The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International continues to grow and evolve because of the time and effort individuals donate to the mission of the association. One of key activities of PATH Intl. is the Accreditation Site Visit. On behalf of the association, volunteer site visitors give hours in time and travel, as well as sharing their professional expertise, in the accreditation process.   

In this issue of PATH Intl. eNews, we would like to recognize a volunteer who has always responded to the request for one more unexpected visit: Ainslie Kraeck. Ainslie has gone above and beyond her duties as a volunteer site visitor for center accreditation by participating in five visits in 2011. She has stepped up at the last minute to fill visits and is always thorough, acting as a lead or an associate. Ainslie helps make the accreditation process possible through her hard work, continuing to strengthen the PATH Intl. name.

Thank you to all who volunteer your time for the mission of PATH Intl.    

Ann Kern-Godal of Oslo, Norway, was recently interviewed on a Norwegian radio station. One of Norway's top interviewers and a State Secretary talked with Ann about EAAT work and how to get people back into the workforce. This was a wonderful opportunity for Ann to raise awareness about the EAAT field. Ann serves on the PATH Intl. EFP/EFL task force, and her insightful contributions are much appreciated.

"The interview turned out to be a load of positive fun," Ann said. "Just a nice break from the usual heavy political stuff ... very useful in awareness raising here."

Click here to watch the interview (half in Norwegian and half in English).     

With the launch of the new ESMHL certification came concerns that current certified instructors practicing in the field of mental health and learning would need to invest a lot of time and money to attend a workshop and skills test to gain this certification even though they have already been doing the work. Since PATH Intl. did not have this certification available when many dedicated instructors entered the field of mental health and learning, we heard their concerns and created the PATH Intl. certified instructor option. Read more ...      

Accommodations
An accommodation is an adjustment or an adaptation of a component or components of the Registered Instructor Certification Process in order to meet the special needs of the candidate. Requests for an accommodation to any part of the process must be made in writing and submitted to the PATH Intl. office with the initial application form or 60 days prior to OSWC. No special form is needed. All requests for accommodations will be reviewed by the PATH Intl. Riding Certification Subcommittee on an individual basis, and applicants will be notified of the committee's decision; this can take up to 60 days. For more information, please contact the PATH Intl. office.

Refunds
It is every candidate's responsibility to check with each individual host site for the refund policy when he or she signs up for a workshop and/or certification.

Posting Diagonal
Please be aware any certification candidate who tests at a certification after June 1, 2011, does need to demonstrate a proper posting diagonal for their riding pattern. This is a criteria in the certification booklet. In the past, western riders did not need to show a proper posting diagonal, just a posting rhythm, but this policy has been changed. All riders, no matter the discipline, must show a proper posting diagonal. If you need assistance, please consider taking lessons from a qualified instructor to learn proper posting diagonals.

What Is the Appeal Process?
1) If a candidate does not pass any or all components of certification for PATH Intl. Registered Instructor Status and would like to appeal the results, a written request for appeal may be submitted to the PATH Intl. office within 15 business days of receipt of written notification from the office. The request must state the reasons for the appeal. Note: It may take up to 60 days to review your appeal; this time frame can not be guaranteed.

2) The Riding Certification Subcommittee will review the original application, examination and certification results.

3) If the Riding Certification Subcommittee affirms the failing score, the candidate may appeal in writing to the Certification Oversight Committee. The appeal to the Oversight Committee must be made in writing and submitted to the PATH Intl. office within 30 business days of receipt of written notification from the Riding Certification Subcommittee.

5) The Oversight Committee will review the original application materials, examination and certification results. Updated or new information will not be taken into consideration.

6) Decisions of the Certification Oversight Committee will be final.

Receiving Final Certification Results
Once a candidate attends an onsite certification and receives his or her results it can take the office 30-45 days to mail out the official results letter and corresponding information after the completion of a certification. Please be patient and plan to wait at least 45 days before receiving your official results letter. We will not rush or email anyone's official letter.

Candidates who need to resubmit a video should wait to receive the results letter and video requirements prior to taping their video. Video resubmissions can take up to 60 days to process.

Video Resubmissions
PATH Intl. is proud to announce an exciting change to our video resubmission process. PATH Intl. now has the ability to accept video submissions online through a file sharing system. We are still accepting DVDs and VHS tapes but we strongly encourage all potential instructors that need to re-submit a video to complete their certification process utilizing our new system. International candidates can also use this system to submit videos to PATH Intl. Read more ... 

IT Letters
An IT letter is required for all certification candidates 30 days prior to attending a certification testing of their choice (does not apply if a member is just taking a workshop).

If a certification candidate arrives on-site or signs up for a certification without an IT letter, it is up to each individual evaluator to review the submitted phase 1 and 2 paperwork and ensure the candidate has completed CPR, First Aid, both online exams and a horsemanship skills checklist. If all these items are present, the evaluator will determine on a case by case basis if the candidate will be allowed to test at certification. If the candidate does test without an IT letter, he or she will be assessed a $150 fine prior to the certification being final and the official results process by the PATH Intl. office. Each host site is also assessed a $75 fine that may be passed along to the candidate.

25 Hours of Practice Teaching
Twenty-five hours of practice teaching must be completed, no exceptions. If you have not completed 25 hours of mounted, group instruction under a current certified instructor you can not test. Ultimately it is every candidate's responsibility to ensure all requirements for certification have been met by the appropriate deadlines and that his/her mentor for the 25 hours is a current instructor with PATH Intl.. Be sure to review all policies and procedures in our registered booklet, updated frequently on the PATH Intl. web site.

If any candidate is found to have completed their 25 hours of mentoring under an expired or non-compliant instructor, the candidate will pay a $150 fee to the PATH Intl. office prior to the certification results being released and officially recorded.  A certification candidate cannot act as an instructor until this fee is paid, and the hours performed under the expired or non-compliant mentor will need to be performed again and turned into the office within 90 days of notification from the PATH Intl. office. If the hours are not complete within 90 days you will begin your certification process from the beginning. PATH Intl. recommends confirming your mentor is current prior to performing your hours.

PATH Intl. is excited to see so many individuals interested in the Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning workshops. We would like to accommodate individuals eager for certification by holding more Equine Specialist workshops and practical horsemanship skills tests, especially along the west coast.  

If you are thinking about your 2012 schedule, we would love to get your event on the calendar and begin advertising it. All workshops will now be offered with the new Equine Specialist practical horsemanship skills test, if the host site chooses. Host sites can also host the one day practical horsemanship skills test without a workshop if they wish, a requirement for certification. If you are interested in hosting at your Premier Accredited center in 2012, please download the intent to host booklet from the website, or for more information contact Abby Hendren at (800) 369-7433, ext. 104.