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The Therapy Zone and Horses Help, two of the Southwest's leading therapy riding programs, both under the guidance of director Gregg Goodman, has developed this three-step program to help you become a "certified" therapy riding instructor quickly and affordably. 1. Complete the online preparatory course. Click here to sign up now. 2. Meet North American Riding for Handicapped Association (NARHA) requirements prior to the workshop. The Therapy Zone will walk you step-by-step through the requirements. 3. Complete the hands-on testing satisfactorily. The Therapy Zone course will help to prepare you for NARHA national testing. To achieve national certification, it will be required that you join NARHA online at www.NARHA.org. The cost will be $40. This will give you access to the Center Accrediation Test which tests your knowledge of the physical plant requirements for operation of a NARHA program. In addition you will need to have a current CPR and First Aid certification that may be obtained through The American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or local agencies providing CPR/First aid at no cost to you. Phase two of NARHA certification standards require you to take an online instructor test. The information in our course will make this much easier to pass. Finally, after having met the testing requirement, the Instructor Canidate must attend a national testing weekend. This weekend is conducted by NARHA master instructors at many locations in the US. This weekend reinforces many of your course studies, such as the lesson plan assignment in this course. You will have to prepare a lesson plan and demonstrate in a 20-minute session your ability to effectively teach a NARHA Class. (You will also have to pass a riding test: our program does not address your riding proficiency.) There are no guarantees you will pass this national certification, but you will improve your chances greatly by having successfully completed our course. (Without a preparatory course, such as this one, the fail rate is 50 per cent.) The Therapy Zone Therapy Riding Instructor Preparatory course is completely online; it's the easy and convenient way to get the knowledge you need for passing the hands-on testing. And when you complete the online course, The Therapy Zone will help you every step of the way to pass your NARHA hands-on testing at a facility as close to you as possible. NARHA is a membership organization that fosters safe, professional, ethical, and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, standards, and research for people with and without disabilities. Start your online preparatory course anytime. You can enroll online and get your first lesson link within hours. Work at a pace and time convenient for you; there are no completion deadlines. Work one-on-one with The Therapy Zone instructors by e-mail for questions and special assistance. The cost of The Therapy Zone online course is $325. The cost of NARHA's "certification hands-on test-out is $485. (The cost of travel, room and meals is candidate's responsibility.) The online course is administered by HorseCoursesOnline.com, the leading provider of online equine studies curriculum for colleges and universities worldwide. Click here to sign up now! Suggested Reading: • Horse Conformation: Structure, Soundness and Performance..Equine Research. • The Horse Care Manual…Chris May B.Vet.Med.MRCVS….Barrons. • The British Horse Society Manual of Stable Management….Kenilworth Press Ltd. All above books are available from the College Book Store. • Arena Exercises, available from Stoney Communications Inc., Order by calling: (800) 441-5700 COURSE OUTLINE Lesson One A. Identifying horses 1. Breeds 2. Colors/Markings 3. Height/weight/age B. Parts of the Horse C. Horse Instincts and Senses D. Some Stable Management 1. Shelter and cleaning. 2.Feeds and feeding Lesson Two A. Health and Sickness 1. Know what behavior changes mean. a. Know how to take and read vital signs. b. Know first aid basics. c. Know deworming, vaccination, hoof and tooth care. B. Maintenance and exercise programs. C. Grooming. D. Tack purpose and function. 1. Adaptive equipment. Lesson Three A. Know and Recognize Rider Skills. 1. Proper and safe mounting/dismounting. a. Know correct position of volunteers. 2. Correct position and aids at each gait. B. Characteristics of Therapy horses. 1. Know how to test and select horses. Lesson Four A. Positive Instructor Attributes 1. Desired characteristics of instructor 2. Know NARHA code of ethics B. Lesson plans 1. Rider assessment. 2. Develop measurable goals. 3. Task analysis. a. Know how to break down skills into components. C. Knowledge and Recognition of Teaching Skills. Lesson Five A. Methods and Techniques 1. NARHA standards and information. 2. Know emergency procedures. 3. Understand how riders learn differently. 4. Instruct group lessons. 5. Control of class, rapport with class. 6. Work with instructional teams as necessary. B. Record Keeping. 1. Verify rider forms; complete and update. 2.Write and maintain progress reports. a. Complete incident reports. b. Comply with confidentiality requirements. c. Document progress C. Disabilities 1. Know precautions and contra-indications of therapy riding. 2. Have knowledge of disabilities. 3. Evaluate rider for program. a. Instructor/volunteers. b. Facility and environment. 4. Know how to find information pertaining to disabilities. 5. Know the benefits of therapy riding. |
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