Colorado State University’s Equine Sciences Facility hosted the event. This was a rare opportunity to get behind the scenes at a great equine facility.
Learn more about what we were tested on by scrolling to the bottom of the page at: https://cha.horse/cha-certifications/#cha-certification-competency-guidelines.
The certification weekend included prior reading of Horses (J. Warren Evans) and being able to test on its contents.
I feel like my years as a Colorado 4-H Horse Project and Club Organizational leader, as well as a Horse Bowl mom, really came into play for what to expect on the written tests and how to study for them. That background gave me a leg up on the horse anatomy/physiology/health and disease questions. Tests included multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank (acronyms not allowed), true/false, extended-answer and at the higher levels, essay questions.
My background as a stable owner got me through the parts that were not in the book, including up-to-date insurance best practices, risk management, taxes, tax forms, government agencies, personnel and client interactions, bookkeeping, and being able to read various kinds of financial reports and make recommendations on scenario data.
I found the CHA videos on YouTube extremely helpful for how to handle a demonstration topic.
Many thanks to lead certifier, also the Certified Horsemanship Association’s CEO, Christy Landwehr, and assistant certifier and CSU Equine Sciences Facility Manager, Wayne Miller, for the time they spent evaluating candidates. Going forward, I hope to integrate CHA standards into life here at Poudre River Stables.