We haven't shared a progress report lately, but fear not, we have been very busy! Over the past few months we have been focused on wrapping up a number of projects. We are excited to announce that the new Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) Manual will be for sale by the 2011 PATH International Conference and Annual Meeting. This was a huge project, and thanks to Teresa Bennett-Pasquale, Shannon Knapp and the EFP and EFL Membership Task Force, it is a useful and practical manual that is a valuable resource for anyone interested in EFP. 

We have also been putting the finishing touches on the EFP and EFL preconference workshop to be presented on Tuesday, November 8, at the 2011 PATH International Conference and Annual Meeting. The presenters are excited about this event and feel it will provide people with a wealth of practical information and ideas about providing EFP and EFL services. 

We have also been working closely with the Certification Review and Development Task Force, helping to identify key criteria for all PATH Intl. certifications. We have been helping the Community Building Work Group launch PATH Intl. Community Connections, the new member program. Finally, the revised EFL definitions and Guidelines for Practice have been reviewed by the PATH Intl. Board of Trustees.

In all, we have been very busy and we look forward to seeing and meeting all of you at this year's PATH International Conference and Annual Meeting.       

Trailer Loading Safety Tips

by Cathy Languerand

The following safety tips are intended to help you observe, educate and shape your choices in order to create a safe, calm loading session. These tips can, and should, be taken into consideration when learning trailering techniques, reintroducing a horse to the trailer and teaching a young horse to get in and out of a trailer.

If you set goals for your trailering process in the same way you would for a riding, driving, interactive vaulting, EFP/EFL or any other program session, you will be setting yourself up for success. 

• Start by taking complete responsibility for yourself, your horse and your equipment, including the trailer.
• Know your own limitations and level of experience. Ask your horse only what you know you can achieve.
• Wear a safety helmet/hat and gloves.
• Work with a partner.
• Know how to choose and use appropriate equipment.
• Keep your horse's adrenaline down by breaking the session down into small steps with clear rewards. Study the equine's body language to learn where you place your eyes, how you stand; even your breathing can effect communication.
• Know what motivates your horse. Not all horses consider food a reward. Other rewards include release of pressure, being removed from the loading area or a rub in his favorite spot.
• Food in a bucket can be given once your horse is fully loaded. Food becomes a bribe when used to lure the horse into the trailer. This will not create leadership or partnership.
• Safe and calm only happen when your horse accepts what you ask.
• Refine your ability to read your horse's body language, especially at the threshold or entrance of the trailer. Watch to see if he looks, smells, touches and tests with both front feet.

Know that your horse is confirmed in his knowledge when you can calmly move all four of his feet both in and out of the trailer and have repeated this several times in a row. In addition, you will need to schedule other sessions where you repeat this exercise several times with the trailer located in other places. Remember to create a benefit for you and your partner.

More information about trailering and trailer loading of equines can be found on several websites and in books including:

www.horses.about.com                     www.nasdonline.org                    www.discoverhorses.com 
www.equispirit.com                           www.infohorse.com
www.thehorse.com                            www.equisearch.com

Trailering Your Horse: A Visual Guide to Safe Training and Travel, Cherry Hill and Richard Klimesh

HAPPY TRAILS! 

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.