In order to best meet the needs of its members, PATH Intl. is divided into 11 regions. Each year, members of those regions nominate humans and horses for outstanding service in the equine-assisted services industry, and each year, regions recognize their award recipients at the regional conference.
PATH Intl. celebrates the regional award winners and the national winners in the categories Credentialed Professionals, Equines, Veterinarians and Volunteers, and the Youth, Adult, and PATH International Equine Services for Heroes® equestrians.
Regional Award Winners
Region 1
Credentialed Professional: NA; Equine: Teddy, High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Inc., Old Lyme, CT; Veterinarian: SRH Veterinary Services (Robert Orcutt & Helen Noble), Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation, Inc, Beverly, MA; Volunteer: Denise Ayers, High Horses Therapeutic Riding Center, Enfield, NH
Region 2
Credentialed Professional: Mary Shunk, Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program, Port Deposit, MD; Equine: Tink, Mane Stream, Oldwick, NJ; Veterinarian: Patricia Blakesly, Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program, Port Deposit, MD; Volunteer: Katherine Intano, Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program, Port Deposit, MD
Region 3
Credentialed Professional: NA; Equine: Quarter Pounder (QP), Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs, Aiken, SC; Veterinarian: Jennifer Reda, Great Oak Equine Assisted Program, Aiken, SC; Volunteer: Kerry Rains, Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs, Aiken, SC
Region 4
Credentialed Professional: Brooke Archer, LoveWay, Inc., Middlebury, IN; Equine: Michel’s Checkmarker DRH(Mitch), Fieldstone Farm, Chagrin Falls, OH; Veterinarian: NA; Volunteer: Beth Socoloff, Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, Chagrin, OH
Region 5
Credentialed Professional: NA; Equine: Apache, Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR), Lenoir City, TN; Veterinarian: Equine Medical Center of Cleveland, Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center, Chattanooga, TN; Volunteer: Sarah Parsly, Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR), Lenoir City, TN
Region 6
Credentialed Professional: Wendy Konichek, Horse Power Healing Center, Eagle, WI; Equine: Ke Ja Co’s Herger C (Herger), Horse Power Healing Center, Janesville, WI; Veterinarian: Jon Gieche, Horse Power Healing Center, Janesville, WI; Volunteer: Elaine Schiebel, Equul Access, Inc., Hutchinson, MN
Region 7
Credentialed Professional: Rita Borgstedt, Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy, Gretna, NE; Equine: Winston, BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding & Educational Center, Harvard, IL; Veterinarian: John Vacek, BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding and Educational Center, Harvard, IL; Volunteer: Deborah Bean, Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy, Gretna, NE
Region 8
Credentialed Professional: Amy Tripson, ROCK, Ride On Center for Kids, Georgetown, TX; Equine: Dun Parr Bar (Dunny), ROCK, Ride On Center for Kids, Georgetown, TX; Veterinarian: Beau Whitaker, ROCK, Ride on Center for Kids, Georgetown, TX; Volunteer: Lauren Grochocki, SIRE Therapeutic Horsemanship, Spring, TX
Region 9
Credentialed Professional: Jenny Chesley, Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center, Bend, OR; Equine: Lolli, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, Redmond, WA; Veterinarian: Dave Sauter, NorthWest Therapeutic Riding Center, Maple Falls, WA; Volunteer: Betty Tangeman, Equine Assisted Therapy Alaska, Anchorage, AK
Region 10
Credentialed Professional: Fleur Ahern, CHAPS Equine Assisted Services, Sheridan, WY; Equine: FredBob, The Right Step, Inc., Littleton, CO; Veterinarian: Sarah Schreiber, CHAPS Equine Assisted Services, Sheridan, WY; Volunteer: Thalia Theibault, Front Range Exceptional Equestrians, Fort Collins, CO
Region 11
Credentialed Professional: Chrissy Stout, REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program, Fallbrook, CA; Equine: Emma, Happy Trails Riding Academy, Visalia, CA; Veterinarian: Doug Anez, Happy Trails Riding Academy, Visalia, CA; Volunteer: Terri Troise, Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center, Richmond, CA
National Award Winners
Credentialed Professional, Brooke Archer, Region 4, LoveWay, Inc., Middlebury, IN
Equine, Winston, Region 7, BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding & Educational Center, Harvard, IL
Veterinarian, Beau Whitaker, Region 8, ROCK, Ride on Center for Kids, Georgetown, TX
Volunteer, Kerry Rains, Region 3, Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs, Aiken, SC
Adult Equestrian, Elizabeth Mallard, Region 5, Colby’s Army, Nashville, TN
Youth Equestrian, Viktoriya Natalia Christian, Region 2, Therapeutic Riding At Centenary – TRAC, Hackettstown, NJ
PATH International Equine Services for Heroes® Equestrian, Fernando Rodriguez, Region 8, ROCK, Ride On Center for Kids, Georgetown, TX
These winners will be celebrated at the PATH Intl. Award Presentation on November 15 after the association’s annual meeting, and the presentation’s grand finale will be the announcement of the PATH Intl. James Brady Professional Achievement Award.
For more information, contact PATH Intl. at awards@pathintl.org.
About PATH Intl.
PATH Intl. was formed in 1969 as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association to promote equine-assisted services (EAS) for individuals with special needs. Since that time, the association’s work to credential professionals and accredit centers has expanded, as have the categories of individuals served EAS. Through the work of 813 member centers and more than 5,424 professionals credentialed through PATH Intl., 53,399 children and adults, including more than 5,900 veterans, find a sense of health, wellness, a sense of independence and fun through EAS. Member centers range from small, one-person programs to large operations with several credentialed instructors and licensed therapists. In addition to horseback riding, a center may offer any number of EAS such as hippotherapy, carriage driving, interactive vaulting, trail riding, competition and more. Through a wide variety of educational resources, the association helps individuals start and maintain successful programs. There are 49,705 volunteers, 6,781 equines and thousands of contributors from all over the world making a difference in people’s lives.
For more information, contact:
Cher Smith, Communications Specialist
(800) 369-7433, ext.123
csmith@pathintl.org