NARHA News March 2 2010

Click here to download the 2010 criteria and nomination forms for our Volunteer, Equine, Instructor, Equestrian, Sis Gould, Veteran or James Brady Professional Achievement awards to help us honor all those dedicated to this amazing industry.

Some guidelines for 2010 have changed, so please read all criteria for each award carefully and submit a complete application for the award of your choice. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Award nominations are due by May 14, 2010. Please have them postmarked by this date or submitted via email by May 14, 2010.

Please send all nominations to NARHA, Attn: Tara McChesney, PO Box 33150, Denver, CO 80233 or email them to [email protected].

Late nominations will not be accepted.

Region Conference Updates

The 2010 Region 5 Conference in Indian Springs, Alabama, will be August 6-8. The spring issue of NARHA's Strides Magazine ran an incorrect date.

The 2010 Region 9 Conference has been moved to July 9-11, 2010. The conference will remain at Pegasus Project Therapeutic Riding Center (4680 Highway 12, Yakima, WA 98908). Please look for online registration to open back up in the next few days, once all of the speaker details are confirmed.

The 2010 Region 11 Conference is June 26-28, 2010 at Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Petaluma, California. Look for more details to come soon. Click here for a listing of nearby hotels.

NARHA/EFMHA Integration Update

The membership has begun to communicate its first-round of feedback regarding the NARHA/EFMHA integration through their attendance at world-caf�-style discussions at the national and region conferences. In November 2009 the first conversation was held at the national conference in Ft. Worth. Despite the 6:30 a.m. start time, the room was packed! Each of the region conferences has or will also host a similar discussion. An electronic version will be made available for members unable to be a physical part of the conversations. These initial conversations are critical to establishing the consensus of why individuals and centers are members of NARHA, what the EAAT industry means to the professionals in the field, and when/if it's determined a new name shall be identified for NARHA, what that new name should portray. Many thanks to all who have or will participate!

When the integration steering committee first laid out its plan for exploring the name change idea, the world caf� format was the method chosen for the first step. The conversations at this stage are not intended to be a vote as to whether or not the name should change. They are meant to gather feedback regarding the inclusivity and broad scope of our association. Much data gathering is essential before a change could ever be executed. The integration steering committee will be asking for the member's valued input ever step of the way. Stay tuned!

The NARHAbar Program: Delicious Chcocolate Bars to Raise Money for Your Center

Afraid to take on one more thing but looking for a quick revenue boost? The NARHAbar Program is simple and actively engages your center's families in your success. It's easy because pride in participation is the key! Your best ambassadors are your riders, so let them help you put the fun back into fundraising.

The NARHA staff can attest to the delicious quality of this chocolate. It comes in a variety of flavors and is packaged beautifully. We love this chocolate!

Read more about the NARHAbar program.

CLICK4CASH Program

Free Program Offers Centers Extra Revenue

As you've probably read, Equestrian Collections has partnered with NARHA to bring every NARHA center the ability to get CASH based on the buying power of your centers, membership, friends, family and volunteers.

NARHA recognizes that in these tough times, even the most deserving and efficient NARHA member centers need extra revenue sources. To this end, NARHA has launched the CLICK4CASH program in conjunction with Equestrian Collections.

The CLICK4CASH program is a FREE, NO COST program that can bring your center an ongoing CASH income. Your center will receive 8 percent of every order that originates from your website. This is a WIN-WIN - NO COST, and UNLIMITED potential earnings for your center.

We have created a shopping area on Equestrian Collections for EAAT-focused products, but your shoppers can shop the entire site, maximizing the potential revenue for your center. All you have to do is get shoppers to click on your Shop & Change a Life button before they do the regular shopping they would do anyway.

Sign up today for the CLICK4CASH program. You cannot lose with this FREE, NO COST program! Click here and follow the steps to join.

Once you have signed up, you will receive an email with step-by-step instructions for how to retrieve the Shop & Change a Life banner to place on your center's website.

Any questions? Please email Nina and reference CLICK4CASH in the subject line.

Participating centers report having already received their first checks from ShareASale,
some totaling nearly $200!

GAIT Techniques Taught to South Korean Veterinary Students

Martha Dubensky, GAIT volunteers and South Korean students

G.A.I.T. (Genuine Alternative In Therapy), a NARHA Premier Accredited Center, was recently featured in the story "A GAIT to the east opened" by Marilyn Rosenthal in the Pike County Courier. Several veterinary medicine students from Gyeongsang National University in South Korea had visited Martha Dubensky's center in Milford, Pennsylvania, as part of their "Animal Assisted Therapy" program at the Veterinary Medical School in Busan.

According to Rosenthal's story, the veterinary program hopes to teach others in South Korea about the practical use and importance of hippotherapy and are using the infrastructure of organizations like G.A.I.T. to help them start a similar project in Korea.

Equine Industry Survey Results Released to Public

A total of 11,171 people who own, lease, or manage horses completed the American Horse Publications' Horse Industry Survey designed to gauge participation trends in the U.S. horse industry. This was the largest survey of hands-on owners and managers of horses in the United States ever conducted.

There were five main sections of the survey: demographics, horse ownership, horsekeeping costs, issues facing the equine industry, and horse health care.

"This survey shows some good news: Even during current times with a struggling economy, a majority of respondents expect to be able to continue participating in the equine industry at the same level that they are now; some even expect to increase their levels of participation over the next few years," said Dr. C. Jill Stowe, an assistant professor of agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky. "Moreover, many horse handlers will make sacrifices in other areas of their lives to continue their involvement in the equine industry. ... Respondents are also clear that the welfare of the horse is of the utmost importance as individuals and policy makers make decisions regarding the future of the equine industry."

Click here for results of the survey.

Please direct correspondence about this newsletter to NARHA News coordinator. NARHA News is a benefit of NARHA membership. No portion of this publication may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, scanned or electronic process without written permission from NARHA. NARHA reserves the right to reject, accept and edit submitted material. NARHA News is intended as an information exchange and an opportunity for communication for members in the field of equine assisted activities. The opinions, practices or products presented in NARHA News do not necessarily reflect NARHA policy, imply NARHA endorsementor comply with NARHA standards.

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