[Starting-Point-Stables]

I've become interested in this (SO is in the NCNG / OCS program, son is 173rd Airborne, and we live pretty close to Ft. Bragg which has a WTU).

Has anyone gone through the process of getting site accredidation and instructor certification to offer services to Wounded Warrior Program or Horses for Heroes program?

Would love to hear from you.

We have an existing boarding facility with a small lesson program already - just FWIW.

[HydroPHILE]

You might try posting this in the Equestrian with Disabilities section, but maybe I can answer questions based on my knowledge of it all.

PATH International no longer uses the term "Horses for Heroes." There is another 501(c)3 nonprofit organization out there using that name that offers veterans and public safety personnel and their family free trail rides or lessons. It does not have a clinically-therapeutic benefit such as therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, or other Equine-Assisted Therapy programs.

There is not a specific program designed solely for instructor certification for providing Equine-Assisted Therapy to Veterans (PATH calls it PATH Intl. Equine Services for Heroes.)

You have to follow PATH Int'l (formerly NARHA) Instructor Certification program. Your best bet to get started? Find a PATH Int'l. approved center in your area that has acted as a mentor before for persons seeking instructor certification through PATH. Do you have any experience in providing Equine-Assisted Therapy? If not, I would recommend volunteering for some weeks/months before diving into instructor certification so you have an idea of what you're getting into as well as ins and outs and pros and cons of the program. I would also highly recommend talking and/or visiting other programs that are veteran-based.

After you have volunteered with the center, then I would start instructor certification. PATH does a great job of explaining the steps required to obtain certification. The most common means of obtaining instructor certification is the three-phase process (versus taking a course at an approved college/university.)

The first phase of the process helps ensure that you have knowledge of horsemanship, horse care, and the basics of the program. The first phase ends with an exam, and you receive an "Instructor in Training" letter that allows you to start assisting in teaching courses. Then you move onto the second phase which is more or less, actual hands-on assisting/instructor assisting, and the third phase is the final phase that includes a riding test and a three-day seminar at a pre-determined facility. I can't remember if there is another written test in phase two or three.

I break it down like this:

Written and "check lists" including First Aid/CPR, Horse Skills, etc. which all have to be completed, and the horse skills, etc. have to be checked off by a professional horseperson

Instructor to Lessons

Riding Test

Of course there is a bit more to the above than what is listed, but that's a general outline.

Once you complete the certification, you are a basic instructor (the actual term given to that instructor escapes me at the moment,) and you can begin lessons.

What I have found with volunteering with Veterans and Veteran programs is it helps to have a therapist/psychiatrist on-site or working directly with you. Veterans, just like others, may enter into the program for other challenges besides physical, such as PTSD and other mental challenges they must face. It would help to work with a therapist or psychiatrist.

After you have completed your instructor certification and know what you want, have completed any paperwork and such to become a facility, your best bet is to contact VA Hospitals or Organizations in your area, and go from there.

Something else I consider and would ask myself, "is there an existing program in my area for something like this?" It may not benefit you to start another program for the same thing if there is already one in existence in your area.


Some facilities to contact for guidance:

www.coastalriding.org

www.magicalmomentstrc.com

www.angelicriders.org

www.mountinhopes.org

Others can be found using the search on PATH's page:
http://www.pathintl.org/path-intl-centers/find-center

[eventerdiva]

I work for a PATH Premier Accredited TRC, and we are just starting to try to get involved with the community to start something for vets.

I'm sure with our accreditation status that we will follow the PATH guidelines as stated by HydroPHILE.

We're in such a preliminary stage...I'm sorry I can't be more helpful! I just wanted to reply to this thread to keep it bumped up...that and I'm excited about the prospect of working with this population!

[Starting-Point-Stables]

Can this thread be moved to the appropriate forum?

Something else I consider and would ask myself, "is there an existing program in my area for something like this?" It may not benefit you to start another program for the same thing if there is already one in existence in your area.

I searched on PATH's site for Accredited Center (since, from the .pdf info file the WWP sent me they only reffer to Accredited Centers) - and, if I got the results correctly, there were only two centers in NC, neither of which were close to Ft. Bragg.

I also searched using the drop down choices, and they still have it listed as NARAH Horses For Heroes and that search came up with nothing. And then a search using the drop down choice of "Veterans Services" which produced about a half dozen but none of which are close to Ft. Bragg. All but one of these centers listed under these search results are "Member Centers" with only one being an "Accredited Center" (which is what WWP works with).

Mountain Hopes (on of the links you gave) is actually closing down.

(Thank you for your reply BTW - I have worked with students with impairments, but it wasn't in a therapy center setting, it was from their own theapist or doctors who said horse activities were ok, and their parents sought our farm out. I've worked with bi-polar, extreme ADHD, cerebral palsey and mild autistic/aspergers individuals, along with a few students who have used it as new activity for weight loss motivation.)

I read the .pdf the WWP sent and it read like the center (farm / facility) had to be Accredited, and it mentioned nothing about Instructor Certification, which lead me to PATH's website to dig around some more.

I spent two long nights reading through their site and became quite confused, and actually thought a farm/center needed to be accredited first... but then I thought what point is a site accreditation with out a trained or certified instructor?

We have a client at the farm whose "SO" is in the WTU / WWP down at Bragg and recently he got to take surfing lessons via the WWP. I'm not completely sure but between hearing him talk about those activities and the .pdf the WWP sent it doesn't sound the activities are a long term, on going thing.

This is what the .pdf from the WWP about the equestrian activities says:

HOW THE PROCESS WORKS


2. Once the center is set with paperwork, WWP will send out an email to all WWP Alumni within a 30-mile radius of the barn about the opportunity. Please understand this email
may take a few weeks. Interested WWP Alumni will respond back to WWP and be given the contact info for the center. All names of WWP Alumni that express interest will be
sent to Jeff Kelling at PATH Int’l as approved participants for the grant. It will be the responsibility of the WWP Alumni to reach out the center and setup an assessment. This
has proven the most successful for continued participation. Alumni are instructed to tell the barn they are with Wounded Warrior Project.

If a center already serves injured vets or active duty members who fit WWP Alumni criteria, they can contact Shauna Smith, WWP Adaptive Sports Specialist to see if the
individuals are already signed-up with WWP. If the vets or active duty members are not signed-up with WWP, they can visit the WWP Alumni registration page on
woundedwarriorproject.org. A copy of their documentation of service (DD 214, VA Award Letter, Lind of Duty (LOD) documentation, or current unit orders (if on active duty)) will
need to be emailed to Shauna. Shauna will confirm with PATH Int’l and the center that the individual is an approved WWP Alum. Please contact Shauna with any questions:


4. Once WWP Alumni status is confirmed, WWP Alumni are to go through the standard assessment with the PATH Int’l Premier Accredited Center. Each WWP Alumni will have
different goals, and therefore the center is to determine the best equine assisted therapy (i.e.: hippotherapy, equine facilitated learning, therapeutic riding, therapeutic driving) to
benefit the Alumni. Once a WWP Alumnus has gone through an assessment, please send their name to PATH Int’l so we have record they are attending the lessons.

5. Centers are reimbursed $100 per class per WWP Alum for up to 10 weeks. There is no reimbursement for no-shows. Please understand no shows do happen. There is no limit on
the amount of WWP Alumni served, only a cap of 10 weeks for each WWP Alumnus. Each week, please have the WWP Alum sign in on an attendance sheet. The attendance sheet
will need to be sent to Jeff Kelling at jkelling@pathintl.org in order to be reimbursed. Centers need to send a copy of the attendance sheet at weeks 5 and 10.

6. In addition to the attendance sheet, centers need to have the WWP Alum complete a post-program survey. This will be distributed to the centers by Shauna Smith via email. It
is suggested to have the WWP Alum fill out the survey the second to last week, in case they are a no show the last week. Centers cannot be reimbursed from PATH Int’l without
this survey completed.

7. This program is currently ongoing. You may involve new WWP Alumni in your programs on a rolling basis.

Then I got really confused between the difference of Wounded Warrior Project http://www.pathintl.org/path-intl-me...p/what-is-new/ http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org...-wellness.aspx

and the PATH International Equine Services for Heroes http://www.pathintl.org/resources-ed...es-for-heroes/

[betsyk]

HydroPHILE gave you a great summary of the process! The only thing I can think of to add is that you would need to think hard about your horse herd before undertaking a program like that. Most programs struggle to keep a horse or two that can carry a 200-lb adult, and if you did Wounded Warriors in any sort of major way you'd need several of them. That was an issue for us; we aren't in a position to keep a group of horses suitable for small children and camp kids and an entire second string for big men.

[HydroPHILE]

OP, I would suggest you contact PATH directly. They are very helpful in assisting potential instructors or facilities with their programs.

Here is an e-mail I received from a PATH International person in regards to their name change for Veteran services and Horses for Heroes and finding centers for friends of mine:



Thank you so much for your inquiry, and your concern for our veterans, making sure they participate in therapeutic riding activities at PATH International centers.

There is another organization called “Horses for Heroes” that is not affiliated with PATH International. Their program is different than ours, and because of the confusion between their organization and our Horses for Heroes program, we recently changed the name of our program to “PATH International Equine Services for Heroes”.

We have not completed the name change throughout our database yet, so on the find a center link of the website, PATH Centers that have a special program for veterans will show “NARHA Horses for Heroes” listed in their activities.

If they are not already, if your friends are veterans of post-9/11 conflicts, you should encourage them to register with the Wounded Warrior Project. There may be future scholarship funds available for Wounded Warrior alumni who wish to participate in therapeutic riding at a PATH International premier accredited center.

Please use the “Find a Center” link on our website to find a PATH International center in the state of Georgia. If they are listed on our site, they are center members, and if they are Premier Accredited Centers they will be noted as such.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[PrimoAmor]

Does PATH go over equine assisted therapy for people with PTSD and similar mental/emotional disorders? I've only seen information about training for handling physical disorders.

[HydroPHILE]

PATH isn't all about therapeutic riding and hippotherapy for persons with physical disorders. However, each program at each center is different. Some programs may focus on Equine-Assisted Therapy for emotional challenges, some for physical challenges, and many for both.

There is even a complementing program at PATH for Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning:

http://www.pathintl.org/resources-ed.../317-esmhl-faq

Also, directly from PATH'S FAQs, which sums it up:

Though PATH Intl. began with a focus on horseback riding as a form of physical and mental therapy, the organization and its dedicated members have since developed a multitude of different equine-related activities for therapeutic purposes, collectively known as equine-assisted activities and therapies (or EAAT). Besides horseback riding, EAAT also includes therapeutic carriage driving; interactive vaulting, which is similar to gymnastics on horseback; equine-facilitated learning and mental health, which use the horse as a partner in cognitive and behavioral therapy, usually with the participation of a licensed therapist; ground work and stable management; and PATH Intl. Equine Services for Heroes, which uses a variety of EAAT disciplines specifically to help war veterans and military personnel. In addition, many of PATH Intl.’s 25 volunteer-driven committees are working on identifying and refining even more disciplines and activities that might be put to use in the world of EAAT.

[skykingismybaby1]

You might want to also check out http://www.eqgroup.com/egala.htm. The focus is on equine assisted psychotherapy which may be more helpful for PTSD.

I am trying to get a program started for victims of domestic abuse.

[HydroPHILE]

I will be starting EAGALA training soon and also highly recommend it as a complement to PATH's standard Instructor Certification program.