FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — AUGUST 2012 — Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) is pleased to announce a new educational alliance with the American Camp Association (ACA). Through this alliance, ACA and CHA will create new professional development opportunities for directors and frontline staff to promote the safety and quality of equine programs offered in camps. Horse-related programs are prominent in ACA resident camps, with 33 percent of camps offering Western horseback riding and 24 percent offering English horseback riding.
ACA’s Professional Development Center (PDC) connects camp and youth professionals to quality lifelong learning experiences, including face-to-face conferences and events, live and recorded webinars, and a variety of online courses. Certificates of completion and ACA continuing education credits (CECs) are available for all courses and webinars.
“ACA’s educational alliance with CHA will provide camp and youth professionals with the resources needed for safer equine programs — supporting ACA’s commitment to providing quality, positive camp experiences,” said Peg Smith, ACA’s chief executive officer.
“We are very excited about this educational alliance with ACA,” says Christy Landwehr, CHA’s chief executive officer. “CHA’s roots are in the camping industry and education about horsemanship safety is our mission.”
The American Camp Association® (ACA) works to preserve, promote, and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-Accredited® camp programs ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.ACAcamps.org.
The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the horse industry. CHA certifies instructors and trail guides, accredits equestrian facilities, publishes educational manuals, produces educational horsemanship DVDs and hosts regional and international conferences. For more information on the Certified Horsemanship Association, please visit www.CHA-ahse.org or call toll free 1-800-399-0138. To find a certified horseback riding instructor or accredited equine facility near you visit www.CHAinstructors.com.
