What is CHA (certified horsemanship association)?

What is CHA?

"CHA , a nonprofit organization in operation since 1967, is based out of the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. It is the largest international horsemanship instructor certifying organization in North America. The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and horsemanship education for the benefit of the horse industry. CHA is one of AQHA’s educational marketing alliance partners.

This is accomplished by not only certifying instructors, but also accrediting equine facilities, publishing educational manuals and producing events for the horse industry. CHA certification does not mandate any particular teaching style or method but evaluates instruction on the basis of being safe, effective and fun."

AQHA website, 11/25/10

Now to the real deal... what is CHA?  CHA was for me a big wake up call and an eye opener.  I thought, oh yeah, I'm a teacher, I deal with kids all the time, and I know a bunch about horses and how to ride and how to teach horse back riding... this will be a cake walk!!!  Oh, NO!!!  Sooooo, not the case!  A CHA training is kinda like the military, they strip you down, then build you up.  The other part is that if you are like me and you search the internet, there are very few descriptions of what it is like out there past the recommendations of what to bring.  Me, I brought lots and lots of books that I never had time to read or open while I was there, and to be honest, they messed me up more than anything!!  You are there to teach YOUR own riding style and system, not what you've read out of a book.  They would like to see a well oiled and sleek lesson plan completed in 15 minutes with the inclusion of all the safety checks and class management strategies.  Sounds easy right?  NOT AT ALL!!!  What they don't tell you is how stressed out you will feel by teaching in front of your peers and fellow equestrians knowing that they really are there to judge you and are in fact thinking and paying attention to what you are teaching and mentally critiquing it.  Sooooo, for those of you who are already a little phobic of being in front of a large group and teaching, this is the icing on the cake.  Top all of this off with the fact that you may not even be going home to your own bed each night to be able to decompress... yep, it is an experience like none other!  I would honestly rank this as one of the HARDEST, if not THE hardest things that I have done, bar none!  This out-does all of my grad school experiences and childbirth!

I think what made it so hard for me was the constant feeling of being judged.  You are under observation when tacking up, you are under observation when riding in the classes, you are under observation when teaching... I really struggled with the feeling of being under a constant microscope... particularly since I am a perfectionist.  I was constantly questioning myself and making dumb mistakes because I was trying to hard to impress... that's a tip for the show ring!!!  So, CHA entails 4 days of riding and teaching front of your peers. There were several oral presentations and demonstrations.  This is done in front of 2 instructors who are master horsemen in CHA and generally have very successful equine careers outside of CHA.  Not easy at all.  Now for the toughest part... you will most likely come in with expectations as to what level you will be attempting to achieve... best thing is to shuck that before you start, because this is NOT about how you ride(although that is a part), it is about how you teach and safely manage a group of riders in a lesson.  I will say for myself, I was taken down a peg or two in terms of where my expectations were... I was disappointed with my own performance because I knew that I could have done better; however, the instructors were honest and encouraging.  Hopefully one day when both time and money collide again, I will be able to revisit certification with more miles under my belt and a bit more of an idea what to expect.  The interesting part is that while I was disappointed with myself, I was certified as one of the highest in the clinic... I would really like to be part of a clinic that has instructors seeking master's level so that I can really learn from them.

So, in a nutshell, leave your expectations at the door, come in with a humble attitude and expect to learn from everyone there and you will be fine... finally, enjoy the experience for what it is, a unique learning experience where you are constantly judged, but continually supported by your peers.

See you in the Ring!