SEI
Sustainable
Equestrian
Initiative
The Standard — Activity Module 5

Leisure, Tourism & Equestrian Activities

For horse-related leisure, recreation, tourism and visitor experiences. AM5 connects horse wellbeing and visitor safety with responsible routes, destinations, communities and environmental management—from trail riding and equestrian holidays to carriage and working-equine tourism.

18 CML Criteria + 37 Activity Specific Criteria = 55 Criteria for Compliance

Criteria

What AM5 assesses

AM5-1Legal Authority and Applicable Tourism Requirements
AM5-2Activity Scope, Visitor Services and Operational Capacity
AM5-3Landowner Permission and Route Access
AM5-4Guide, Escort and Activity Leader Competence
AM5-5Visitor Assessment and Activity Suitability
AM5-6Horse Selection and Fitness for Tourism Activities
AM5-7Horse–Visitor Matching
AM5-8Visitor Briefing and Responsible Conduct
AM5-9Tack, Harness, Carriages and Activity Equipment
AM5-10Horse Workload, Working Hours and Rest
AM5-11Rider, Passenger and Load Management
AM5-12Weather, Climate and Environmental Conditions
AM5-13Route and Trail Suitability
AM5-14Road, Traffic and Shared-Use Risk
AM5-15Navigation, Signage and Visitor Information
AM5-16Supervision and Group Management
AM5-17Personal Protective Equipment
AM5-18Horse Feeding, Water and Recovery During Tourism Activities
AM5-19Veterinary, Farriery and Preventive Horse Care
AM5-20Emergency Preparedness and Remote Activity Response
AM5-21Horse Transport Associated with Tourism Activities
AM5-22Horse Management Outside Visitor Activities
AM5-23Retirement and Reduction of Tourism Work
AM5-24Environmental Impact of Routes and Activities
AM5-25Biodiversity and Wildlife Disturbance
AM5-26Local Communities, Culture and Equestrian Heritage
AM5-27Responsible Visitor Behaviour and Environmental Awareness
AM5-28Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Visitor Mobility
AM5-29Water, Wastewater and Resource Efficiency
AM5-30Waste, Manure and Circular Resource Management
AM5-31Environmentally Harmful Substances
AM5-32Workforce, Guides and Seasonal Employment
AM5-33Economic Responsibility and Destination Resilience
AM5-34Performance Measurement and Benchmarking
AM5-35Corrective Action and Continual Improvement
AM5-36Horse-Drawn Carriage and Working Equine Tourism
AM5-37Communication, Visitor Information and Responsible Claims

SEI AM5 — Full Module

Purpose, scope of responsibility, assessment hierarchy and every criterion with its evidence requirements. PDF · V3-2026.

Download AM5 ↓

Not sure which modules apply to you?

Register and the SEI Team will identify the applicable Activity Modules based on what your organisation actually does — or simply ask us first. No registration is needed to get an answer.

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SEI — Sustainable Equestrian Initiative. An evidence-based sustainability certification standard created for the equestrian world, with horse wellbeing at its centre. Established 2023, The Netherlands.

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