Welcome to Central Kentucky Riding for Hope!!!  We are very excited that you have made the decision to pursue NARHA instructor certification.  We feel that your time at CKRH, a NARHA Premier Accredited Center, will offer you many opportunities to learn more about therapeutic riding and give you more insight into working with individuals with disabilities through equine-assisted activities.

Please see the NARHA website (www.narha.org) for more information about getting started on your certification.  There you will find a list of Phase I requirements which must be fulfilled prior to becoming a NARHA Instructor in Training.

Below is Central Kentucky Riding for Hope’s policy for accepting NARHA Instructors in Training.  This policy includes the prerequisites that must be satisfied prior to beginning the 25 hours of mounted instruction at CKRH under the supervision of a NARHA Certified Instructor.  These requirements were developed not only to ensure that the candidate receives adequate preparation to successfully pass the NARHA Instructor Certification, but also to ensure that CKRH participants continue to receive quality instruction while the candidate teaches safe and effective mounted and non-mounted lessons. Additionally, candidates will have ample opportunity to familiarize themselves with our facility and our equine partners during this time of preparation.

 Individuals wishing to pursue instructor certification can fulfill these prerequisites at any time prior to, during, or after satisfying NARHA Phase I requirements. 

•     Instructor in Training candidates must have already served as a lesson volunteer for at least one seven-week riding session.  Candidates new to CKRH must attend a full volunteer orientation prior to volunteering in lessons. 

•     Candidates will participate in a series of instructor workshops covering the following topics:

                              Disabilities and Therapeutic Goals

                              Horse and Tack Considerations for Therapeutic Riding

                              Lesson Planning and Writing Instructional Objectives

                              Utilizing Volunteers to Ensure Rider Progress

                              Sensory Integration and Behavior Management

                              Managing the Ring/Problem Solving

Candidates must also demonstrate riding skills and basic horsemanship skills prior to beginning the 25 teaching hours.  (Please see Instructors in Training Horsemanship and Riding Demonstration).

Candidates should contact Denise Spittler, Program Director at CKRH, at 231-7066 or for assistance in planning and coordinating Instructor in Training hours.