News from Brickhouse Equestrian Center (BEC) and Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding  (CATR) 
January 2018  

Further Education for BEC Pony Clubbers
 
The United States Pony Club (USPC) is the largest equestrian educational organization in the world.  Two years ago, BEC became a Pony Club Center and now has ten members that meet regularly.   
 
The BEC Pony Club continues to grow and members have been taking advantage of the excellent educational opportunities.  At the end of October, BEC Pony Clubbers, Ellis Farley and Morgan Coleman attended the Pony Club Festival at The Fork Farm in Norwood, NC.  One of their favorite hands-on workshops involved learning about horse anatomy and even dissecting a horse's leg!
 
 
At the end of this month, Miller Hiers, BEC Program Director and Assistant Center Administrator of the BEC Pony Club, will be attending the USPC Equine Symposium and Convention in Louisville, KY.   The convention consists of four days of lectures and practical workshops on topics ranging from teaching techniques to the future in equine research.  We are looking forward to the wealth of information she will bring back to help strengthen and expand the BEC Pony Club!  
 

CATR Staff Serves PATH International
 
Anja Cain, CATR Volunteer and Education Coordinator, has recently taken on the role of PATH Intl. State Chair for South Carolina.  The State Chair is part of the Region Leadership Team and reports to the Region Representative.  CATR is in Region 3, which consists of South and North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.  Anja's main goals as the SC State Chair are to provide outreach and support for PATH members, determine educational needs and facilitate continuing education through a wide variety of activities at the state and local levels.  
 
Amanda Gerald, CATR Philanthropy Director, has recently joined the PATH Intl. Interactive Vaulting Subcommittee.
The committee consists of Interactive Vaulting Instructors from all over the country.  The committee meets once a month via phone conference and focuses on reviewing the current certification process, improving the clarity and objectivity of certification scoring, and developing educational webinars and materials.
 
Congrats to Anja and Amanda on their new positions!  
 

CATR & BEC Upcoming Events
 
Volunteer Orientation & Training
Jan. 20th
Contact Anja Cain to sign-up!
 
ESMHL Workshop & Skills Test
Jan. 25th - 28th
 
Pony Club Convention, Lexington, KY
Jan. 24th - 28th
 
Sand Dollar Horse Show, Mullet Hall
Jan. 27th
 
Dressage Combined Test, Mullet Hall 
Feb. 24th
 
Spring Therapeutic Riding Session
Feb. 10th - May 11th 
 
A Celebration of the Horse & Cowboy Life
March 10th 
Details coming soon!
 
Liberty Mutual Invitational, Kiawah 
March 22nd - 25th  
 
CATR Spring Break
March 31st - April 6th 
 
Blue Jean Ball
April 22nd, 4 - 7 pm
Details coming soon! 
 
Thank  You! 
Together We Met Our Match 
 
As most of you know, CATR was challenged with a $50,000 matching donation from The Speedwell Foundation for our end of the year giving campaign.  We are proud to report that we received 138 donations for a total of just over $50,000! Together we have met our match and raised $100,000 for CATR's therapeutic riding programs!
   
THANK YOU for giving generously, spreading the word about CATR, and encouraging others to get involved.  YOU make it possible for us to continue on this incredible journey to improve lives one ride at a time!
 
Holiday Week  
A Festive New Tradition 

Here at CATR, we love to celebrate! Whether it be for milestones in riding, holidays, or big life events, we look forward to every chance to spread some joy and dress up for a laugh!  
 
This year in lieu of CATR's Annual Holiday Party, our Volunteer Auxiliary had the fabulous idea to decorate and celebrate all week long so that more of our volunteers and students could take part in the festivities!  Staff, volunteers, students, and even the horses were encouraged to dress up and show their holiday spirit.  Members of CATR's Volunteer Auxiliary spent countless hours decorating, wrapping, baking, and painting to make sure our First Annual Holiday Week was a great success!  
 
Students in our Public School Program invited parents, guardians, grandparents, siblings, and friends to come to their "horse show" on the last day of  session.  The spectators cheered on the sidelines and then all gathered around the tree to have cookies and help the students unwrap a special gift.
 
Many students, volunteers, staff members and horses dressed up to show their holiday spirit!  Even the horses got a festive treat -- a candy cane!  
 
A BIG thanks to CATR's Volunteer Auxiliary for putting on such a fun week for all!  We can't wait until next year! 
Student Spotlight 
Rowan and Miller 

In this newsletter, we wanted to take the time to highlight some of our students that show excellent sportsmanship, friendship with their peers, empathy for their horses, and great progress in their riding skills! Please meet Miller and Rowan who ride together in a group lesson on Tuesday afternoons.

Rowan, Miller, volunteers and instructors dressed up for Halloween!
 
Rowan, 7 years old, has been riding at CATR for over 4 years.  She has ridden several different horses, but her favorite is Samantha.  When asked about her favorite horse, Rowan's answer was "My favorite horse is Sam because she doesn't talk."  She most enjoys getting to go on trail rides with Miller.  Rowan's favorite movie and princess is Moana and her favorite colors are blue and pink.

Miller, 5 years old, has been riding with CATR for 2 years. He is now learning to use his reins to steer.  Miller says his favorite horse at CATR is Peachy because "She is really slow and gentle." He loves playing fun games on horseback with Rowan. His favorite show and Disney character is Sophia the First and his favorite color is red.

Miller and Rowan are both learning basic riding skills like pulling on their reins to stop, telling their horse to "walk on" and remaining centered and balanced on their horses' backs.  They love practicing their skills while getting into a little friendly competition with red light/green light and the tortoise and the hare race.  The volunteers and horses get a little competitive too!   
 
Make sure to say hello to this dynamic duo when you see them around the farm.  They would be happy to tell you more about the fun they have while riding together! 
Upcoming Education at CATR  
Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning Workshop & Test 

CATR is hosting a PATH Intl. Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) Workshop and Skills Test January 25th - 28th. 

The ESMHL Workshop provides specialized training for experienced equestrians, instructors or mental health professionals and educators who are interested in equine-facilitated mental health and education programs.  The focus is on the role of the equine handler (Equine Specialist) when working with a mental health counselor or educator in designing safe and effective activities, determining equine handling methods, and understanding students with mental health or learning needs.  
The interest in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) continues to grow in our industry.  This field spans scenarios including psychotherapy sessions lead by a mental health professional to equine assisted learning sessions for special education students.  Both EAP and EAL utilize the horse and human interactions to facilitate personal growth such as meeting therapy goals or attaining educational skills. 

The possibilities associated with a certification as a PATH Intl. Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning make this Workshop and corresponding Skills Test a high demand opportunity.  The maximum of twenty participants was reached long before the deadline and a number of interested individuals could not be accommodated. Registered participants will be traveling from eleven different states, as far away as Wisconsin and Illinois, to learn at CATR.

Five CATR instructors will participate.  Two staff members, Lauren Gayden and Rebecca Carmody, and CATR's Instructor-In-Training, Chloe Garrison, will go on to pursue certification.   
 
We are looking forward to hosting this valuable learning opportunity at CATR!