Contacts:Region Rep and State Chairs
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 Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International
Title Sponsor: Purina, the official feed
of PATH Intl.
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Dear PATH Intl. Region 9 Members,
Our 2016 Region 9 Conference is behind us, and summer is upon us in full swing. We had a record number of attendees at our conference this year, and everyone raved about the educational content offered. We had an outstanding group of talented presenters. Jenny Nell and Joelle Devlin presented a great pre conference Mentor Workshop with 21 people registered, followed by a wonderful Meet and Greet at with a motivating rider demonstration. The weather was sunny and hot, and we can't thank our gracious hosts, Spirit TRC and Evelyn Jones and her amazing crew enough for donating their beautiful facility. A few of us posted on the Region 9 Facebook page, but if anyone has pictures or comments to share from the conference, please do so. It's never too late to be inspired again!
It's time now to start making plans for the 2016 Path Intl. Conference & Annual Meeting in beautiful and historic Williamsburg, Virginia, November 2-5. Registration should be open in July and more information plus the registration booklet will be in your July Strides magazine. Huzzah!
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Welcome New State Chair
Alaska's new Path Intl. State Chair, Carrie Drury. Carrie lives in Eagle River, Alaska is a newly certified Path Intl instructor, and the mother of three.
Introduction Letter
Hello Alaska PATH Intl. Members,
I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Carrie Drury and I'm the PATH Intl. Alaska State Chair. I have been appointed by our Region 9 Representative, Annie Mabry, to advocate for the PATH Intl. Members in our State.
As you may know, PATH Intl. has state chairs for some time, and our main purpose is to foster networking, communication, and educational opportunities for members and centers within our state. I also work closely with our elected Region 9 Representative to make sure grassroots member concerns are communicated to PATH Intl. at all levels.
I enjoyed seeing some of you at the Region 9 Conference at Spirit Therapeutic Riding earlier this month! This was my first conference and it was very apparent the amount of work that went into making it happen.
A big Thank You to Annie for all of her hard work, pulling together resources, organizing the work of the State Chairs, and trouble-shooting any hiccups along the way. And Yay for Alaska with 5 in attendance!
As PATH Intl. volunteers, we are working hard to make PATH Intl. an organization that reaches out to and serves our membership by promoting open communication and professional standards. Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns or just news to share. I plan to reach out to each of you and your programs over the next month to arrange a visit. I would love to see all of you, meet some of your therapy horses and riders, and witness the amazing work you do!
My contact information is listed below, please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to help you as a fellow member of PATH Intl. Make sure to follow PATH Intl. Region 9 on Facebook for news and networking around our region, and keep an eye open for our quarterly region newsletter coming out early July! I look forward to speaking with you in the near future!
Carrie Drury
PATH International Instructor & Alaska State Chair
(802) 318-7059
Equine Assisted Therapy Alaska (EATA)
EATA is proud to announce that in April they were generously gifted with the remaining funds to construct a covered indoor riding arena on their leased land at the William Clark Chamberlin Equestrian Center in Anchorage. 2016 will be the year that they finally see this dream of a year round indoor riding arena become a reality. EATA is honored to thank and publicly acknowledge the Reitman Family Charitable Trust and the Stanley H. Reitman Family Charitable Purpose Fund for the gift that will continue to support EATA's mission for decades to come. EATA Executive Director Rebecca Widmer, and Program Director Jamie Call were able to join us at our region conference, along with two other Alaska PATH Intl. members.
EATA (formerly The Rainbow Connection TRC) has been serving the Anchorage and surrounding communities for over 30 years, and currently offers hippotherapy, adaptive riding, and their Veterans program, Freedom Reins. Congratulations, EATA!
Horse Abilities
Alaska is thrilled welcome a new PATH Intl. Center located on the beautiful emerald island of Kodiak! This wonderful program, Horse Abilities, has been operating for over 20 years under the leadership of Barbara Zimmerman Hoedel, under the umbrella of the University of Alaska's 4-H Youth Development program. Barbara has been a PATH Intl. certified instructor since 2000, and is currently finishing her ESMHL certification.
She has also been an equestrian coach for Special Olympics Alaska. Horse Abilities offers summer programs of hippo therapy, adaptive riding and a program for youth at risk.
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British Columbia/ Alberta, Canada
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Karen Tanchak reports that British Columbia had a wonderful representation of eight members at the Region 9 Conference held in Ellensburg, WA. General consensus was that it was a wonderful opportunity for education, networking, and a chance to meet fellow instructors.
Discussion at the state meeting centered on how to collaborate to be able to provide quality education in our areas. Shorter one or two day clinics would be preferred as members are spread throughout the province and travel costs need to be kept to a minimum.
Topics for refresher courses were identified to be in the areas of: Adaptive tack, Retention of horses, and Horse welfare.
It was also suggested that we create a Facebook page for BC members for communication purposes. This will enhance discussion and create the possibility of a network for acquiring new horses for the programs.
Everyone agreed that we need to be ambassadors for the industry and be proactive in making Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies a success in our area.
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Ride for Joy
"Ride for Joy continues to bring the joy of horses to those in need in the greater Treasure Valley," says Ride for Joy's Executive Director Marybeth Conger.
Since 2007, Ride for Joy has provided Equine Assisted Activities and Programs (EAAP). Initially RFJ offered a therapeutic riding program for children, but in July 2014, they expanded their therapeutic services for veteran's using the Riding Through Recovery curriculum. Then the adult pilot program started in 2015 and RFJ is looking to offer even more services to participants as the program grows. This May, RFJ collaborated with another Idaho non-profit and put on a 6 day camp for Veterans at the RFJ facility. In July, RFJ is adding another program day for In Hand classes for their Veterans.
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Forward Stride
Forward Stride, a Premier Accredited Center in Beaverton, Oregon, is pleased to announce their new Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program that will provide one-on-one psychotherapy with a licensed mental health therapist. They are also expanding their community impact by starting a scholarship fund for qualified military Veterans and at-risk youth to participate in their programs at no charge.
Healing Reins
Thanks to generous grant awards from both the Oregon Community Foundation and the Collins Foundation, Healing Reins, a Premier Accredited Center in Bend, Oregon, will be purchasing an additional modular for their facility. Due to community demand and subsequent program growth over the past two years, they have been busting at the seams and are so grateful to these foundations for their contributions to this project. The new modular is 12'x56' and will include two offices and an actual classroom space in between. Healing Reins plans to host more workshops and trainings now that they will be able to provide an enhanced learning environment. They are hoping to have the modular on site by October.
Welcome
Welcome Pegasus Center, a new PATH Intl. Member Center in Dexter, Oregon.
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State Chair Maggee Harrison reports that Montana was well represented at the
Region 9 Conference. "It was great to see so many dedicated EAAT professionals from the Treasure State. At our State Meeting we discussed topics for a February 2017 Montana State meeting. It is super exciting to work together to bring the best practices of therapeutic riding and equine assisted activities and therapies to our communities. Looking around the circle of attendees it was gratifying to see a more balanced blend of people representing the many aspects of our industry."
In May the
State Special Olympics Games were held in Missoula. PATH Intl. Centers and Certified Instructors were well represented and athletes brought home many medals.
Eagle Mount, in Bozeman, MT, is hosting a PATH Intl. ESMHL Workshop and Skill Test in August. They look forward to hosting 20 individuals dedicated to bringing their knowledge, skills and devotion to their craft back home to their participants. Faculty for this first ever workshop in Montana are Trish Broersma and Leslie McCullough. Space is still available for those wishing to join.
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Northwest Therapeutic Riding Center, a Premier Accredited Center in Bellingham, WA., will be holding a Rider Cup Golf Tournament on Monday, July 11th at the North Bellingham Golf Course, with proceeds going to help "Give a Leg up to People of All Abilities." It will feature a Shotgun Start and a 4 Person Team Scramble. Prizes and trophies are awarded for Low Gross, Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive, a putting contest and Corporate "Rider Cup" Trophy. A Burger Buffet will be served at the end.
Little Bit TRC, a Premier Accredited center in Redmond, WA, will be hosting their Annual Horse Show weekend for their riders to showcase their skills in Equitation, Obstacle Course, Barrel Racing, Costume Class, Showmanship and Dressage. Next year will be the 40th anniversary of their Pat Flynn Memorial Show and the 10th anniversary of their Margo O'Callaghan Memorial Dressage Show. At the Washington State Meeting at the Regional conference they talked about having neighboring centers have their riders and horses attend as well.
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Our region is busy! Please send any news about your center, successes, activities to either myself or your State Chair and let us all celebrate with you!
With Warmest Regards,
Annie Mabry
PATH Intl. Region 9 Rep
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Please direct correspondence about this newsletter to PATH Intl. eNews coordinator. No portion of this publication may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, scanned or electronic process without written permission from PATH Intl. PATH Intl. reserves the right to reject, accept and edit submitted material. The PATH Intl. Region Newsletters are intended as an information exchange and an opportunity for communication for members in the field of equine-assisted activities and therapies. The opinions, practices or products presented in PATH Intl. eNews do not necessarily reflect PATH Intl. policy, imply PATH Intl. endorsement, or comply with PATH Intl. standards. Events listed are for information purposes and do not necessarily reflect PATH Intl. policy, imply endorsement or comply with PATH Intl. Standards. They may or may not be eligible for PATH Intl. continuing education units on instructor compliance forms. For questions regarding CEUs, contact Bret Maceyak at the PATH Intl. office. If you prefer not to hear from us, just click on the "safe unsubscribe" below and we will remove you from our mailing list. Removing your email address from the PATH Intl. member database will prevent you from receiving all email correspondence including event notices and other time-sensitive correspondence.
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