Certification Courses

Duration: 2 days (aprox. 6h per day)

Cost:

• $350 per day

Designed for:

• Therapeutic riding instructors
• Equine managers
• Conditioning teams
• Anyone who wants to improve their equine training skills

Requirements: 

• Age 16 and older; neuro-typical only (for young adults on the spectrum check with your trainer regarding participation)
• Must  be able to comfortably walk in arena footing for extended amounts of time.

What will be covered in ATHENA: Horse Training for Development & Growth 1?

• Theory and basic neuro-science: A brief history of classical training: how this work can strengthen an equine partner physically and mentally so that they provide the most therapeutic movement for participants and feel good while doing it.
• Equipment: what you need, how to use it, why it matters, and where to get it.
• Introducing equine partners to long lining: building and strengthen the topline.
• Introducing equine partners to the 3 phases of lunging: creating balance, muscle, and rhythm.
• Introducing equine partners to the start of in hand work: releasing the 3 points of resistance, shoulder in, and quarters in. Creating an equine partner that says YES!

What to bring

• Please bring appropriate footwear (closed toed shoes) and gloves. 
• Please bring plenty of water to drink and something to snack on.
• Notebook and pen

• $450 per horse you are planning to train and use for your ATHENA^SM Program

This phase will be through remote teaching. In this phase you will be submitting video of the horse you want to train for the job to us. The videos will be along the lines of what has been taught in the 2 day introduction course.

We will evaluate the video and give you feedback on them until your horse is ready for the program.

• $350 per day (3 day course – can be extended at students request)

In this course you will be teaching others how to train the horse. This course can take place at your location with the horses you have taken through course #2 or at a dedicated center. You will teach other participants or volunteers how to train the horse.

This course will prepare you to take your PTSD, at risk, trauma clients and involve them into your program to create a win-win-win-win situation in which the clients doing the training find empowerment, the horses improve and transmit well-being to the riding clients and the instructors and staff know logner have a time conflict between horse training/maintaining and serving clients.

Qualification for: ATHENA℠: Horse Training for Development & Growth Instructor

Once you have completed this course you will receive the ATHENA Practitioner accreditation and can advertise that you offer ATHENA: Horse Training for Development & Growth at your center. Read more here to learn about all requirements and memberships to keep your accreditation active.

• $450 per horse. Min 1 horse to complete evaluation

In this evaluation, you will develop and execute a training plan for one horse and one client. In this training plan you will explain to the client how to lunge, work the horse in and and long line, and submit a set of written as well as filmed steps in of your progress.