General

Why was the Standards Manual reorganized?

What process was used in the reorganization of the manual?

Is the manual reorganization complete?

Are there new standards in the manual?

Why are some of the standards duplicated?

Where are the specialty standards?

Why is therapeutic riding not covered in the core standards?

Which Standards Manual should I use for my upcoming accreditation visit?

How do I know the standards to which we need to comply?

Why was the Standards Manual reorganized?

With the growth of the equine-assisted activities and therapies industry the Standards Reorganization Task Force reviewed the current layout of the PATH Intl. Standards for Certification and Accreditation (Standards Manual) with the following concepts:

• Repetitive standards within different sections
- • Same requirements (credentialing, training, conditioning) are repeated in multiple specialties
• Limited to present concepts
- • The historical layout was unwieldy as standards for new activities and services were incorporated
• Expansion within equine-assisted activities and therapies industry to encompass new activities, goals and benefits such as equine-facilitated learning, mental health, hippotherapy and other potential medical models
• Downplays professionalism of therapeutic riding, not “specialized”

What process was used in the reorganization of the manual?

• The Standards Reorganization Task Force kicked off with a meeting at the PATH Intl. office in Denver and spent a weekend categorizing the standards one-by-one and identifying like (duplicate) standards.
• The task force met weekly via conference call. The initial document was reviewed over several months and changes were made.
• During the review process any questions were sent to the appropriate committee for review.
• Review and work on like (duplicate) standards started with the goal of eliminating repetitive requirements.
• The combination of standards that lead to no intent change were vetted through all of the appropriate committees with final review and approval by the Programs and Standards Oversight Committee.
• The combination of standards that had intent changes where vetted through the appropriate committees. Program and Standards Oversight Committee reviewed and recommended for field test to the Strategic Initiative Review Committee (SIRC). Field test standards were approved by SIRC according to the Standards Development Policy (1/2012).
• A mock draft of the core, activity and services standards was submitted for review to the Program and Standards Oversight Committee and to volunteers representing various member groups.
• Program and Standards approved the final organization of the standards.

Is the manual reorganization complete?

The 2012 Standards Manual is the first phase of a multi-year project. The Standards Task Force is tasked with continuing review of like (duplicate) standards, as they relate to international compliance, technology and areas of growth. The task force will also review feedback received regarding the work completed thus far.

Are there new standards in the manual?

No. The standards were reorganized into the new sections, corrected for grammar, like (duplicate) standards were reviewed and the process of combining like standards into a single standard when there was no intent change was started.

Why are some of the standards duplicated?

The reorganization of the standards highlighted standards that were duplicated or similar but in different sections of the old manuals. As this is a multi-year project, these duplicated or similar standards will be reviewed by the Standards Task Force and further simplified. Any changes in intent as a result of combing standards will require field testing.

Where are the specialty standards?

The specialty standards are now covered in the activity and service standards. Driving and interactive vaulting are in the activity standards. Hippotherapy and equine-facilitated psychotherapy are in the service standards.

Why is therapeutic riding not covered in the core standards?

Reorganizing these standards into the activity and service sections sets therapeutic riding as an activity and service outside of the core standards and underscores the growing professionalism and the unique needs in the area of therapeutic riding.

Which Standards Manual should I use for my upcoming accreditation visit?

Centers that have submitted their application for accreditation prior to June 30, 2012, will use the 2011 edition of the PATH Intl. Standards for Certification and Accreditation for their visits. Any requests to accredit using the 2012 edition of the Standards Manual must be made in writing to the PATH Intl. office prior to the scheduling of site visitors.

Centers that apply after July 1, 2012, and have their site visit prior to December 31, 2012, will have the choice to accredit using the 2011 or 2012 edition of the Standards Manual. All site visits that take place after January 1, 2013, will accredit using the 2012 edition of the Standards Manual.
Site visitors will be notified as to which manual they will be scoring during this grace period during the scheduling process.

How do I know the standards to which we need to comply?

All centers and individuals must comply with all applicable core standards regardless of the activities and services being provided. In the activity standards section, centers and individuals comply with all applicable standards as dictated by their programming, e.g. mounted (riding), driving, interactive vaulting and/or ground activities. In the service standards section, centers and individuals comply with all applicable standards as dictated by the goals of their programming, e.g. equestrian skills (therapeutic riding, driving, interactive vaulting or ground), hippotherapy and/or equine-facilitated psychotherapy. For example, a center that offers mounted equine-facilitate psychotherapy must meet the applicable core standards, mounted standards and medical/mental health standards. A center that offers therapeutic riding and driving must meet the applicable core standards, mounted standards, driving standards and equestrian skills standards.

We couldn't do what we do without the tens of thousands of people who volunteer their time and talents to our centers. PATH Intl. would like to take this space to honor a special volunteer at your center. If your center has a volunteer you would like to thank, submit a short write-up about them and a picture to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Mickey Winters: She Gets as Good as She Gives – and She Gives a Lot!

mickey-winter-and-ginger Mention “Mickey” and “Orlando” in the same breath and most people think of that beloved cartoon character – you know, the one with the big ears and the long tail. But at Freedom Ride in Orlando, we think of our own beloved character: Mickey Winters. Her ears are not as big, but she does have quite the tale! And, like her cartoon counterpart, she brings smiles to all she meets and has touched the lives of many through her volunteer work at Freedom Ride.

During the final months of her mother’s life, Mickey had dedicated herself to her mother’s care. When her mother passed away in February 2002, Mickey found herself with time on her hands and a void in her life. Looking for ways to keep busy, meet new people, and give back to the community, her passion for horses and children led her to volunteer at Freedom Ride. Ten years and over 2,000 volunteer hours later, Mickey is not only still volunteering, but as of August 2008 she is also a PATH Intl-certified instructor teaching classes regularly. As she puts it, “When I got my own shift, I was in love. It has been a childhood dream to be a teacher and now I’m living that dream.”

From horse care to barn work, Mickey is always ready to pitch in. She generously shares her knowledge with new volunteers, students, and parents. If there’s a community event to raise awareness and/or funds for Freedom Ride, you’ll find Mickey manning the table and working the crowd. Her faithful service to the organization over the years is an inspiration to others and a tremendous asset to Freedom Ride. “Ten years of volunteering at Freedom Ride... it seems like just yesterday; and also like I've been doing it forever. It has meant the world to me to help others, and seeing the smiles on my student's faces, and seeing them advance has made it all so special to me…not to mention the friendships I have made along the way.” As it turns out, the hours spent at the therapeutic riding facility have been almost as beneficial for Mickey as they have been for the students. Horsepower for the spirit, indeed.

Q: What is Path Intl. Community Connections?

A: Community Connections is the voice of PATH Intl. membership. It unites members with both similar and diverse interests and provides them with networking opportunities. The vision is to support a member-centric approach, where members have the ability to engage with one another in communities as they see fit. This will be accomplished by creating PATH Intl. Community Groups with active and defined leadership and a shared passion for the association mission. PATH Intl. Community Connections will also support local, state, regional, national and international opportunities for face-to-face meetings and networking events.

Q: What motivated the association to create PATH Intl. Community Connections?
A: YOU! Members have been asking for increased opportunities to connect and share passions, interests and insights. PATH Intl. Community Connections provides just such a social networking platform. It is for members by members.

Q: What are PATH Intl. Community Groups?
A: The PATH Intl. social networking site connects members through community groups by linking individuals with a shared interest and/or purpose through involvement in the group(s) of their choosing. These groups foster community through member participation, member and mentor matching, support, resource sharing and advocacy. Community groups align with the PATH Intl. mission, vision, strategic plan and practices, but they are imagined, created, defined and managed by their members. The association creates the environment for community groups to operate; however, the communities themselves are self-directed.

Q: What is the difference between PATH Intl. Community Groups and PATH Intl. Committees?
A: Committees will remain active under the association’s volunteer organization chart, making relevant decisions regarding the association’s credentialing programs; overseeing standards development; ensuring the educational support exists for the EAAT industry; supporting staff in recruiting, retaining and recognizing members. Committees do the WORK of the association.

Communities operate freely with their purpose being driven by members rather than the association. While community groups align with the PATH Intl. mission, vision and goals, their activities are self-directed. Communities are less project-driven and more focused on networking.

Volunteer committees and staff may turn to community groups as advisors and experts in addressing association opportunities and issues. Communities may petition appropriate volunteer committees and staff regarding opportunities, issues and procedures they believe the association should be aware of as they relate to PATH Intl. strategic priorities and the needs of the industry.

Q: What PATH Intl. Community Groups have already been identified?
A: Community groups are formed by members for members. To date a number of highly active groups have stepped forward to pilot this new initiative: the instructor community (including riding, driving and vaulting instructors), the equine-facilitated psychotherapy community, the equine-facilitated learning community and the administrative community. PATH Intl. hopes that many other communities will emerge to form active community groups in the near future.

Q: How do regions and PATH Intl. Community Groups interact?
A: Each region can have a community group if they feel it is useful. Members can engage with each other via any geographic groups and by the specialty community groups of their choosing. Members will be able to search for each other and for events, programs and professionals by state and also by specialty. Finally, since the community chairs of the broad-based community groups sit on the PATH Intl. Membership Oversight Committee (made up of all region representatives), the needs of both regions and specialties will be represented.

Q: What if a PATH Intl. Community Group identifies an opportunity or issue with certification, accreditation or standards development?
A: Members of the community group can follow the individual processes of their community to submit a proposal to the Community Chair. The Community Chair can in turn submit this proposal to the appropriate Oversight Committee. (See Community Connections User Manual for more specific information.)

Q: How can I join a PATH Intl. Community Group?
A: It’s easy! For existing PATH Intl. members, just go to www.pathintl.org/path-intl-membership/my-community and click the link to PATH Intl. Community Connections to create your profile. View all of the community groups available and engage in active dialog or just enjoy the resources and discussions from a distance.

Q: What if I want to start a new PATH Intl. Community Group?A: One of the best things about PATH Intl. Community Connections is that it is FOR MEMBERS BY MEMBERS, so if you feel like there is a community out there that isn’t represented, and you can demonstrate active participation by the membership, PATH Intl. will help you start a new community group!

Q: Can I be part of more than one PATH Intl. Community Group?
A: YES! You can join as many community groups as you like. All PATH Intl. members have access to all the community groups.

Q: Is there a fee associated with joining a PATH Intl. Community Group?
A: For PATH Intl. members, it’s FREE

Q: How do PATH Intl. Community Groups operate?
A: Each community group is led by a community chair and a team of community leaders who represent the needs of their community members. The community chairs of the broad-based communities sit on the PATH Intl. Membership Oversight Committee (MOC) along with the region representatives. The chair of the Membership Oversight Committee represents the needs of both the regions and the communities to the other oversight committees and to the PATH Intl. Board of Trustees. (See Community Connections User Manual for more information.)

Q: How do I communicate with my PATH Intl. Community Group?
A: PATH Intl. has invested in a new social networking site similar to Facebook but designed specifically to meet the needs of PATH Intl. members. This social networking site provides each member with the opportunity to create a profile, choose community groups, connect with other members, find mentors, engage in discussion, work on projects collaboratively, participate in community-wide or association-wide surveys and access the resource library, which is created and maintained by the members of the various community groups. One of the great benefits to this social networking site is that members can connect with one another and work on projects regardless of time zones or what continent they live on and can do so in their free moments between lessons and sessions.

Q: What kind of technology do I need to have to be involved in a PATH Intl. Community Group?
A: You will need access to both a computer and the Internet. If you are at all familiar with Facebook, you will be comfortable with the PATH Intl. social networking site. The PATH Intl. staff and the community chairs and leaders will assist you with any technological issues you may encounter. Pick up a handout about the PATH Intl. Community Connections social networking site or download a copy from the PATH Intl. website at www.pathintl.org/path-intl-membership/my-community.

Q: Is there a mobile application for the PATH Intl. Community Connections social networking site?
A: No, but there is a mobile site that you are automatically directed to if you are using your mobile device. This site has fewer features but is optimized for your phone.

Q: With this transition to PATH Intl. Community Groups and the new social networking site, what will happen to existing Yahoo Groups?
A: The Yahoo Groups email exchanges can continue to act as an independent sites for conversations that include both members and non-members. All important resources currently available on the various Yahoo Groups will be condensed into appropriate resource libraries based on special interest and content and can be accessed through the social networking site. PATH Intl. invites any members or non-members who wish to continue monitoring the individual Yahoo Groups to do so independently of PATH Intl.

Q: How will the association change because of PATH Intl. Community Connections?
A: PATH Intl. will become more streamlined and more professional because of the powerful voice of thousands of actively engaged members who advocate for their areas of specialty, engage in lively dialog and provide vision for the association as a whole. The association will be stronger, more diverse and at the same time more integrated as PATH Intl. Community Connections unites members and gives them a voice.

Q: How can I get more information about PATH Intl. Community Connections?
A: www.pathintl.org/path-intl-membership/my-community

Instructions

Log on to www.pathintl.org/path-intl-membership/my-community
Click on the Community Connections link
Log in using your unique email address and PATH Intl. password
1. If this is your first time logging in, use Password1 as your password
2. If you are not yet a PATH Intl. member, you will have limited access to the site
You will be on your “Dashboard” page. Here you can:
1. Edit your settings (create your profile with photo and bio, change privacy setting, adjust your notifications)
2. Edit your Content Alert settings (pick your areas of specific interest)
3. Play with the organization of your Dashboard (you can move anything with a header to a different location on your Dashboard)
4. Answer questions for Member Matching
5. Search for members
6. View calendar
7. Access ALL groups available
  1. Engage in dialog
  2. View resource library
  3. Have private email dialogs with other members
  4. Connect/network
  5. View group notifications
  6. Participate in polls
HAVE FUN and EXPLORE!!

How can I unsubscribe or change my notifications?

Click here for instructions.

How to Unsubscribe

From an email notification:

Click on the “To unsubscribe or change your notification options, sign in to your account” at the bottom of your email
Enter your primary email address (the one you use to log in to PATH Intl.) and your PATH Intl. password.
Hit “Go.”

Or
From the PATH Intl. webpage:

Click here to go to the Community Connections log in page. (It will open in a new window, so you can keep these directions open.)
Enter your primary email address (the one you use to log in to PATH Intl) and your PATH Intl. password.
Hit “Go.”

Once on the Site…

Click on Edit my settings (on the left menu next to your profile picture)
Click on the Notifications tab under Account Settings
- To receive notification emails, click On.
- To deactivate notification emails, click Off.
- To set when digest emails are received, “Daily” indicates once a day, “Weekly” indicates once a week and “Never” deactivates digest emails.
Set your email notifications. These notifications are messages or requests that you will receive personally.
Set your email digests. The email digests will give you a summary of your activities, your group updates and your content alerts in one email.
You may update your notification or digest settings at any time.

If you have any trouble after reading the instructions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Welcome to Community Connections, the voice of PATH Intl. Membership.

PATH Intl. Community Connections unites members with both similar and diverse interests and provides them with networking opportunities.

Community Groups

PATH Intl. now has its OWN social networking site! If you are interested in meeting other PATH Intl. members, discussing topics of interest, sharing resources, posting events, emailing members directly from the site, and generally supporting each other in the work that you do, you should check out Community Connections! The site is easy to use and provides a platform for all PATH Intl. communication.

Join whichever communities suit your interests and start interacting! Community groups are run by volunteer leaders or chairs and are imagined, created, defined, and managed by their members.

If you don’t see the community that you are a part of represented within the existing community groups, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss the possibilities!

Before you engage in PATH Intl. Community Connections, please read our Community Guidelines. (Login link is below.)

Community Guidelines

Stay on topic. Make your contribution relevant to the original post.
Be polite. Comments that contain inappropriate language, harshly criticize or disrespect others' opinions are not allowed.
Report violations. Inform the Community Chair so that appropriate action can be taken.
Don’t share information about PATH Intl. that you aren’t sure of. Always ask a staff member if you don’t know the answer.
Stay positive and supportive. Do not react openly to guideline violations. Someone else's violation is not an excuse for you to respond or react in a way that violates our guidelines.
Do not impersonate or invade privacy. Impersonating members of the community, the PATH Intl. staff or anyone else will not be tolerated. Do not post private information about others.

Important Fine Print:

Please return to this page regularly to review our rules and guidelines for periodic updates.
You are responsible for your own actions and content posted on PATH Intl. Community Connections.
All rules and guidelines equally apply to our Private Message system. Private Messages are not private from the webmaster.
At our discretion, we reserve the right to monitor all interactions between you and other community members.
We reserve the right to discipline or ban any community member for violating the rules, guidelines and/or spirit of our community.
Banishment results in, but is not limited to, the closure of all accounts held by a user. Such users are not permitted to return to PATH Intl. Community Connections under any circumstance.
Content provided by members of our community reflect the opinions and experience of those members, not PATH Intl. or PATH Intl. staff.
Content posted on PATH Intl. Community Connections becomes the property of PATH Intl. and may be edited, deleted, published or otherwise used by us.
PATH Intl. does not check the accuracy of posted content and accepts no responsibility for loss, injury, inconvenience or misinformation sustained by any person using the free advice received from PATH Intl. Community Connections members.
Content found in PATH Intl. Community Connections is not to be used for formal and/or professional research, commercial gain or redistribution in any way without the permission of PATH Intl. and the PATH Intl. Community Connections member(s) involved.
Where applicable, the PATH Intl. Community Guidelines apply to outside websites administered by PATH Intl. such as Facebook and YouTube.
All PATH Intl. Community Group members will uphold the values and ethics outlined in the PATH Intl. Code of Ethics and will align their community work with the association’s vision, mission and strategic plan.
Community group members will be respectful of each other’s individual voices and diverse backgrounds as people from around the world meld together to form a unique cultural blend. PATH Intl. Community Group members strive to create a friendly, supportive and welcoming atmosphere where open, honest communication is encouraged.