Clinics held by Misty River Equestrian Center:

Certified Horsemanship Association
www.cha-ahse.org
All Discipline Standard Instructor Certification
March 12 - 16, 2007

What is the meaning of the CHA certification?:
Certified Instructor/Guide: has successfully completed a CHA Certification Clinic and achieved Assistant Instructor/Guide certification, certification as an English and/or Western Instructor, or Trail Guide at one of four levels or certification as an Instructor of Riders with Disabilities (IRD). Certification is valid for three years from date of certification, if the individual maintains annual CHA membership. Certification is renewable if instructor/guide applies for renewal before the certification expires and shows evidence of continued work within the industry and 25 hours of continuing education. The only way to raise the level of certification is to attend another certification clinic.

CHA Clinic Summary:
Misty River hosted a CHA Certification Clinic March 12-16, 2007. It was a large clinic with 8 participants and one auditor. Long-time CHA clinicians Stan Lowen and our own Mary Anna Woods evaluated and gave lectures.

Cindy Strahm, the boss lady, listened and watched attentively all week, while acting as Clinic Site Host. Each participant showed the clinicians what they knew in the areas of riding and teaching skills, attention to safety, their grasp of professionalism, and group control. A 100 question test was given the first day.

40 hours of clinic attendance is required by participants, so our instructors gave up their vacation time to improve their teaching levels. The CHA Clinic is not a frivolous event. It is a proving ground for professional horseman and women. It is a fair process for evaluation of skills desired and needed in the teaching of any discipline. Misty River requires all of it's instructors to attain their CHA certification.


Stan Lowen and Mary Anna Wood have credentials so long we won't attempt to list them. Their combined list of accomplishments is so huge that often people can't seem to get their minds around it. For example, Stan has packed mules and horses safely into and out of wildernesses all over the USA and Canada for major camps and resorts. He is also in demand as a CHA Clinician in Canada as well as the USA. Mary Anna Wood is still winning championships on a 35 year old gelding who has over 19,000+ miles on his odometer, and yet this horse amazingly does not have a sour thought in his mind and is as sound as a 5 year old. He, Elmer Bandit, is in the Hall of Fame at Kentucky Horse Park, and the North American Trail Ride Conference Hall of Fame.

If you like Misty River and the quality horse care and safety practices we have here, you owe some thanks to Mary Anna Woods and the great advice she has given to Cindy over the years.

We deeply respect both of these individuals and appreciate their objective evaluations of every participant, this facility, it's school horses, and management policies.

Each final evaluation and level placement of our CHA Clinic participants has been reviewed by Cindy, and she has found all scores to be very accurate. She is quoted as saying, "A personal thrill for me was watching our own JoAnna Ehlers give some of the best lessons I've ever witnessed! WOW!! JoAnna sets a sterling example of what the CHA Standards for the industry are all about. I was also pleased to observe all of the participants and look forward to watching as they continue to expand their growth, knowledge, and career potential." Congratulations to JoAnna Ehlers, Renee' Garrison, Joe Fera, Lisa Guisbert, Amanda Latta, Erin Sharp, Lacee Robinson, and Donna Maize for their achieved certifications!

Upcoming Clinics:
Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) Clinic
October 13-17, 2008
$650
Please call for information if you wish to participate.

Download Your Information and Enrollment Forms. Information and Enrollment forms are also available by snail mail. E-mail or call us and we will be glad to mail them to you, or feel free to just stop by Misty River Equestrian Center and pick them up

Misty River Equestrian Center
21400 Eureka Road
Independence, MO 64057