Equestrian
Initiative
Join. Understand. Prepare. Certify.
SEI is designed to allow every organisation to progress towards certification in a structured and practical way — at its own pace, and with a clear separation between the scheme and the independent Certification Body.
From discovering SEI to demonstrating it
Discover SEI
Understand what the Standard is, how the Core Mandatory Layer and the Activity Modules work, and how independent certification happens.
Register & define your modules
Register as an SEI Participant and activate your annual membership. The SEI Team then contacts you to identify the Activity Modules that apply to your activities.
Create your profile
Set up your organisation profile in the SEI Online Reporting Tool (SEI-ORT). Your profile and modules frame everything that follows.
Your organisation will become SEI Participant
Prepare, measure & demonstrate
Work through your applicable requirements at your own pace: present what you already do, upload objective evidence and record environmental performance.
Request independent certification
You decide when you are ready. Your work and evidence are submitted, and the transition to an independent Certification Body is coordinated.
Plan & complete your audit
The Certification Body confirms the scope, provides the audit cost, appoints a competent auditor and agrees the audit date with you.
Address any non-conformities
Where issues are identified, you correct them and submit evidence showing how the cause has been addressed to prevent recurrence.
Independent certification decision
The Certification Body reviews the evaluation and decides. SEI does not make or influence the certification decision.
Celebrate & communicate
Communicate your certified status responsibly and within the approved scope, and keep using SEI-ORT to demonstrate continual improvement.
Your organisation will become SEI Certified
Becoming a SEI Participant is not the same as being SEI Certified
SEI Membership is paid annually and provides access to the SEI Online Reporting Tool, allowing you to prepare your organisation, collect evidence, measure performance and implement improvements before requesting certification.
SEI Participant
Once your organisation commits to pursuing SEI Certification, it is recognised as an SEI Participant, demonstrating its commitment while preparing for certification.
SEI Certified
Once your organisation is ready, it proceeds to independent third-party certification. Upon successful certification, it is awarded SEI Certified status.
Audit Data Rule
Annual performance data, such as energy, water, waste, etc., must cover the last fully completed calendar year. For example, an audit conducted at any time in 2026 uses the complete 2025 dataset.
Policies, procedures, risk assessments and management controls must be the current versions in place at the time of the audit.
The SEI Certification Cycle covers three calendar years:
The Certification Body may determine that an additional on-site surveillance audit is necessary depending on activities, certification risk, significant changes, incidents or previous non-conformities.
SEI owns the scheme. Someone else grants the certificate.
SEI develops and maintains the Standard, provides the participant framework and SEI-ORT, supports participants in understanding which Modules apply, and maintains the technical requirements of the scheme.
The Certification Body controls the independent certification process: it confirms the scope, provides the audit quotation, appoints the auditor, conducts the assessment, reviews the results, and makes the final decision on your organisation’s compliance with the SEI Standard and whether certification is granted.
Start your SEI journey
Complete the registration form and the SEI Team will contact you to confirm your activities, identify the applicable Activity Modules and guide you through the next steps.
The future starts here
Stay connected with the future of equestrianism.
SEI
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.
SEI | Sustainable Equestrian Initiative
Address: Nicolaes Maestraat 2, Office 213
1506 LB Zaandam, The Netherlands
Telephone: 0031-(0)85-301 0650
Dutch Chamber of Commerce: 67691951
EU VAT (VIES): NL857133147B01
© 2026 Sustainable Equestrian Initiative. All rights reserved.
Responsible equestrianism. Proven for the future.