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Notes on the
Therapeutic Riding Assistant Course - Level 1

Classes are held weekly on Tuesdays at 6pm (approximately 1 hour per night). This is an 8 + 1 week course and we encourage all volunteers or interested parents to take this course.

Subjects covered during the 8 week Therapeutic Riding Assistant - Level 1 Course include the following:

• Lesson #1 Roles/Responsibilities of Volunteers & Safety of the Rider, Volunteers and Horses
• Lesson #2 Types of Horses, Parts of the Horse, Blankets & Grooming
• Lesson #3 Identifying Tack, Cleaning Tack and Fitting Tack
• Lesson #4 Catching/Releasing a Horse, Proper use of Lead Rope and Leading without a Rider
• Lesson #5 Leading/Sidewalking with a Rider
• Lesson #6 Leading/Sidewalking with a Rider
• Lesson #7 Mounting/Dismounting Procedures
• Lesson #8 Common Arena Terminology/Letters and Figures
• Lesson #9 Bonus Class!!! A riding lesson for each volunteer

Instructors: Sandra Stushnoff and Paula Farr

Attendance is mandatory at all classes. If you need to miss a class for any reason, you may make up that class during the next session or arrange with your Instructor to come in and make it up. Completion of all of the weekly quizzes is also required in order to receive your certification. Instructors are always available for extra assistance!!!. Upon completion of the course - all volunteers will receive a certificate and a TRA - Level #1 name tag.

The goal of this program is to educate our volunteers and eventually have all volunteers designated as either TRA - Level 1 or Level 2 (TRA - Level 2 will hopefully be offered in the near future). Again, we recommend all volunteers/parents take advantage of this course.

If you have subjects/areas that you would like to see added to our TRA Courses - please feel free to pass along ideas. Subjects being considered for TRA - Level 2 are horse feed, equine first aid/TPR, tacking up horses (saddles/bridles - parts of), braiding/show turn-out, polos/shipping bandages/stable bandages, horse conformation, various rider disabilities, proper use of fly masks/blankets/rainsheets, bathing/trimming, lungeing and diseases/vaccines.

We are also hoping in the future to bring in various coaches/farriers/veterinarians/riders for in-house seminars/demonstrations.