PATH Intl. is very grateful for the large number of certified professionals who participated in piloting the PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) application paperwork and certification processes. As was the intent of the pilots, the information gathered has further empowered the credentialing council to ensure all aspects of the PATH Intl. CTRI certification meet the needs of both the therapeutic riding field and NCCA accreditation standards. Due to ongoing review of the pilot results, the credentialing council has determined additional time is needed to verify that the pilot feedback has been relevantly incorporated into the big picture of the PATH Intl. CTRI credential. As a result, the launch of the PATH Intl. CTRI certification will be delayed, and acceptance of applications will now begin October 1^st. Delaying the launch of the PATH Intl. CTRI certification will enable PATH Intl. and the credentialing council to better ensure applicants and supervising instructors have a clear understanding of the certification processes and requirements, resulting in a positive experience for all.

Below, you will see the PATH Intl. Credentialing Council's updated and complete timeline to launch the PATH Intl. CTRI certification and phase out the PATH Intl. Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor certification. Note this timeline presents key dates into 2021.

(Having difficulty viewing the timeline as it appears here? You may refer to an enlarged infographic here.)

IMPORTANT: The updated timeline does NOT impact the PATH Intl. CTRI credential transition process pilot. The pilot will continue to run until June 30^th to allow currently certified instructors to establish PATH Intl. CTRI credentials. Starting July 1, the finalized PATH Intl. credential transition process and certification maintenance fees will be fully implemented.

We thank the membership and PATH Intl. CTRI applicants for their patience and understanding regarding the delay of the launch of the PATH Intl. CTRI certification.

Even with the launch being delayed to incorporate the pilot feedback, we are pleased to present the pricing and anticipated average costs associated with completing PATH Intl. CTRI certification. We're happy to confirm that compared to the current PATH Intl. Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor certification, PATH Intl. CTRI certification candidates will be able to save money at nearly every stage of their professional certification journey!

PATH Intl. Membership: Given that membership will be optional to be eligible for PATH Intl. CTRI certification, the total cost to complete PATH Intl. CTRI certification will depend on whether or not candidates choose to be a PATH Intl. participating, professional or professional+ member. PATH Intl. Professional and Professional+ members will receive substantial discounts on both the PATH Intl. CTRI application and certification exam in addition to continuing education and certification maintenance fees following certification. Through PATH Intl.'s newly launched tiered membership program, PATH Intl. CTRI candidates will be able to choose the membership benefits package that best serves their individual needs.

Application Phase: In the initial phase of PATH Intl. CTRI certification, all candidates will need to purchase the PATH Intl. CTRI application and PATH Intl. Standards Course and Exam. Following payment of the application fee, PATH Intl. CTRI applicants will submit their application paperwork documenting completion of ALL certification prerequisites. At this stage, PATH Intl. CTRI applicants will be submitting a fraction of the fees to those currently paid as part of registration fees for PATH Intl. Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor Certification.

Certification Phase: Following application review and approval, candidates will receive notification of authorization to test and move into the certification phase. At this stage, the candidate will pay the certification exam fee and register to take the exam at any of the 5,000 authorized test centers of their choosing. Given the expansive network of test centers worldwide, we expect most candidates will not be obligated to travel far, nor stay overnight and incur hotel expenses in order to take the PATH Intl. CTRI certification exam. So what are the average anticipated costs? Let's a take look at member and non-member pricing for the PATH Intl. CTRI certification and compare them with the PATH Intl. Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor certification:

NEW	NEW
PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) Certification as a  PATH Intl. Member	PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) Certification as a Participating/ Non Member	PATH Intl. Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor Certification
Beginning October 2019	Beginning October 2019	2010-2020
Application Phase (Professional Membership $100)	Application Phase (Participating Member/Non Member)	Phase 1 (Individual  Membership $65)
Application                              $150	Application                              $250	Application                                  $87
Materials                           Optional	Materials                            Optional	Materials                                     $44
P ATH Intl. Standards Exam  $20	PATH Intl. Standards Exam   $30	PATH Intl. Standards Exam (excluding retakes)           Included
Teaching Hours                        25	Teaching Hours                           25	Teaching Hours                            25
Volunteer Hours                         55	Volunteer Hours                           55	Volunteer Hours              Optional
Application Total (avg.) $170	Application Total (avg.) $280	Phase 1 Total  (avg.)  $131
Certification Phase (Professional  Membership)	Certification Phase  (Non Member/ Participating Member)	Certification Phase (Individual Membership $65)
Workshop                          Optional	Workshop                          Optional	Workshop                                 $450
Certification Exam                 $525	Certification Exam                 $650	Certification Testing (avg)     $550
Travel expenses (avg.)          $100	Travel expenses (avg.)           $100	Travel expenses (avg.)           $800
Hotel (avg.)                               $90	Hotel (avg.)                                $90	Hotel (avg.)                               $360
Certification Total (avg.) $715	Certification Total (avg.) $840	Certification Total (avg.)  $2,160
Average cost to complete PATH Intl. CTRI certification as a professional member	Average cost to complete PATH Intl. CTRI certification as a participating/ nonmember	Average cost to complete PATH Intl. Registered Certification
$885	$1,120	$2,291

As illustrated above, PATH Intl. has been very mindful in reducing the cost for new CTRI candidates! This comparison shows that on average candidates will save between $1,171 and $1,441 on the overall CTRI certification process compared to the cost of the registered certification. (Avg., and based on if the applicant chooses to join PATH Intl. to receive the member discount benefit.)