Becoming an equestrian tourism assistant

The equestrian tourism assistant accompanies individuals or groups of people on outings or excursions on horseback, ensuring assistance and providing tourist information on places of transit.

Exercise of the profession is subject to a qualification that is obtained by passing a special examination, called by resolution of the Provincial Council to be published in the Official Bulletin of the Region.

Applicants must meet the subjective requirements set out in the resolution of the Provincial Council announcing the call for applications.

Italian and European citizens in possession of the requirements established by the resolution of the Provincial Council announcing the call.

The habilitation procedure consists of the following stages:

1) Announcement of the Notice of Qualifying Examination by resolution of the Provincial Council

2) Constitution of the Examining Board appointed by the Provincial Council, comprising: the head of the provincial department responsible for tourism, who shall chair the Board, an expert in tourism legislation and organisation, an expert in the physiology, anatomy, pathology and behavioural characteristics of horses, an expert in first aid, an expert in the tourist-environmental resources and attractions of the Trentino area and two experts in the professional activity of equestrian tourism assistant one expert for each foreign language chosen by the candidates admitted to the oral test

3) Licensing examination consisting of

• a practical test aimed at ascertaining, through practical riding exercises, the candidate's technical ability and aptitude to carry out the specific activity of the profession of equestrian tourism assistant.

• an oraltest consisting of an interview on the following subjects: tourist organisation of the province of Trento; tourist-environmental resources and attractions of the Trentino territory; national and provincial regulations for the exercise of the profession of equestrian tourism assistant, fiscal regulations of the profession and duties of the equestrian tourism assistant; notions of physiology, anatomy, pathology and behavioural characteristics of horses; notions and techniques of first aid.

4) Publication of examination results;

5) Awarding of the diploma of qualification to work as an Equestrian Tourism Assistant;

6) Entry in theList of Equine Tourism Assistants

Applications for admission to the examinations must be sent to serv.turismo@pec.provincia.tn.it using the forms approved by the resolution of the Provincial Council announcing the call for selection

Candidates holding the qualification to practise equestrian tourism and country riding issued following attendance of a training course lasting at least 50 hours organised by the sports federations of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI)shall be exempt from taking the practical test.

Candidates may ask to be exempted from the oral test on the subjects envisaged, if they correspond or are similar to those covered by the training courses for the award of qualifications relating to the practice of equestrian tourism and country riding organised by the sports federations of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).