It wasnât just people that won at this yearâs CHA Awards Banquet during the CHA International Conference in Amarillo, TX on October 24, 2015. One special horse won an award and four additional finalists had a spotlight shone on what they do in their careers as school horses.
A Certified Horsemanship Program at Texas A&M
Out of the five school horses nominated for the CHA School Horse of the Year Award sponsored by Stone Model Horses, it was Sir Dar who captured the final honors for Experience Equus of Aledo, TX.
© 2015 by Alltech
Out of the five school horses nominated for the CHA School Horse of the Year Award sponsored by Stone Model Horses, it was Sir Dar who captured the final honors for Experience Equus of Aledo, TX.
The award was presented to owner Darla Ryder, who is a CHA Master Instructor and Level 4 IRD Instructor, Clinic Staff, and CHA Lifetime member. She received a Stone Horse statue of Sir Dar created by the Peter Stone Company.
Sir Dar has been used in Western, English, jumping up to three-foot fences, dressage up to Training Level, lunge line, lead line, ground work, and with able-bodied and therapeutic riders from beginner to advanced. In addition, he has been used in CHA Certification Clinics and was known to have the ability to adapt to several types of riders at various levels and was great at role playing during the clinics.
âHaving Sir Dar win the CHA School Horse of the Year validates the 19 years we have spent together serving able-bodied riders, riders with special needs, and mentoring equestrian programs doing what we were both meant to do,â said Ryder.
Sir Dar was recently retired from the program at Experience Equus, and many will miss working with this extra-special lesson horse who has impacted so many.
One nominee wrote, âIn my 45 years of teaching I have never worked with a horse as mentally stable, physically capable, and as willing of a spirit as Sir Dar. In the countless lessons given on him by myself, the programs he has been loaned to, and the multiple instructors who have worked with him, there has never been a word of concern spoken about him. I am one of his many fans.â
The CHA Stone School Horse of the Year Program honors all the wonderful equines that spend their days being patient with new riders and not-so-new riders. The sponsor of the program, Stone Horses, creates âmodel horses for real horse peopleâ and has been a longtime partner of CHA for this award.
Each equine finalist received a plaque from CHA and were honored at the CHA Awards Banquet. The five finalists included:
- Goliath, from the Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass in Lexington, KY
- Happy Jack, from Victory Therapy Center in Roanoke, TX
- Milagro, from Graham Equestrian Center in Glenarm, MD
- Sir Dar, from Experience Equus in Aledo, TX
- Toby, from Blue Star Camps in Hendersonville, NC
About the Certified Horsemanship Association
CHA Instructors Change Lives Through Safe Experiences with Horses. The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the horse industry.
CHA certifies instructors and trail guides, accredits equestrian facilities, publishes educational manuals, produces educational horsemanship DVDs and YouTube Safety shorts, and hosts regional and international conferences.
For more information on the largest certifying body of riding instructors and barn managers in North America, Certified Horsemanship Association, please visit www.CHA-ahse.org or call 859-259-3399. To find a certified horseback riding instructor or accredited equine facility near you, visit www.CHAinstructors.com.