The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) honored top individuals, horses and organizations at the annual awards banquet held at the international conference in Lexington, Kentucky at theKentucky Horse Park on November 1st. This conference was the largest for CHA in over 10 years with participants from all around the continent from Alaska to Florida to British Columbia to Alberta and many places in between. Almost all of the CHA Past Presidents were in attendance, so it was quite the Reunion!

The Volunteer of the Year is Jack Breaks from Aldergrove, British Columbia.
Have you visited the online CHA member database – www.CHAinstructors.com?  If you have, then you have seen the work of Jack Breaks!  Jack designed and created that website for CHA where certified instructors can showcase their resumes and photos. Jack is also very involved with the development of the new CHA Trail Manual that will make its debut in early 2009. Jack is a certified CHA Wilderness Guide and Master Instructor, C.O.R.E examiner, and Leave No Trace Trainer. He is an active member and former Vice President of the Back Country Horsemen of British Columbia. He also has served on the Horse Council B.C. Board of Directors.

“I am elated to win the CHA Volunteer of the Year award,” says Jack. “What is really important to me about winning the award is the fact that it means CHA has benefited from my efforts, when all I was actually doing was enjoying being a part of this great organization!”

CHA Instructor of the Year is Tanya Cody from Tallahassee, Florida.
This award is given to an outstanding CHA certified instructor who demonstrates safe, effective and fun lessons. Students from around the continent send in nominations about their instructors and why they should be given this honor. Originally from Southern California, Tanya, grew up in Kauai where her horsemanship journey began on a cattle ranch and as a trail guide for tourists. Later she worked teaching and guiding in the horsemanship program at a four-star CHA Accredited guest ranch outside of Steamboat Springs. Currently has a private lesson barn inTallahassee, Florida with an active youth and adult lesson program.   “I am called the ‘Safety Queen’ at my barn and I take that as a compliment!” says Tanya. “That’s why I am so proud to have been chosen as CHA Instructor of the Year. CHA represents everything I believe in as a horse person and I am honored to be acknowledged by them. I hope that together, CHA and I are sending horse people out into the world with a good foundation and good horse sense to share with others.”

Finalists for 2008 CHA Instructor of the Year Award are:
Gerrie Barnes from Larkspur, Colorado
Julie Dillon from Goffstown, New Hampshire
Stephanie Johannsen from Gibbon, Nebraska
Sanna Roling from Spring, Texas

The CHA School Horse of the Year is Smokey from Dream Catcher Stables in Spring,Texas.
His parentage is unknown. He grew up in the Dallas area and was trained for roping. He served a stint on a high school drill team and then came to be owned by a lady who was looking for a gentle horse to trail ride for pleasure. She donated Smokey to the Dream Catcher Stable therapeutic riding program. Today, at the age of 23, Smokey proudly and safely teaches youth to ride and care for him. Quarter Horse Smokey stands patiently while someone learns to groom, waits quietly while a student calms down and is motionless while a person with severe disabilities is mounted and settled in the saddle.   “Smokey, our cow horse, is a tried and true champion,” says Sanna Roling President of Dream Catcher Stables.  “As he carefully works with our athletes with disabilities and teaches our volunteers, Smokey proves the durability and flexibility of a real ranch horse.  We are so very pleased that he has received the CHA School Horse of the Year award!  Our Dream Catcher family and his former owner are thrilled that a real trooper has been so honored.”

Clinic Instructor of the Year is Millie Binkley from New Johnsonville, Tennessee.
Clinic instructors are the CHA Master Level Instructors that are clinic staff and certify instructors for CHA throughout North America. At the end of each clinic, participants write evaluations of the clinic staff, it is from these evaluations that this winner is chosen. Millie has been a CHA member since 1985 and received her clinic staff rating in Cloudland, Georgia in 1989. She has worked for Girl Scout riding programs and many 4-H participants. She currently works for the state of Tennessee as an arson investigator. A licensed judge, Millie has shown and judged western pleasure, hunt seat and competed in gymkhana events.

The CHA Partnership in Safety Award Goes to the Kentucky Horse Park.
This award isgiven to an outstanding organization that has demonstrated excellent commitment to safety in equestrian endeavors.  The Kentucky Horse Park is a blend of old and new, respecting both honored traditions of the Bluegrass horse country and modern innovation.  It is a place where over twelve hundred acres of land are devoted to the horse and the important role it has played in the history of man.  The KY Horse Park won this honor due to its desire to continue safe practices in all that it does. CHA accredited the Park during the annual conference held there this year and in late November the KY Horse Park is certifying its full-time horse staff through CHA.

The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the entire horse industry. CHA certifies instructors and trail guides, accredits equestrian facilities, publishes manuals and provides support and educational resources. For more information on the Certified Horsemanship Association and the annual conference, please visit www.cha-ahse.org, www.CHAinstructors.com or call 800-399-0138. The 2009 CHA Conference is set for October 8 – 11 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.