- Trail Ride at CHA Program Member site - Life Adventure Center in Kentucky

Winter is upon us and with the colder weather it is a great time to do a SWOT analysis of your riding program. Doug Emerson, who some of you met in Colorado at our International Conference and who will be speaking again at our event in Kentucky this year, has this to tell us about a SWOT process.

<< read More From the CHA Office >>

:: By Hillary Benjamin

Life Adventure Center in Kentucky

On a typical day at Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass (LAC), you might see the smiling faces of children learning how to canter in the indoor arena, or a group of teens tackling a challenge on the ropes course. Wherever you are on the farm, you see lush pastures and fields and know you are in the heart of horse country.

<<read more about Program Member Highlight >>

:: By Kathryn Watts

Is Dead Grass Safe to Graze?

Going to be doing more educational ground sessions with your students this winter?  Why not try teaching some pasture management concepts as they relate to horses with certain needs. Let this article by Kathryn Watts help you in your research.

<<read more about Teaching Techniques >>

CHA is an Education Alliance Partner of the
American Quarter Horse Association

What does this new alliance mean for you as members of CHA? It will drive more traffic to your barns and camps and more phone calls to you if you are an individual riding instructor. CHA will now be visible in America’s Horse magazine and on the AQHA website for AQHA members and others to be able to find a place to learn how to ride and handle horses safely, effectively and in a fun way! CHA Regional Conferences and the International Conference will have great presentations from AQHA trainers from around the country and you might be asked to be a presenter at an AQHA Regional Experience.

For those of you that use American Quarter Horses in your riding programs as lesson horses, think about getting that transfer taken care of getting their registrations current. Click here for more information.

Also, AQHA is working on possible discounts for CHA members for the Junior Master Horseman’s educational books and others. Click here to find out more about this great educational tool.

Look into becoming an AQHA Professional Horseman and be listed on the AQHA website as well. Click here to find out the requirements to become an AQHA Professional Horseman today!

This alliance will continue to grow and change, so stay tuned for more CHA benefits with AQHA in future eblasts and The Instructor magazine issues.

CHA International Conference at the Horse Park
in Lexington, KY – Sure to Be a Huge Success!

The speakers and sessions are coming together for the October 30 – November 2, 2008 CHA International Conference. The host hotel is the Holiday Inn Lexington North. Please call the hotel at 888-465-4329 or at 859-233-0512 to get your special CHA Conference rate of only $89 a night for up to four people in a room. Click here to find out more about the hotel - 

Click here to find out more about the Kentucky Horse Park the site of the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

Click here to register for the conference through CHA and to find a tentative schedule of presentations.

Here is the tentative schedule to start planning your trip:

Thursday, October 30, 2008

• Welcome Lunch at noon at the hotel
• Sessions at the Holiday Inn Lexington North Hotel from 1:30 – 5:45
• Reception from 6 – 7 p.m. at the hotel

Friday, October 31, 2008

• Breakfast on your own
• Mounted sessions from 9 – 11:45 a.m. at the Horse Park
• Lunch at the Park
• Mounted sessions from 1:30 – 5:45 p.m.
• Dinner on your own or visit the Trail Encampment for outdoor cooking over the campfire at the Park!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

• Breakfast on your own
• Mounted sessions from 9 – 11:45 a.m. at the Horse Park
• Lunch at the Park
• Mounted sessions from 1:30 – 5:45 p.m.
• Reception from 6 – 7 p.m. and CHA Awards Banquet at 7 p.m.
  at the Holiday Inn Lexington North Hotel

Sunday, November 2, 2008

• Sessions on CPR and First Aid with EquineU.com at 9 a.m. - noon
• On your own:
  • Visit the Keeneland Racetrack to see the fall Thoroughbred yearling sale
  • Go to Louisville, KY to visit Churchill Downs
  • Visit the Three Chimneys Thoroughbred Farm
  • And other famous TB farms in the Blue Grass State
  • Visit the Kentucky Horse Park – CHA Conference discount rate of $8 a person

New Covered Arena at Camp Berachah in Washington

Just a quick note to say our covered arena planned for in 2005 is now up!  It should be operational in January when we'll be able to add a few more classes under cover and some English and Western higher level activities.  Thanks for your support, involvement and encouragement in the past!

- Kathy Altick

In Sympathy

TR Stalley, husband of long-time CHA member Patti Stalley of Riverton, WY, died in December suddenly of a heart attack. Our prayers are with Patti and her family at this time.

Welcome NEW CHA Life Members!

Julie Good of Manheim, Pennsylvania

Chiara Green of Donald, Oregon

Question: Asked by Barb Sieminski

If it rains, do you bring in your horses or just let them stay in the field?  I was taught that it is better to bring them in so the mud won't dry, leaving deep holes and then being a potential place of injury to the horses and people.  The wet mud could also suck off shoes on a horse, as we all know.

Answer:  <<read Answer>>

2008 Regional Conferences

Click here to find the CHA Region that you are in and when your Regional Conference is taking place.

Region 1

The first CHA Regional Conference of the year is coming up. The Region One Conference is at Warm Beach Christian Camp in Stanwood, WA. February 21-24, 2008. Contact Patti Skipton at 360-652-7575 or at pskipton@warmbeach.com or visit www.warmbeach.com

Region 3

The first Region 3 Conference in 10 years was attended by well over 50 people! The conference was open to everyone.  We had instructors from all areas and levels, as well as students and area horseman.  There was also a tack sale and vendors on site for your shopping desires.  We hosted a Silent Auction to help raise money for the region which was very successful.  We are already looking forward to next year’s conference! – Kathy Findley (262) 895-6978 or at whisperingwillowfarm@yahoo.com

Region 4

Our Region is excited to be hosting the International Conference in Kentucky this fall.  We are not having a Regional Conference in hopes that everybody will be able to attend the International Conference at the Kentucky Horse Park October 30 – November 2, 2008.  I think that with the site being in the center of "horse country" it will probably be the biggest conference in CHA's history. 

I would like to commend program member Pegasus Farms, located in Clinton, Ohio, on their continued growth in therapeutic programming.  They are definitely one of the largest in our Region.  They have implemented many new cutting edge programs.  Along with that, I would like to congratulate CHA Instructor Laura Hamrin, an employee of Pegasus Farms, on her recent earning of the status of Registered Instructor with NAHRA.

Our Region looks forward to our Spring Certification Clinics.  We also look forward to the Equine Affaire which is held in Columbus, Ohio in April.  Yet, most importantly, we are looking forward to hosting the CHA International Conference. - Terry Jones (513) 850-5397, TerryJonesT@aol.com

:: By Julie Goodnight

A Tangled Web We Weave

These days, business correspondence is almost entirely dependent on email and internet. If you don't have an email address, you are way behind the times and are making it difficult for your clients and the rest of the business world to reach you. In this article I have listed a few Pet Peeves of mine in regards to corresponding by email.

<<read more Pet Peeves>>

:: By Julie Goodnight

TEACHING

Winter lesson revenues tend to drop like the mercury this time of year. No one wants to ride in the cold and the footing can be problematic, to say the least. Consider adding groundwork training to your lesson program, which you may be able to do in your barn or in a small sheltered area. Winter is a great time to study behavior and work on leadership and authority with the horse through lead line work. (Visit www.juliegoodnight.com to see my video called Lead Line Leadership for specific exercises you can do). You may also find a cozy inside corner to learn about conformation, feet handling, massage and stretching, saddle fitting, clipping, first aid, etc. You’ll be surprised how many students want to learn this stuff—it’s not all about the riding!
- Julie Goodnight, CHA Spokesperson

HERD

Spend time in the pasture with your herd of trail horses so you will know their natural pecking order. This will help when choosing the line up for horses on trail rides to keep fussiness between them to a minimum and ensure a smoother and safer ride.
- Polly Haselton Barger, CHA Program Director

TACK ROOM

Frozen stiff leather, ice cold bits and unusable ointments are an unnecessary evil, if you have the ability to heat your tack room in the winter. Just keeping it a 45° can make all the difference in the world in many climates. If you heat your tack room in the winter, consider using a humidifier to prevent the leather from drying out too much. Make certain your electric is up to code and only safe heating units are used.
- Polly Haselton Barger, CHA Program Director

LINGO

Moon Blindness is an eye disease that causes a cloudy or inflamed condition of the eyes. It may be treatable with medications and horses often benefit from wearing a mask or shelter to reduce exposure to the sun. Any unusual condition of the eye warrants immediately attention from a veterinarian to maintain sight in the horse. Moon blindness often leads to complete blindness and is prevalent in certain breeds and coloration.
- Dictionary of Equine Terms

:: By Julie Goodnight and Polly Haselton Barger

“This Can’t Be Happening to ME!”

THE INCIDENT

It had been a while since Leslie had ridden her mare, maybe a month. Between managing her boarding barn and her “real” job in town, it was hard to find enough time to ride both her horses. Since the eight year old mare was more challenging than the old reliable gelding, when she had time to ride, Leslie naturally migrated to the gelding, leaving her mare under worked and over paid.

But today, alone at the barn with a little extra time, Leslie’s guilty conscious pushed her to get the mare out for some long overdue exercise. Preferring to cut to the chase, generally Leslie would just get on and ride, but since it had been awhile since the mare had been ridden, she decided to longe her first. The mare was lazy but more or less did what Leslie asked, although with attitude.

It occurred to Leslie that by letting her mare work half-heartedly, she may be setting herself up for an obedience problem later on in their ride, but instead of taking the time to work through the issue with ground work, she went ahead and mounted and proceeded to the rail. 

Leslie immediately sensed that the mare was reluctant to move forward and did not want to obey the simplest commands. Leslie knew it was important to rule out a physical cause for her mare’s reluctance before considering a training issue, so she got off and longed her again, this time watching keenly for possible injury or lameness.  But the mare seemed fine the second time around and this time she obeyed with improved (but not perfect) responsesiveness.

Leslie mounted a second time and asked for a walk. Within moments, the mare’s ears went back, she planted her feet, rocked back and reared. Although Leslie had seen all the warning signs leading up to this refusal, she deluded herself into believing everything was fine and nothing would happen—“She’s never acted this way before!” It seemed to all happen in slow motion, but Leslie was too stunned to take the necessary action to get her mare moving. Instead of taking charge of the horse, she froze.

The mare reared high and Leslie came off. She hit the ground off the right side of the horse, landing underneath the mare. A front hoof came down on Leslie’s leg, breaking the ankle in two places.  Leslie was alone in the arena, unable to stand up, no cell phone and about an acre from the house.

Somehow Leslie managed to drag herself through the mud, up the hill to the house, where she could call for help. She has had two operations on her leg, which is healing nicely and she is back to riding her other horses. Understandably, she now has a fear of riding this mare.

<< click to Read the Analysis >>

©2008 All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue expressly forbidden without written permission of the publisher/editor: Certified Horsemanship Association, 4037 Iron Works Parkway Suite 180, Lexington, KY 40511, 859-259-3399.

The Instructor is published four times a year by the Certified Horsemanship Association, Lexington, KY (2 printed and 2 electronic issues). The Instructor accepts submissions of manuscripts, photographs and drawings or an exclusive basis. However, the publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Submission does not guarantee publication. Materials cannot be returned unless accompanied by a SASE. Products and advertising included in The Instructor do not constitute endorsement by CHA, its board of directors, the magazine or its staff or specific products or information provided by the manufacturers.

CHA MISSION: The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education throughout the horse industry. CHA serves leaders, instructors and riding program directors for youth associations, clubs, riding stables, camps, colleges and recreational programs with instructor and trail guide certification. CHA also publishes industry standards for group riding programs, accredits riding program facilities and provides the most comprehensive variety of program resources for instructional and recreational riding programs.