CWC equine students look forward to CHA certification
March 21, 2017 by Amy Nicola, student intern
A certification through the Certified Horsemanship Association is the goal for the teaching riding class at Central Wyoming College. The CHA certification dates for students are tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 10 through Wednesday, April 12 at the CWC Equine Center.
Students learn how to teach the fundamentals of riding from beginners who have never seen a horse to experienced riders. Students also learn to work with riders of all ages.
The class focuses on instructor to student learning where one student is the instructor and teaches the lesson while another student is their assistant. The rest of the students in the class play the role of the various age groups and different riding levels.
I like interacting and helping the beginner students. It gives you an opportunity to work with someone that may or may not have ever had experiences with horses. ”
Tyler Hitshew, CWC equine student
CHA strives to change lives through safe experiences with horses. Their mission statement is to promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the entire horse industry. This is accomplished by certifying instructors, accrediting equine facilities, producing educational conferences and publishing educational resources such as horsemanship manuals, DVDs, safety video shorts, webinars, a monthly radio show, weekly blog, posters and much more.
CHA has many different certifications that can be earned but the CWC students who will be certified from a CHA instructor will have the opportunity to be certified in western riding, English riding and jumping. There are four levels of certifications in each.
“Being certified will mean having the opportunity to have people out there that back what I do and willing to support me in all of my equine experience” Hitshew said.
The CHA certification dates are tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 10 through Wednesday, April 12 at the CWC Equine Center.
“I’m looking forward to certification. I think it’s going to be a great experience and I’m excited to work with our certifiers and their unique understandings of how to teach riders and their horses and how everything fits together” Hitshew said.