Spring 2009 Instructor Voice

NARHA
SPRING 2009
A Special Interest Newsletter
VOLUME 8 • NUMBER 1
Equine Specialist Certification
By Memree Stuart, MLS, NARHA Equine Specialist Certification Committee Chair
The equine specialist ensures the
safety and well being of the NARHA
center equine participating in equine
facilitated mental health and education
sessions. S/he serves as the equine
expert during the equine/human interactions. The equine specialist works with
mental health or education providers
delivering services within the scope of
their profession incorporating equines
in their practice. The equine specialist
has a basic understanding of the mental
health process.
The equine specialist has a thorough understanding of the
ways equine behavior effects human responses and evaluates
the role of the equine during the mental health or educational
sessions s/he supervises. The equine specialist maintains
responsibility for the well being of the equine. S/he ensures
that equine interactions are safe and appropriate for the
goals of mental health or educational sessions.1
T
he idea behind the EFMHA Equine Specialist
Workshop is to have a standardized training for
equine professionals who want to understand how to
provide equine assisted activities (EAA) or equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) to meet education or mental health
goals. The model for the equine specialist is that where an
equine professional works with the licensed, credentialed
mental health or education professional, in an equineassisted activities or equine facilitated psychotherapy team.
The equine assisted activities team may focus on anything from social skills to basic life-coping skills. In some
cases the professional educator or referring educational
institution may communicate with the equine specialist by
1 EFMHA Equine Specialist Workshop Student Manual, Denver,
CO, NARHA (2008) p. 39.
telephone, written communication,
occasional visits or meetings or they
may be onsite, in or out of the actual
equine assisted activities setting. In
any case, there should be clear educational goals and the education professional should be kept informed
and available for follow-up with the
student and/or the equine specialist.
When working with the mental
health client, the equine specialist is
expected to collaborate with the
mental health professional who is
present in the Equine Facilitated
Psychotherapy session. In no way does this workshop prepare an equine professional to become a mental health therapist and EFMHA does not advocate the Equine Specialist
working alone with mental health clientele. Clientele in an
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program may include but
are not limited to, at risk youth, adjudicated populations
and those with a wide spectrum of mental health issues.
The equine specialist is the advocate for the horse, making sure that the equine is physically and emotionally safe
and treated in a respectful manner during the activities. No
two EFP or EAA programs are the same. The job
In this issue...
Continued
Interview with an Interactive
Vaulting Horse ................................3
NARHA 2008 Annual Meeting ..........6
The Horse... of Course! ..................7
Driving Quiz ....................................8
P.O. BOX 33150 | DENVER, CO 80233 | (800) 369-RIDE (7433) | FAX: (303) 252-4610 | WWW.NARHA.ORG | E-MAIL: [email protected]
description may differ but the training is geared to give the
attendee a broad overview of:
• Understanding equine care and management and the
ethical treatment of the equine in an equine facilitated
mental health program
• Creating and maintaining the therapeutic or
educational environment
• Collaboration with the other members of the equine
facilitate mental health team (mental health or education
professional, volunteers and equine)
• Understanding of standards and ethics for clients, equines,
service delivery and all attendant center personal
• Observing and utilizing equine behavior in meeting
treatment and education goals
• Designing appropriate exercises based on the IEP or
mental health treatment plan
• processing with the team
NARHA Certification
Committees
Certification
Oversight
Committee
Patti Coyle, Co-chair
Marny Mansfield, OT,
Co-chair
Bonnie Cunningham,
PT, HPCS
Joelle Devlin
Liz Harris
Lee Morgan
Memree Stuart
The equine specialist workshop does not provide training in
horse handling or horsemanship skills; the attendee is expected to acquire that knowledge before attending the workshop.
The same horsemanship skills required for obtaining a
NARHA therapeutic riding instructor certification would be
standard for attending the equine specialist workshop. In
addition, the equine specialist should be a keen observer of
equine behavior, able to interpret nuances of equine behavior
to facilitate successful interactions with clients to meet therapeutic or educational goals. Unlike traditional therapeutic riding, it is not the movement of the equine that provides the
therapy or learning teachable moment but rather the relationship with the equine. Often, clients or students in an equine
assisted activities or equine facilitated psychotherapy program
do not participate in mounted activities and the goal is not
that of teaching riding but to provoke mental health issues to
meet the treatment goal or to enhance the education teachable
moment. However, the goal is to always use good horsemanship practice and maintain a safe environment for the facility
and all participants.
The equine specialist workshop is a three day interactive
intensive with some classroom activities and some hands on
experience with equines. By the end of the third day, the
attendee should be able to ascertain which area of specialization appeals to him or her, with which populations they are
suited to work, and what they are looking for in an education
or mental health partner.
Why should you attend an equine specialist workshop?
Soon there will be a NARHA equine specialist certification
and one of the pre-requisites will be attending the ES
Workshop. Additionally, before taking the ES exam, you will
need to develop a portfolio documenting your experience.
Riding Certification
Subcommittee
Joelle Devlin, Chair
Marsha Anderson
Jennifer Nell-Schulte
Gail Pace
Amy Sheets
Sue Adams
Driving Certification
Subcommittee
Rebecca Cook, Chair
Tina Bennett
Kristen McGraw
Lee Morgan
Anita Sepko
Jennifer Lindskoog
Liz Harris, Chair
Elizabeth McClimans
Dale Perkins
Alison Plaza
Gisela RhodesHeimsath
Equine
Specialist
Certification
Subcommittee
Memree Stuart, Chair
Debbie Anderson
Susan Brooks
Amanda Hogan
Joseph Callan
Pebbles Turbeville
NARHA Certification Staff
Tara McChesney, Program Coordinator
[email protected]
Nicole Pepper, Program Representative
[email protected]
Barb Reese, Member Services-Certification
[email protected]
Memree Stuart, MLS, has been the Program Director for
HorseMpower, Inc., an Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program for 10 years. She has served two terms on the EFMHA
Board, currently serves on the NARHA Board and is Chair of
the NARHA Equine Specialist Committee. She has owned and
managed Oblio Farm for 37 years.
Spring 2009
Vaulting
Certification
Subcommittee
2
The Instructor Voice
Interview with an
Interactive Vaulting Horse
Conducted by Liz Harris, Interactive Vaulting Committee
How did you get to Ride-LikeA-Knight?
The program director was looking for
a horse to carry larger riders for therapeutic riding and also wanted to expand
the interactive vaulting program. She
looked on the internet and answered my
ad. After meeting me, she liked my
temperament, size and age. She knew
I was not very educated after riding me;
but she trusted my temperament and
given my age, she had plenty of time to
train me.
What are your qualifications for
your job?
I am built to handle the extra physical
stresses of interactive vaulting because I
have to work on a circle in side reins. My
temperament allows me to be curious
about new things and accept them as well
as initiate interaction with the vaulters. I
also lunge extremely well (if I do say so
myself), and I don't mind people playing
on the vaulting barrel or around me while
I am lungeing. It doesn't bother me when
you approach me from all sides and it is
fine with me when I have groups of people around me.
How did you learn to lunge?
The program director worked with me
for several months. I did not understand
that I was supposed to stay out on the
circle, move away from her quietly
when she sent me out on the circle and
The Instructor Voice
Liz Harris and Big John perform a popular interactive vaulting move.
go faster or slower when she asked.
Side reins were new to me too so we
started with them long and progressively
made them shorter. Before she ever
attached the side reins to my bit, I knew
to go forward when she asked me to. We
spent a lot of time doing transitions until
I responded to her almost immediately.
It is important that I learned to listen to
my lunger no matter what so we can
keep the vaulters safe.
What type of equipment do you wear?
I can go in Western or English tack
but for Interactive Vaulting there is a lot
of different equipment that I wear. I
wear a Western sized cashel pad so I
have plenty of padding on my back.
Also, I wear a vaulting surcingle that
came from Germany but I hear that you
can order them online here in the United
States from Pegasus Vaulting Supply in
California.
I use doughnut side reins to keep my
head level and help me to best balance
3
Photo by Rooney Coffman
So tell me a little bit about yourself?
My name is Big John. I am a six-yearold, 16.1 hand Belgian (with a little
appaloosa) gelding. My hobbies include
eating, trail riding, beginning dressage
and jumping, therapeutic riding, interactive vaulting training, talking to my best
friend Marshmallow and breaking out of
my pasture.
my vaulters. My bit is a loose ring snaffle to which a lunge line with no chain
and no swivel snap is attached. I do not
need to wear any boots or wraps but the
other vaulting horse who is older and
has an old injury wears polo wraps up
front as it is more physically stressful to
work on a lunge circle in side reins.
The program director, who is my
trainer for vaulting, made sure that all
the equipment fit me well and gave me
plenty of time to get used to it; so it is
quite comfortable for me to work in.
What are your experiences with
the barrel?
The first few times I saw people in the
vaulting barrel I thought that they were
lions coming to get me. As I saw them
more and more often and learned to trust
my lunger, it turned out not to be such a
big deal. I am thankful that they practice
on the barrel first to save my back.
Continued
Spring
Spring
2009
2009
/3
lesson, I get to jump a little bit and I
have just finished my training for therapeutic riding—some of those toys are
scary at first!
Photo by Rooney Coffman
How often do you work?
I work three times a week for no more
than 45 minutes at a time for Interactive
Vaulting but I am ridden almost every day.
Liz Harris teaches an interative vaulting lesson.
How do you feel about position
changes/compulsories on your back?
When people started doing weird
things on my back, I stopped because the
vaulters were unbalanced and I thought I
should stop to help them out. My lunger
kept telling me to keep walking and the
side reins helped me to round my back
to carry the vaulters more easily. Now I
am proud to carry people doing such
neat tricks on my back and I know that
being consistent is the easiest for them.
What interactive ground games did
you learn to play?
I was used to people around me like
side walkers and leaders but not people
running around everywhere, making noise
and moving quickly when I passed by. It
took me a while to realize that they were
just trying to play with me.
I now accept people running around
the lunge circle in both directions,
approaching me at all gaits and leaving
me at all gaits from inside and outside of
the lunge circle. Also people like to
jump up, wave their arms or crouch
down when I go by and that is ok
too....you never know what to expect
which keeps it exciting.
Spring 2009
How long did all this take?
When I came to Ride-Like-A-Knight
I was young and not very educated. It
took me six months of lunging at least
three times a week and then several
more months to get me desensitized to
everything that makes an Interactive
Vaulting session fun and beneficial.
Who do you work with?
I am looking forward to working with
a group of at risk youth this fall; I am
just big enough to encourage those kids
to respect me and learn to work together.
Some of my vaulters have learning disabilities, autism or attention deficit disorder. When I help riders with physical
disabilities it is usually when I do therapeutic riding, you have to move fast to
play the interactive games with me in an
interactive vaulting setting.
You do therapeutic riding too? Wow!
I guess everyone has to multitask.
As I like to say, variety is the spice
of life. When I came to Ride-Like-AKnight I needed to work on balance and
straightness as well as my canter leads
and ground manners. In any given
week, an able bodied rider takes me on
a trail ride, rides me in a dressage
4
What is the footing like that you
work in?
The sand/clay mix in the arena we use
for interactive vaulting is soft and comfortably deep, two to three inches,
I would guess. If it were too deep or too
hard it would be hard on my tendons
and the vaulters.
What is your relationship with your
lunger and your job satisfaction?
I look to her to know everything is
OK. I know to listen to her when we are
working with a group of vaulters.
It makes me excited when she comes to
get me because I know whatever we are
going to do in a vaulting training session
or lesson will be new and different. I
enjoy the variety that I have, regular riding, field rides and therapeutic riding;
but Interactive Vaulting is my favorite!
Liz Harris is
a NARHA
Certified Advanced Level
Instructor and
a NARHA Certified Interactive
Vaulting
Instructor. As
the Assistant
Therapeutic
Horsemanship
Director at St. Andrews Presbyterian
College, Liz organizes and implements a
NARHA Premier Accredited Center, RideLike-A-Knight which serves as the practical teaching portion of the therapeutic
horsemanship degree program. Liz is the
chair of the NARHA Vaulting Committee,
lead faculty and evaluator for NARHA
Interactive Vaulting workshops and certification and an associate evaluator at the
registered level.
The Instructor Voice
Did You Know?
T
By Jenny Nell Schulte
he passing rate is higher when NARHA Registered
Instructor Certification candidates attend the workshop (educational segment) separately from the certification (testing component). These candidates learn what
is expected of them, then go home and practice it in their
everyday lessons. When they are confident in their skills,
they attend the testing segment and typically do very well.
It makes sense, doesn’t it? First, they learn; then they
practice the skills at their own pace before signing up to be
tested. Being well-prepared reduces stress and promotes
success. Finding and utilizing a good mentor with whom a
candidate can discuss both successes and challenges—thus
learning from all experiences—also improves his or her
passing rate.
For this reason, there are programs who host the workshop or the certification alone. Often, these are programs
preparing their own staff instructors for certification—
they want to give them the best opportunity to succeed.
You might consider this option for your next instructor
going for certification.
Jenny Nell Schulte is the
Program Director at
Little Bit Therapeutic
riding center in Woodinville, Washington where
she manages a staff of 12
instructors and three
therapists and six barn
staff. As a NARHA Certified
Advanced Level Instructor
and Lead Evaluator, Jenny
joined the Riding Certification Subcommittee two years ago to
continue her service to NARHA and the therapeutic
riding community.
Save the Date!
2009 Interactive Vaulting
Workshops and Certifications
Workshop is held the first two and one half days;
the certification is held the last one and one half day
June 25–28: Riding to the Top in Windham, Maine
April 30–May 3: Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding
in Lenoir City, Tennessee
Driving Workshops and Certifications
Workshop is held the first three days;
the certification is held on the two days
August 26–30: Horse Power Inc. in Temple, New Hampshire
October 22–26: United States Driving for the Disabled, Inc.
in Georgetown, Kentucky
To register please contact the NARHA office (800) 369-7433
Or email Nicole Pepper [email protected]
or Tara McChesney [email protected]
Spaces are filled on a first come, first served basis
from complete applications only.
The Instructor Voice
5
Spring 2009
2008 NARHA Year at a Glance
Certification Programs Overview
T
By Patti Coyle, NARHA Certification Oversight Committee Co-Chair
Marny Mansfield, NARHA Certification Oversight Committee Co-Chair
he NARHA Certification
Oversight Committee sends
greetings and is excited to share
the many accomplishments of the past
year. The NARHA Certification SubCommittees (Riding, Driving, Interactive
Vaulting, Equine Specialist and the AHA
Task Force) have been hard at work
developing and enhancing programs and
certifications. Their accomplishments can
be found in the pages ahead!
In addition to the work accomplished
by the subcommittees, the focus of the
Certification Oversight Committee (a
sub-committee of the Standards
Committee) has been the Mentor
Training Program, which was launched
at the 2008 NARHA National
Conference in Hartford, CT.
As the NARHA Certification processes have evolved, the importance of having qualified mentors has become a key
to increasing the success rates of the
instructor candidates and to helping
increase the professionalism in the
industry. Mentor training has been a goal
of NARHA and the Certification
Oversight Committee for the past couple
of years. The training has provided the
opportunity for NARHA instructors who
have a desire to mentor to be able to
develop specific mentoring skills.
Offering the Mentor Training at the
2008 NARHA National Conference was
Spring 2009
truly one of the highlights of this past
year’s accomplishments. Please refer to
the calendar on the NARHA website at
www.narha.org for upcoming Mentor
Training Workshops.
We are also pleased to share the following statistics with you…as we
preview this past ‘Year at a Glance’…..
• 3486 Instructor members
• Approximately 46 Registered Riding
Instructor on-site workshop and certifications (OSWS) held
• Approximately 400 individuals participated in the Registered Riding
Instructor on-site workshops
• 472 participated in the certification
portion and 80.3% passed. This is a 1%
increase over the past year
• 17 individuals attended an Advanced
on-site certification
• 2 Driving on-site workshops held, with
1 certification
• 5 Advanced on-site certifications held
• 3 Interactive Vaulting workshops and
certifications held
• 3 Equine Specialist workshops held
• 53 Members participated in mentor
training workshops
• 32 NARHA qualified Mentors
We look forward to another incredibly
productive year as we continue to
enhance and develop new events and
programs.
6
Patti Coyle is the
current Co-Chair
of the Certification Oversight
Committee for
NARHA, the
organization that
sets the industry
standards for
therapeutic riding and equine assisted
activities and therapies—nationally and
internationally.
After retiring from a successful career
in banking in 1995, Patti discovered the
world of therapeutic riding and equine
assisted activities and therapies through
an old friend!
She is a NARHA Advanced Level
Instructor affiliated with both High
Hopes and Pegasus and is currently the
Executive Director of Pegasus. She has
served with distinction in many leadership roles within NARHA.
Marny Mansfield,
OTR is a NARHA
Certified Master
Level Instructor,
NARHA Evaluator
and NARHA
Registered
Therapist. She has
been on the
Riding Certification Sub-Committee,
Certification Oversight Committee and
served as Vermont State Chair and Cochair. She has worked with programs
both large and small throughout the
United States and has a strong interest
in education, mentoring and certification.
The Instructor Voice
T
The Horse…of Course!
he more lessons we observe and
the more certifications we attend,
the more we see instructors
spending a great deal of class time with
clever games and activities to address
their riders’ needs. Although these can be
great and sometimes motivating tools, we
need to remember that many of our riders’
issues can be addressed very effectively
by simply letting the horse do his job.
The motion of the horse is the greatest
gift we, as instructors, have to offer our
riders. Whether they have CP or Autism,
Sensory Integration Dysfunction or MS,
CVA, CHI or PDD, making decisions on
gait, pace and direction relative to the
rider’s position can be the most creative
“idea” we have to truly benefit and
improve the rider’s level of function.
Below are a few very basic tips that can
make a huge difference in your riders’
performance.
NOTE: Please always keep in mind that
the safety, efficacy and appropriateness
of any suggestion offered will be dependent upon your particular rider and the
training of your horses, volunteers and
instructors. Whenever possible, consult
with a therapist before trying a new
activity with your client.
Mid-line/balance/upper trunk stability
There is a natural tendency for a rider to
shift weight to the outside of a circle (i.e.
toward the rail). If your rider tends to collapse the left side or rides with the left seat
bone high, spend some time tracking to
the right. It should encourage the weight
to shift into the left stirrup and/or seat
bone and result in a lengthening of the left
upper trunk. (If the desired shift it to the
right, track left.)
Work on steering without reins with
hands on thighs. By using seat, eyes and
upper trunk for turns, your rider will
improve his/her body awareness and
receive an honest critique from the horse’s
response. Let the horse be the teacher
here! You will probably have to instruct
your volunteers to let the horse respond to
The Instructor Voice
By Joelle Devlin
the rider’s subtle cues.
Speaking of body awareness, instead of
“nagging” your rider to correct to center
or drop a heel that’s constantly up, let
them experience how that effects their
horse’s movement. Cue the leader to
allow the horse to drift to the right in
response to a seat bone or heel in the left
side. This illustrates to the rider very
clearly WHY maintaining center and
proper leg position is important. Later you
can chat about how it improves balance,
walking gait and overall function in activities of daily living.
Posture and alignment/muscle tone/
motor planning
To address low tone, choosing a horse
with a trappy gait will certainly help, but
take it to the next level by doing lots of
transitions: walk-halt-walk; collectedextended walk; walk-trot-walk; circles;
figures eights and serpentines. By challenging the rider’s balance through these
turns and transitions, your lesson will be
far more effective than simply riding at a
consistent pace along the rail.
If your riders need a break from pure
riding skills:
Give your smaller riders the benefit of
the horse’s movement while in a kneeling
position or sitting sideways and/or backwards on a bareback pad. These basic
developmental positions give a totally different input and making the transition into
each position is great way to work on
motor planning. Of course, be certain your
horse and volunteers are completely comfortable with any new position before
attempting this with a client!
The basic vaulting positions (such as
high kneeling and the flag position) at the
walk are particularly good for those core
muscles, but they are only of benefit if
done properly. Do not attempt to teach a
vaulting position unless you have been
trained to do it correctly, with good understanding of the proper body mechanics.
Also instruct your volunteers on how best
to assist the rider. Contact the American
7
Vaulting Association for more information.
Sensory-seeking/Proprioceptive input
When appropriate, let your riders trot.
Yes, it can reach the point of over-stimulation for some, but in general, including a
brief trot as part of your warm-up will
improve posture and alignment, get your
rider’s attention/focus and set them up to
be successful in whatever is asked of them
in the lesson. At the trot, your choice of
horse is extremely important. A trappy trot
will increase tone while a smooth trot with
mild suspension can decrease spasticity.
Know your horse!
Two-point or jumping position at the trot
offers deep proprioceptive input. When
done in proper position, well balanced with
the hip, knee and ankle deeply flexed, all
three joints receive significant stimulation.
Refer to the U.S. Pony Club Manual of
Horsemanship by Susan Harris for more
information on the two-point position.
All of the above tips are means of keeping your lessons simple and focusing on
the basics. If a lesson is kept at a halt for
several minutes to explain an intricate
(albeit clever) game, those riders have lost
minutes of valuable, beneficial input from
the horse’s motion. Creative activities,
games and especially group activities
should certainly not be eliminated. They
can be highly motivating tools. But they
should not take the place of understanding
and applying the motion of the horse as
the greatest gift we have to offer as therapeutic riding instructors.
Joelle Devlin, Site
Director at SIRE
in Houston, Texas,
is a NARHA
Certified Master
Level Instructor,
Lead Registered
Instructor
Certification
Evaluator,
Accreditation
Visitor and current Chair of the Riding
Instructor Certification Sub-Committee.
Spring 2009
EQUINE FACILITATED MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
Equine Specialist Workshops
(All dates are subject to change)
Training designed for equine professionals, EAAT riding instructors, those who wish to enhance their abilities to work with
professionals and their clients in the fields of mental health and learning. See the story by Memree Stuart on page 1.
April 24–26, 2009 (Rescheduled from 2008)
Pegasus Farm in Hartville, Ohio
August 7–9, 2009
Hearts & Horses Inc. in Loveland, Colorado
July 24–26, 2009
Texas Tech Therapeutic Riding in Lubbock, Texas
October 2–4, 2009
Horse Power Inc. in Temple, New Hampshire
Cost:
$475 NARHA/EFMHA Members
$505 NARHA Members (includes a one-year membership in EFMHA) Includes materials,
lunches and a snack for the three days.
$575 Nonmembers (includes a one-year membership in NARHA and EFMHA)
Contact: Nicole Pepper (800) 369-7433, ext. 104 or email: [email protected]
Driving Horse Quiz
What does this picture say?
Look at the picture above and see if you can answer the 8 questions below.
Answers can be found on next page
1) Can you determine if the pictured vehicle is set up to be pulled by more than one horse?
2) Is there evidence this could be a therapeutic driving lesson?
3) Which color of reins would probably be used by the AB Whip and why?
4) Which color of reins would probably be used by the student and why?
5) What type of collar is being used?
6) The saddle has a clue as to the type of vehicle being pulled; can you tell?
7) The tug stops and the breeching are both engaged. What could this mean?
8) As pictured, most driving occurs outdoors. What extra concerns would a driving instructor have to plan for?
Spring 2009
8
The Instructor Voice
Driving Horse Quiz Answers
By Rebecca Cook OTR, HPCS
1) This vehicle has shafts, so it is pulled by a single horse.
2) There are two sets of reins, differentiated by their color, so this is probably a therapeutic driving lesson.
3) Since the light colored reins go through the normal terret loops and appear to be in use, they are most likely the
AB Whip’s reins.
4) The dark reins have an extra drop terret on the saddle and also an extra adaptive piece of elastic between the
rein and terret to aid in rein use, further suggesting that these are the student’s reins.
5) A heavy duty padded, adjustable and shaped breast-collar is pictured. This type is more comfortable for the
horse than a straight breast collar when pulling a heavier load (i.e. the weight of an electric wheelchair) and has
more adjustment to fit a variety of horses than a full collar.
6) The gig type saddle on this harness has a sliding back-band, so the vehicle is probably a two-wheel cart rather
than a four-wheel carriage (a sliding back-band would not be used with a four-wheel carriage that has independent shafts).
7) The tug stops and the breeching are both engaged, this indicates the vehicle has possibly stopped in a downhill
position or the horse has backed up.
8) Here are some outdoor driving safety considerations:
a. Comfortable weather conditions for both horse and driver (heat/cold/wind/storm)
b. Time of day for student and horse—i.e. effect of daytime shadows and twilight due to harness blinders
c. Insect control (a therapeutic driving horse needs to stand still for long periods and also needs to be
comfortable in the bridle—i.e. not shake his head continuously and risk the bridle coming off)
d. Good footing and terrain (rocks, firmness or depth of footing, hills, etc.)
e. Lesson environment: large space free of hazardous obstacles; other activities occurring near area
(a horse and carriage may spook riding horses or horses running in a pasture may get the driving horse
revved up); is there a nearby means of communication in the event of an emergency
f. Are there enough volunteers and is there a way to help them stay comfortable while they are on
standby during a lesson
Rebecca Cook OTR, HPCS is owner/founder of
The Right Step, a NARHA Premier Accredited Center,
providing hippotherapy, therapeutic riding, and
therapeutic driving to the community in
Southeastern Michigan.
The Instructor Voice
9
Spring 2009