I recently saw reference to the Certified Horsemanship Association and thought I’d better check it out.  Based in Lexington, Kentucky this horse association is promoted for the benefit of horse riding instructors, horse riders, horse enthusiasts and equine managers.

For those who are already members, there are educational grants on offer.  It states on their site that the CHA mission statement is:

“To promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the entire horse industry. This is accomplished by certifying instructors, accrediting equine facilities, producing educational conferences and publishing educational resources such as horsemanship manuals, DVDs, safety video shorts, webinars, a monthly radio show, weekly blog, posters and much more.”

As a non-profit organisation, anyone can provide tax deductible donations.  This may be of appeal to those already investing in the equine industry.

Check out this CHA short video:

Perhaps you’re interested in getting accredited.  Then you can take a look at the certifications on offer.  There are certifications for instructors, trail guides, a combination of the two and also college level certifications.  And if you want to combine working with horses and with people who have disabilities, certification is possible for this, too.

For those who are managers of equine facilities or who focus on the area of driving horses, they can gain CHA certification, too.  There’s a variety of different certifications on offer to equine enthusiasts.

There’s an outline of what minimum requirements need to be met and what you can anticipate in a certification process.  I love to see when any industry is promoting continued education and best practices.  It looks like the Certified Horsemanship Association is one such setup that promotes this.

“Fascination with horses predated every other single thing I knew. Before I was a mother, before I was a writer, before I knew the facts of life, before I was a schoolgirl, before I learned to read, I wanted a horse.” ― Jane Smiley

In Australia there are government financial incentives for employers who encourage staff to undertake traineeships or apprenticeships.  Within Victoria, Australia there are government incentives for equine apprenticeships.  For someone who works on a thoroughbred stud, they could undertake a Certificate III in Horse Breeding whilst working.  When the employee enrols into the course, the employer benefits financially.  Similarly, when the employee finishes the course, the employer again receives a financial incentive.

In this way employers are more likely to encourage their staff members to gain a qualification.  They benefit financially and their staff members learn knew skills or have their current ones recognised with a qualification.

Incentives like this are worth employees knowing about – it can be a great way for them to get a qualification whilst working.  They are beneficial to employers too: their staff members get qualified whilst they receive a financial benefit from the government.  Whether you’re an employee on a horse property looking to get qualified or a manager on a horse property, it’s worth knowing about government incentives like these.

Government Incentives for Equine Apprenticeships

Want to take advantage of such an initiative?  Start by looking at your state government website to find out about initiatives for employees and employers.

Another option is to contact education or employment agencies that may be able to advise about such incentives.  Within Australia there is an apprenticeships organisation that is able to inform potential students and employers about how things work and how they might benefit.  If you work and you want to undertake an equine traineeship or some other form of study, be sure to do your research.  It can be easier to sell an idea to your employer when it benefits both of you.

“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.” ― William Shakespeare, Henry V