Horse Illustrated Magazine

The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) has a TEAM CHA Youth Horse Connection Reward Program for kids 15 years and younger. The participants keep track of their hours working with horses and may use borrowed or school horses if they do not have a horse of their own. Participants receive prizes upon achieving certain milestones of hours spent working on their horsemanship. Activities that count toward the reward program include taking riding lessons, watching non-fiction videos and reading non-fiction books about horses, grooming, cleaning stalls, cleaning tack, feeding and so on.

Youth membership in CHA is designed for youth equestrians who aspire to work as professionals in the industry. The CHA requires assistant instructors to be 16 before achieving certification, and the youth program gives younger members a chance to work on their horsemanship skills before they are eligible for certification. Membership is only $15 a year and includes a subscription to the quarterly newsletter. Lesson barns around the country are including this fee with their lesson programs so that their students can earn great prizes in the Horse Connection Reward Program and keep on learning year round through the quarterly TEAM CHA newsletter.  Click

here to find out more about this youth membership.

The TEAM CHA Horse Connection Reward Program Top Ten Winners are:

Natalie Gould of Coldstream, BC
Breanna Riley of Staunton, VA
Daria Hawkins of Staunton, VA
Tiffany Couture of Colchester, VT
Evangeline Windmill of Coldstream, BC
Erika Breeden of Staunton, VA
Samantha Mercer of Millington, TN
Maddie Mugnola of Canandaigua, NY
Sydney Vinther of Paso Robles, CA
Logan Marie Shortridge of Corte Madera, CA

Natalie will receive a model horse from the Stone Company, great CHA merchandise and a plaque for her top placing in the reward program.

The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the horse industry. CHA certifies instructors, recreational vaulting coaches, barn managers, college coaches, drivers and trail guides; accredits equestrian facilities; publishes educational manuals 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 riding instructor or accredited equine facility near you visit www.CHAinstructors.com      

Read more about riding instructor certification.