NARHA policies and procedures are in place to ensure consistent handling of all applicants. Effective November 1, 2009, any candidate without an Instructor in Training (IT) letter reflecting that he/she has met all of the Phase I requirements 32 days prior to the certification he/she intends to attend will not be rushed through the office process in order for the candidate to attend. The office recommends that any candidate applying for certification familiarize themselves thoroughly with the Phase I certification requirements and send in their application to the office in plenty of time to complete the components in order to attend their on-site certification.

Also, effective November 1, 2010, if any candidate chooses to test without an IT letter or is allowed to test and the IT letter is not in hand, the candidate must be aware of the following processing fee that will be assessed by the NARHA office prior to their certification being final.
 
1. If the candidate does not have an IT letter by the time the candidate presents him/herself for certification testing and the evaluator allows the candidate to test, because they have reviewed the paperwork and feel the candidate has completed the required materials and can move forward with testing, the candidate will be invoiced an additional processing fee of $150 to be paid to the NARHA office prior to his/her certification results being released. 

2. A fee will also be assessed to the host site of $75 per candidate who tested without an IT letter.

Ultimately it is every candidate's responsibility to ensure all requirements have been met by the appropriate deadlines and that his/her IT letter is in hand in order to test for certification. NARHA offers professional certifications and candidates testing should be accountable for managing the professional credentials supporting their career goals. All candidates who have signed up to test for certification are emailed by the NARHA office approximately 30 days prior to their testing with an update on their Phase 1 status. If the candidate is missing an item and does not have an IT letter in hand, he/she is notified.

All candidates can attend the workshop and certification together where they are offered. The Riding Certification Subcommittee continues to recommend attending them separately so candidates have the opportunity to practice new skills after the workshop, prior to attending certification.

Please note your workshop is good for two years from the time you took it, even if you took the workshop prior to 2010. Your 25 hours of practice instructor teaching are also good for two years.

Please email Tara McChesney or call (800) 369-RIDE (7433) with questions regarding the 2011 on-site instructor workshop and certification process. Thank you!