in an education or other human services related setting
These hours will count towards the 2,500 work experience pre requisite hours required for the EFL professional.
Working in an equine environment (groom, horse handler etc.)
These would be counted within your pre requisite equine hours, or cross training hours if you are not seeking EP certification.
Equine Canada, CHA, Centred riding or other equine training and certifications
The time spent achieving these would be counted within your pre requisite equine hours, and any portion which included you in a teaching or leadership role would be included within the 1,000 hours which require you to be in a leadership role with equines.
Attending non EFW Canada trainings in AAT or EFW
Depending on the nature of the training you are likely to be able to count some of these hours as equine or EFL pre-requisite hours. They cannot take the place of the core EFW Canada trainings.
When EFW Canada was first established over a decade ago there was a grand parenting time period of several years, consistent with that provided by most regulatory bodies. During this time period pre existing training and experience accumulated prior to the existence of EFW Canada, with other regulatory bodies, was recognised and experienced candidates could apply to be ‘grandparented in’ for EFW Canada certification on this basis. This time period is no longer open, as is consistent with procedures followed by other regulatory and certification bodies, as EFW Canada training options have been available for many years.
Prior Experience in Practicing EFW
Hours accumulated in an EFW or related environment prior to joing EFW Canada and starting certification can likely be included within your pre requisite hours on the MH, EFLP or EP streams depending on the focus and scope of the hours. They are unlikely to be able to be counted as practicum hours as no supervision arrangement would have been in place to meet EFW Canada requirements.
AS noted above, when EFW Canada was first established over a decade ago there was a grand parenting time period of several years, consistent with that provided by most regulatory bodies. During this time period pre-existing training and experience accumulated prior to the existence of EFW Canada, with other regulatory bodies, was recognised and experienced candidates could apply to be ‘grandparented in’ for EFW Canada certification on this basis. This time period is no longer open, as is consistent with procedures followed by other regulatory and certification bodies, as EFW Canada training options have been available for many years.
Other Considerations:
- You don’t need to meet all the above requirements before you start completing the EFW Canada core training; you can be building your equine hours, human service training and experience and collecting personal growth hours concurrently with completing the core EFW Canada training.
- You can include and are given credit within your pre requisite and personal growth requirements for hours and experience you have accumulated up to now. EFW Canada do not currently place a time limit on how far back you can go to start counting your pre requisite or personal growth hours. That being said, I recommend that the personal growth hours be from within the past five years.
- I recommend that you think about trainings and work experience you gained in other environments that may be relevant to EFW. This may be especially relevant for EFL certification.
- Candidates sometimes ask about attending personal growth sessions with their trainer. That could be an option if you are comfortable with your trainers approach and that it would provide you with emotional safety. You would need to discuss the dual roles this may present. However, if you are doing all of your training with one program I usually recommend that candidates attend their personal growth sessions with a different program. This has the advantage of allowing you to experience a slightly different approach to the work plus avoids potential dual roles which may arise if you are doing both personal growth and professional training with the same trainer and program.
- Everyone’s situation is different; I recommend discussing any areas you are unsure about with your mentor and/ or with your regulatory body
I hope this has helped to clarify the number and nature of hours of experience you require to meet EFW Canada certification requirements and where the various hours you have accumulated/ are accumulating are likely to be recognised.
If you still have questions, or if this article has raised new questions for you, please feel free to post them in the comments section below. You can also contact EFW Canada directly for clarification.
Thank you for all of the specific examples for determining which hours of experience will count in the different areas around certification. While this is a lot of information to go over, I am starting to get a better picture of how this process will come together for me. I specifically appreciate that personal counselling sessions can count towards my personal growth as I feel that this is an important aspect to working with any at risk populations. I still have a lot of questions about the EP hours and need to further read up on this on the EFW Canada website to gain a better understanding and to decide if this is something that I would like to do.
I agree Kerie-Lynn’s above comments. This is great information to have to plan the next years and time needed.
Frank
This is very useful information. Does the 1000 hours of teaching within the 2500 hours for certification as an Equine Professional, of which 500 are with novices, also consider time spent teaching equine first aid? Are there other ideas we will be provided at the Explorations training?
This was reassuring for me to read with respect to the human service provider hours, as I see that there are certain categories of hours that I already meet at this time.
I would anticipate that teaching equine first aid would count for some of those 1,000 hours (especially if you can demonstrate an experiential component) but not all. Overall your hours should match your scope of practice – so unless you wanted to just teach first aid you would need to show a good range of other experience also.
And yes – we will talk about all of this more at the training workshops. Most people have more experience than they realise!
Thank you for the breakdown. I look forward to going through the hours and working towards my certification. I think I am leaning toward an EP. I have a lot of hours to record!!
Thank you for this information. When I started researching this process, this article would have been extremely helpful and still is as I work through the initial stages of this journey. I think the conversation with someone from Healing Hooves that you mentioned earlier will also be very beneficial in helping me sort out which route makes the most sense for me.
Thank you for the information. It is helpful to know that some past experience can be used towards some of the required hours (it was fairly daunting thinking I would have to complete all of the hours from the point of starting this certification). I am quite curious to see if my work experience will be accepted for MH and/or EFL certification. I look forward to learning more about the process in the next couple weeks.
Sounds good Tara! A key difference between the MH and the EFL streams is that for the MH stream you need to be a member of a MH certifying body, which almost always requires a minimum of a BA (usually an MA) in psychology, counselling, or social work. But this is for sure something we can explore for you in more depth during the onsite trainings.
wow, lots of good info here, I will have to come back to this page from time to time. I should have read that article before commenting the previous one, it answer most of my answers. I have to make myself a cheat sheet with this topic, unless you have one already. thank you. I have learned so much by reading all you articles (blogs).
All of these blogs have been great! I really like this one for breaking down the different hours and components, and looking at past and future hours!
Thank you for all of the great information on how to get hours for certification. I totally agree with what you said regarding the personal growth- experiencing it ourselves is so important as this is what we are asking our clients to do. It’s great to see that there are so many ways to gain hours. On April 26th i am visiting the Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary in Phoenix, Arizona for a session with my friend who works there. I’m excited to experience different Centres over the next little while.
This is great information Sue. I have done a lot of personal growth work and have been in leadership roles at work for many years – but I have a lot to do in the other areas – which I am really looking forward to!
Another very informative post! I was concerned about the number of equine hours needed, but am now relieved knowing that we can count hours from the past! How are the hours documented for certification? Do they need to be ‘signed-off’ by someone (a coworker, employer, etc)? I have years of work experience with horses and have owned horses for almost 15 years now. The work experience was a long time ago and in another province, will this complicate the documentation and approval process?
I’ve been working as a shelter counselor in a crisis environment for three years (not yet registered with a body). Will these hours be counted towards the 2500 MH hours?
Also, if I were to obtain a practicum through the BSW program within an equine therapy focus, would those hours count towards the 85 practicum hours?
Hi Justine
I recommend that if you have documentation start to keep it so you can provide it, but if you don’t have any then just provide as many details as you can.
We will be discussing both the EP and MH hours requirements at the training – the MH stream requires you to be a member of a MH regulatory body and (currently under review) will likely require a minimum of a bachelors degree in a MH field (your BSW would be prefect). Hours after achieving this which are in a MH job would then all count towards the 2,500. The hours you describe would most likely count towards the EFL stream requirement.
The EP hours need to include 1,000 hours where you are in a leadership role – e.g. teaching the riding or horsemanship lesson rather than being the student. As long as some is recent then past hours will also count.
Re the BSW practicum – there should be a way to set it up so that those hours would count. You would need to have an EFW Canada mentor in place and do some case consults on those hours but that should all be feasible.
Good questions!
wow I had no idea it was so complicated to get certified
I agree with the comments above what a wealth of information. I love the personal growth component. My question is that I plan to re-locate to BC in the spring. Would I be able to continue training there with the first initial course. Is there anyway for me to do the coursework at healing hooves as I love the detailed approach but the practical portion with the horses in BC?
Hi Angela – we have lots of people travel from BC for the trainings and complete their practicums in a location close by to them with mentoring done by phone. So yes, this is certainly an option. If you wanted to find a closer place for the training programs there is one on Vancouver Island and another near Vancouver. I can get you their contact info when you are here at the weekend
Hello, I will be working towards a MH certification and accumulating the 60 hours with equines. I was surprised to see this would include taking care of ones own horse. 60 hours would add up quickly:) I suppose we would document specifically what we were doing in these hours. I do have a horse now but I grew up with horses and the moved to the city for a good 30 years. Likely I could not use the hours I spent training horses and showed in my younger years?
Hi Shari
Given that you have your own horse I agree that you will likely have many more than 60 hours of horse experience! This likely means that you are a level 2 or 3 in terms of horse experience which increases the scope of what you will be able to do as a certified MH practitioner in the EFW field. I realise this is likely confusing right now but please be assured we will explore it all in more detail at the training! You can also refer to the info on the Pro-EFW website – you would be looking for the information about the ‘Tables of Expertise’ in equine experience.
Thanks Sue!
This kind of answered my question from the last blog post! It’s good to know that there are so many options to get the hours to become certified.
Sue, all your articles are so relevant and concise. Thank you. Part of me is overwhelmed and part excited! As one of your readers commented, I’m glad we can apply some hours from previous training. I’m excited to find a mentor and think this is an awesome component of the EFW training – to have someone we become familiar with who we can turn to for clarification – at the same time as having someone who learns us (the candidates) and can support us in our direction.
I can’t find EPONA’S ‘WAY OF THE HORSE’. Is there a link?
I think I need to chat on the phone with you (Sue) to really understand how and where I’m getting my hours. How far back can we count hours? Do they need to be in the country? I’ve got 60+ hours of me learning horse related stuff recently in Portugal. I also take distance ed/ online courses that are based out of Germany soon to be Portugal. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Jen
There are links in your distance ed. manual to the Epona apprenticeship program in Arizona. The Way of the Horse workshops are offered in various locations with lots of different people certified by the Epona program, so hard to provide links to. Maybe a google search would work? I would recommend the ones with Deborah Marshall at Generation farms on Vancouver Island.
We do explore the Pro EFW certification hours at the exploration training, plus there is more info in your distance ed. manual, plus you can find an outline and more info on the Pro EFW website. For some of the hours (e.g. your pre requisite hours as an equine professional) you can count back as long as you’d like. for some others (e.g personal growth) we recommend they be more recent. Equine learning in Protugal and Germany I think would be great! And certainly included.
There is lots of time to ask questions at the exploration training plus sessions at each training where we explore the certification requirements and options and help you develop your own personalised plan for developing your program and becoming certified. It is quite normal to be a bit confused and/ or overwhelmed at first but please be reassured that it all makes more sense as you move forward. You are welcome to keep asking me questions and also to post questions within the Healing Hooves FB group for trainees and graduates. There are lots of members there who have been in your shoes recently but are now certified/ close to certified who you can chat with.
I hope this helps!
Sue
Hi there,
Initially, I was feeling overwhelmed with all the information and acronyms, but things are beginning to come together. 🙂
I was especially thrilled to read that we can go back as far as 5 years to count our personal growth hours.
Looking forward to beginning this amazing journey!
I’m wondering if we can count “experience” that is not hands on. For example, I just took an Equine First Aid course online through University of Guelph and I am working through some Pat Parelli DVDS. I am assuming I could add some of that to me Equine hours?
Hi Kenzie, great questions! Yes, both those examples could be included within your general equine hours. If you are aiming for EP certification they wouldn’t count as the 1,00 hour leadership portion of the hours but could be included within the overall 2,500 hours.
This clarifies things so much! Thank you for this article, it makes a huge difference in understanding all the ins and outs.
“All candidates need to show some experience with equines, separate from any training and experience in Equine Facilitated Wellness”
So as someone without horse experience, does this mean I need to wait and do some volunteering somewhere before considering starting this process? My experience with horses is from when I had one back in high school, but that was 11 over years ago.
Hi Kirsten – your experience from high school will actually all count. Based on what you’ve told me so far I think you would be looking at certifying as an EFL professional and then you would be either a level one or two on the tables of expertise for the equine professional. We explore more what that all means in the second part of the exploration training. For level one equine expertise you only need to show 60 hours with horses and you can count past experience. You can also start gaining more experience now, concurrent with pursuing your EFW training, to update and enhance those hours and your comfort level with horses. We are usually able to connect our students with other students – e.g. there may be someone in the program who would love to spend some time with you with a horse to build their leadership equine hours – making it a win win situation. There is lots of flexibility.
Loving this response. Thanks.
How do we go about proof of this experience? It we took riding lessons, did show jumping competitions, etc would we estimate the hours based on years and times a week riding and get the trainer to sign off?
Hi Tonia and yes, an estimate of the hours spent works and if you can get a trainer to sign off on this as being reasonable, that would be great
Yup, lots of information that you’ve been able to break down for us. I still find it a little confusing but I suppose reviewing a bit more will do me some good. In having said that, I look forward to the second part of the exploration training to delve deeper into what this all means.
This article provided a lot of answers to questions I was having. Thank you for the breakdown and all the information.
This is a great breakdown of all of the different pieces of the process and where all the hours can come from. It is very helpful to have the examples of different types of activities that we may engage in and what these hours may count towards. I will definitely be referring back to this throughout in order to ensure that I am working towards the hours I need in each area.
A lot or informations to break down, and this is very helpfull.
Whew – loads of information… I think I’m going to create a spreadsheet / chart.
Thank you for putting it all together… it is definitely more helpful and takes away some of the worry about how the hours will come together, and like at least one of the others, I was concerned about having to do all of these while doing the certification. Nice to know we can go back in our lives for the hours!
This post really helped to clarify my understanding of the certification hours! Thank you for breaking it down so clearly.
This was extremely helpful and clearly laid out.
I will explore more about the hours that count towards EFL, including certified life coaching. I also look forward to the new criteria or guidelines laid out by Pro EFW Canada regarding levels 2 and 3 expertise in equine hours!
So much to take away from this. Thank you for the clarification. This is going to be of great benefit for my action planning and breaking things down into what can I do now…versus what are next steps/progression.
Ideally, I would like to get to the point where I would only need an Equine Professional onsite and not “in-session”. I know this will be a ways to go yet. So am I correct in my thinking that when I am going out and helping look after horses via grooming, applying medication (e.g., fly cream), feeding, and/or riding, etc., that I could count these as pre req equine hours? Even though it is not a formal teaching setting in the sense that I am paying for the access to the horses and paying the person leading me/teaching me?
Hi Carly – yes, you can definitely count these hours towards you EP pre requisite hours, although not within the leadership category. It sounds like you are aiming for level 2 equine expertise which is likely very doable, especially as you can continue working on these hours as you complete your EFW training.
Reading this again was a great reminder for me. It is a lot of information and it has me thinking again what I have done and need to do going forward.
Really like that personal growth is a part of the process…difficult to measure perhaps…but highlights that it is important!
Lots to consider! It really is a rigorous process.
I agree with Michelle!
Thank you for this information! I have reviewed the EFW certification requirements multiple times, asked Sue questions and gathered information from the distance journalling and I am STILL gaining clarity on my personal process with this certification, so thank you for outlining the steps so clearly! Reading this blog post was a good reminder for me to arrange mentorship prior to beginning practicum hours.
I am wondering, if I am seeking to be dually certified (EP/MH) can I use EFW personal development groups/workshop facilitation (with another EFW certified EP) as practicum hours?
Practicum hours have to be completed under the supervision of a Pro EFW mentor so that arrangement would need to be in place first, and I usually recommend people wait till they have at least completed foundations training before starting practicum hours. But yes – if you have the opportunity to facilitate personal development groups or workshops with another EFW professional these hours could count towards your practicum – provided the other conditions are in place. Your mentor does not have to be on site – you can complete supervision by phone/ zoom/ e-mail