General

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Phishing Scams

Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

PATH Intl. does not contract with third-party companies to sell our mailing list or member data. Please disregard any such fraudulent company solicitations. PATH Intl. has updated the website to help slow the spam attempts using our name.

PATH Intl. staff or officers will never ask you to transfer funds to a staff member, volunteer leader or member for any reason.
While we may ask you to log in to your profile to register for an event, update your contact or access the members only area of the website, we will not ask you to send your social security number or bank account information. If there is an issue with a credit card number that you submitted we will not ask you to send that information by email. Electronic and paper invoices will direct you to our secure PCI-compliant payment page, to the PATH Intl. 1-800 number or to our fax number.

If you have any questions about the validity of a message from PATH Intl., the staff, board, PATH Intl. volunteers, region representative, the website or the e-newsletter provider, please don't hesitate to contact the office directly.

.Org Domain Sold to Private Equity Firm

Center administrators, if your center website address ends with .org, this information might be of interest to you. Some nonprofit organizations are concerned about increased online costs after the recent sale of the .org domain to a private equity firm called Ethos Capital LLC.

Last week, Public Interest Registry said it reached an agreement to be acquired by Ethos for an undisclosed price. The deal is expected to close early next year. Public Interest Registry has managed the .org domain registry since 2002. There are roughly 10 million .org domains in operation, including most web addresses used by associations.

The concern that Ethos will raise the fee to renew domain names has heightened since the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a global entity that manages the Internet’s address system, took steps in June to remove the longstanding price cap of 10% for renewal of .org domain names. ASAE submitted comments to ICANN earlier this year arguing that removing the price cap would expose the vast association and tax-exempt sector to exploitative pricing in the years ahead. ICANN reasoned that competition will keep prices in check, but associations with established web addresses will not risk changing their web address and losing their online identity.

“Stating that nonprofit organizations can easily switch from one domain name to another if they don’t like the pricing structure ignores the reality that established nonprofits have a longstanding Internet presence built on a .org domain name – a name and online reputation that the organization (not the registry operator) has spent decades cultivating,” ASAE said in its comments.

The ICANN contract allows existing registrants to renew their domain names for up to 10 years at current prices before price hikes take effect but ASAE believes this only delays the inevitable pricing instability to come.

A spokesperson for Ethos told the Wall Street Journal this week that the firm is committed to reasonable pricing for domain name renewals, but ASAE added its name to a coalition letter this week urging the Internet Society to stop the sale of Public Interest Registry to Ethos. “A registry could abuse these powers to do significant harm to the global NGO sector,” the letter states. “We cannot afford to put them into the hands of a private equity firm that has not earned the trust of the NGO community. .Org must be managed by a leader that puts the needs of NGOs over profits.”

PATH Intl. Launches New Individual Membership Options and Benefits

Beginning July 1, 2019 select the PATH Intl. membership tier that best fits your individual needs and start enjoying your incredible new benefits!

In response to member requests for a more customized membership experience, PATH Intl. is rolling out its new individual membership tiers. Individuals can select from several options to align the benefits they value with their personal goals and needs. The next time you renew you will have choices and some new exciting benefits the association has been eager to announce!

The tier you’ll probably feel most familiar with, because it’s closest to the previous individual and instructor memberships, is now called the Participating Membership. There is one difference though and that’s the fact that for a limited time it will be $5 less than the previous membership.

The next tier is called the Professional Membership. Professional members will receive all the benefits of a participating member plus discounts on education and certification fees, access to the PATH Intl. Perks by Abenity program for the member plus two additional people and two free PATH Intl. webinars or conference session recordings (*premium education not included).

The highest tier is the Professional Plus Membership. Members at this level will receive all the benefits of the participating and professional levels plus FREE access to all PATH Intl. webinars or conference session recordings (*premium education not included). If you’re a person who’d enjoy a full year of free, unlimited access to all the PATH Intl. webinars and conference recordings, this level is for you.

Click here for the list of each of the tiers and their associated benefits. New benefits are highlighted. Watch for upcoming communications about how to start taking advantage of everything the new benefits provide! Have questions in the meantime about new benefits or the tiers? Check out the FAQs.

Members whose membership expires after April 1, 2019 who have already renewed may upgrade their membership to the professional or professional plus levels paying only the difference in cost. Your expiration date will remain the same. To upgrade, download the membership upgrade form from the PATH Intl. website. The form will be available before the end of June.

Still have questions? Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For other news about PATH Intl., visit the PATH Intl. News archives.

Click here to download the online copy of the PATH Intl. Standards for Certification and Accreditation manual from the PATH Intl. Store. The online copy is $35 for non-members; FREE for members, so sign in to the store's database to receive member pricing. You can then find your copy of the standards manual in your downloads.

Purchase a printed copy of the PATH Intl. Standards for Certification and Accreditation manual from the PATH Intl. Store.

The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) Standards for Certification and Accreditation details voluntary standards for the equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) industry, precautions and contraindications to therapeutic riding, a glossary of industry terms and sample forms.

If you have questions about certification, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you have questions about accreditation, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

History and Development of Standards

From the organization’s inception in 1969, members have focused on the establishment of industry guidelines for the practice and teaching of EAAT, to ensure that our centers and instructors maintain the safest, most ethical and most effective programs possible for the thousands of people participating in EAAT. The commitment of our founders and early leaders to quality center accreditation and instructor certification has become a cornerstone of the organization. PATH Intl.’s goals and objectives have continued to place emphasis on the importance of these programs, and our staff, volunteers and Board are always working to ensure our standards stay up-to-date.

Disclaimer

The purpose of these standards is to educate program directors, program personnel/staff and the public regarding best practices and procedures followed within the therapeutic riding industry. These standards are voluntary, but provide the basis for PATH Intl. instructor certification and center accreditation. It should be understood that each standard or each part of every standard may not be applicable to all therapeutic riding programs. Further, these standards do not include every practice or procedure that might be desirable for or implemented by a program since the services, conditions, facilities and objectives of all programs are not identical. PATH Intl. does not suggest or infer that those who do not follow all of these standards or recommendations engage in unsafe practices.

The PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center status may be achieved only by those member centers that satisfy eligibility requirements and voluntarily implement PATH Intl. center and program standards. Programs outside of these definitions or criteria are not subject to our standards and are not considered for accreditation.

While PATH Intl. requires all accredited centers to participate in regular visits and membership renewals, PATH Intl. does not claim to verify complete and continuous adherence to all standards at all centers. Nor does PATH Intl. warrant, guarantee or insure that compliance with these standards will prevent any or all injury, loss, or litigation that may be caused by or associated with any person’s use of facilities, equipment, horses or other items or activities that are included in the content of these standards, nor does PATH Intl. assume any responsibility or liability for any such injury or loss.

Further, PATH Intl. hereby expressly disclaims any responsibility, liability or duty to member programs, directors, program personnel/staff, and to clients/participants and their families, for any such liability arising out of injury or loss to any person by the failure of such member programs, directors or program personnel/staff to adhere to these standards or guidelines.

Purchase a printed copy of the PATH Intl. Standards for Certification and Accreditation manual from the PATH Intl. Store.

Standards Feedback

PATH Intl. welcomes comments and feedback on its current standards. Comments/feedback can be emailed to the PATH Intl. office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by using the Membership Standards Feedback form, attention PATH Intl. Programs and Standards Oversight Committee. The comments/feedback may be directed to another committee for review when additional expertise is required. Please note that the submitters contact information is required as reviewing committee may need additional information and feedback.

The reviewing committee will make one of the following recommendations to the Programs and Standards Oversight Committee:
1. That the standard needs to be amended with no change in intent and written into the next version of the PATH Intl. Standards for Certification and Accreditation.
2. That the standard needs to be amended but changes the intent of the standard. The process for developing a new field test standard is implemented and can be found in the PATH Intl. Standards for Certification and Accreditation.
3. That no action to amend the standard is required.