Para-Equestrian Trainers’ Symposium
This two-day workshop, held April 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and April 19 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. will educate dressage trainers and therapeutic riding instructors alike about para-equestrian dressage rider development, the classification system and rider eligibility, competitions, and resources, both regionally and nationally. Through the use of lecture, videos and demonstration riders, examples will be given of how to bring riders along in your own program from Grade 1a of “walk only” to the higher grades, which include lateral work in trot and canter and much more! Experiences about how to find good, safe, high-quality horses that can compete nationally and internationally will be shared.

Adaptive tack will be used in demonstration and discussed, videos will be played of some of the competition tests and discussion of the various grades and the FEI Classification system will be offered.There will be plenty of opportunity for networking and connecting you with resources in your region or general area.

If you have a student who is interested in getting involved with para-equestrian, or you are a trainer with some talent to share, join us and learn more about the program and where you need to go from here.

Instructor: Jennifer Nell, Coach of Para-Equestrian Dressage Riders Program Director, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
Target audience: Trainers (Dressage), (Therapeutic) Riding Instructors, interested riders and parents, administrators

Classification Workshop
This two-day workshop is designed to educate and certify physical therapists or physicians in the FEI Classification system for riders with disabilities. This system is the internationally accepted system for FEI and USEF for all para-equestrian (PE) competition, including World Games and Paralympics.

Classification is an attempt to ensure fair equestrian competition. All riders with a disability who intend to enter national or international competitions must produce a certificate that states their full medical diagnosis. The impairment is assessed (by certified classifiers) and the resulting functional profile is combined with other profiles that should have similar ability when mounted. There are five grades of competition. Grades Ia and Ib are for the riders with a severe impairment; Grade IV is for the riders with least impairment. The competition within each grade can then be judged on the functional skill of the rider regardless of impairment. (FEI Classification Manual, rev. 2008)

Participants will learn how to use the FEI Profile system by lecture, video, demonstration and supervised hands on practice in small groups. At the completion of the course, the students will be eligible to become certified as national USEF classifiers.

Once certified, classifiers will be asked to perform individual classifications for riders entering the PE system or to attend para-equestrian shows for riders with disabilities to perform classifications for the competitors. Concurrently, there will be a trainer’s clinic for riding instructors interested in becoming trainers for equestrian competitors in PE (see additional description). Over the two days of the workshops, there will be combined sessions for both the classifier and trainer students to participate and learn more about PE competition.

Target audience: Physical therapists, physicians, auditors may observe as room allows
Instructor: Joann Benjamin, PT, HPCS
USEF Classification Coordinator; FEI International Classifier

Location: Fieldstone Farm TRC
16497 Snyder Road
PO Box 23129
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023

Directions can be found at www.fieldstonefarmtrc.com/visitorsContactInfo.php

For more information, and for registration, please visit www.fieldstonefarmtrc.com