Membership

The Society is open to all people with scientific, scholarly or professional qualifications - equine scientists, ethologists, veterinarians, behaviour therapists or professional trainers and riders.

Why become a member of the International Society for Equitation Science?

ISES membership gives the opportunity of joining a network of internationally renowned equine scientists. As a member you will be invited to participate in the Society's annual meetings to stay connected with the most recent scientific findings and their implications in equitation. As part of your membership benefits you are entitled to reduced conference registration and two newsletters per year.

Full membership

open to all persons holding scientific or scholarly qualifications relevant to Equitation Science

If you apply for full membership, please submit either:
(a) a copy of your CV together with your application and include academic qualifications relevant to Equitation Science or
(b) be proposed by two existing full members of the ISES who must have personal knowledge of the applicant and his or her scientific or professional credentials and can be asked to provide information on the credentials of the applicant.

Practitioner membership

open to all persons with professional qualifications relevant to Equitation Science

If you apply for practitioner membership please submitt a copy of your CV and include professional practitioner qualifications relevant to Equitation Science.

Student membership

open to persons enrolled full-time at a tertiary education institution until the degree has been awarded

If you apply for student membership please state name and academic level of course being undertaken as well as the institutes stamp and signature of the responsible authority.

Download the ISES membership application form

Corporate Membership

Corporate membership is open to charities, organizations, or companies that have an interest in
the aims of the Society.
Corporate membership entitles approved organisations to receive information normally distributed to members and to send two representatives to ISES meetings under the same terms as ordinary members. Such Corporate Member Representatives shall have no power to vote and may not hold any position on Council.

If you apply for corporate membership, please submit:

A copy of your organisation’s Mission and Objectives together with the most up to date annual plan.

A brief statement describing: your organisation, the way in which your organisation’s mission/objectives are in agreement with those of the ISES, your evidence based approach to horse welfare and stating the reason why you would like to join ISES (up to two A4 pages attached to the membership application form).

Be supported by two existing full members of the ISES who must have personal knowledge of the organisation and its credentials and who may be asked to comment on the suitability of the organisation for corporate membership.

Download the ISES corporate membership form

ISES Code of Conduct

ISES requires that applicants agree to a 'Code of Conduct' to become a member of the Society. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct may result in termination of membership and the forfeiture of any membership fees previously paid.

ISES is an independent body and acts to provide impartial scientific information.
The name and/or membership of the ISES must not be used to promote personal and/or organisational views and philosophies, unless directly ordered/permitted to do so by ISES Council.
The name and/or membership of the ISES must not be used for financial and/or commercial gain, unless directly requested/permitted to do so by Council.
Members must not act in any way likely to jeopardise the integrity of the Society or bring it into disrepute.

ISES First Principles

Use learning theory appropriately
Train easy to discriminate signals (to avoid confusion)
Train and shape responses singularly (to avoid confusion)
Train only one response per signal (to avoid confusion)
Responses to be completed within a consistent structure (transitions within a defined number of footfalls to confer
predictability)
Train persistence of responses (self-carriage)
Avoid and disassociate flight responses (because of their resistance to extinction and problems with fear)
Benchmark relaxation (to ensure the absence of conflict)

Download First Principles here...

Full and Practitioner membership rate £ 25 / reduced membership rate for students £ 15

The membership year runs from January 1st to December 31st .
Subscriptions are due annually and payment has to be made by January 1st to renew membership.
Information how to transfer the fee will be sent to you by email after notification of the application status.
If subscription remains unpaid for two months after the renewal date, membership is deleted.

For more detailed information about membership please refer to the ISES Constitution (Membership) or contact the membership secretary Lesley Hawson (email: membership@equitationscience.com).

Summary of tax deductible status of ISES subscriptions

In response to queries about the tax-deductible status of membership subscriptions, the ISES Treasurer has researched the situation for UK members, with the expectation that a similar arrangement is likely for most countries – but members should check with their home tax office to be sure!
For self-employed people in the UK, trade or professional organisation subscriptions are tax deductible, and ISES membership subscriptions will fall into this category. Also tax deductible is training that improves work-related performance and enables people to do their job better, and this can include conference attendance costs for self-employed people and for employers footing the bill for employees to attend. But for employees who pay their own way, conference costs are not tax exempt – which means that the conference organisers have to pass on the tax costs of the conference in the conference fee.

If you have any questions, please contact the ISES treasurer Orla Doherty (treasurer@equitationscience.com).