The SIBEQUUS Operational Group will spend 30 months developing a comprehensive system to draw up equine welfare protocols and launch a digital self-assessment tool for welfare.
The SIBEQUUS Operational Group, an acronym for Comprehensive Equine Welfare System: Scalable Protocols and Assisted Self-Assessment, is a supra-regional Innovation Operational Group funded under the cooperation grants for Operational Groups of the European Innovation Partnership for agricultural productivity and sustainability (EIP-Agri), within Spain’s CAP Strategic Plan. These grants are co-financed by the European Union through the EAFRD, and by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
The project was set up to advance the assessment and improvement of equine welfare by developing protocols tailored to the sector’s different realities. The operational group is made up of CICAP, Yeguada Cartuja-EXPASA, INGEQUUS, RFEAGAS and EQTIC, with IRTA, the University of Córdoba, the University of Seville and the Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation (RFHE) as associated bodies.
SIBEQUUS began in May 2026 and will run until October 2028, over a 30-month working period. During this time it will develop equine welfare protocols applicable to different scenarios within the equestrian sector and to different stages of a horse’s life, as well as tools to facilitate self-assessment, identify opportunities for improvement and provide tailored advice.
For CENRE, this initiative represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen its role as a reference centre for innovation and knowledge transfer to the equine sector, helping to generate useful, scalable, evidence-based tools for professionals, stud farms, equestrian centres and organisations linked to the horse.