Denver— NARHA’s National Award Winners were honored November 6 at the Annual NARHA Awards Banquet, the highlight of NARHA’s 2010 National Conference, Annual Meeting and Horse Expo, in the Grand Hyatt Ballroom in Denver, CO. The banquet featured an excellent dinner, punctuated by cheers and happy tears for the people who exemplify the best of the wonderful population of participants, instructors, volunteers and equines who work together to change the lives of people who live with physical, mental, emotional and learning challenges.
The following people received 2010 NARHA National Achievement Awards
James Brady Lifetime Achievement Award: Molly Sweeney, Horses and Humans Research Foundation, Houston, TX.
NARHA Adult Equestrian Recognition Award: Reino Taveras, Region 1, Horse Power, Inc., Temple, NH
NARHA Child Equestrian Award: Evan Dustan, Region 6, Midwest Therapeutic Riding Program, Inc., Racine, WI
NARHA Independent Adult Equestrian Recognition Award: Sean McGinnis, Region 3, Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, Clifton, VA
NARHA Youth Equestrian Recognition Award: Sam Bemis, Region 11, Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Petaluma, CA
NARHA Horses for Heroes of the Year: Gregory Rodriguez, Region 7, BraveHearts at the Bergmann Centre, Poplar Grove, IL
NARHA Sis Gould Driving Award: Eileen Leek, Region 8, Riding Unlimited, Ponder, TX
NARHA Equine of the Year Award: Striker, Palouse Area Therapeutic Horsemanship, Pullman, WA
NARHA Instructor of the Year: Roxanne C. Elliott-Crandall, Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Program, Richmond, IL
NARHA Volunteer of the Year: Carol Ten Broek, Therapeutic Riding of Tryon at FENCE, Tryon, NC
NARHA President's Award: Teresa Morris, past board president and program director of Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, Chagrin Falls, OH.
The Independent Adult Equestrian award was sponsored by the American Paint Horse Association and the instructor awards were sponsored by Purina Mills.
For more information on these winners as well as all the region winners, visit www.narha.org/narha-conferences/national/awards/219-2010-national-award-winners
About NARHA:
NARHA, formerly North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, was formed in 1969 to promote equine assisted activities and therapies for individuals with special needs. At over 700 member centers, a total of 42,000 children and adults find a sense of independence through involvement with horses. These member centers range from small, one-person programs to large operations with several certified instructors and licensed therapists. In addition to therapeutic equitation, a center may offer any number of equine assisted activities including hippotherapy, equine facilitated mental health, driving, interactive vaulting, trail riding, competition, ground work, or stable management. Through a wide variety of educational resources, the association helps individuals start and maintain successful equine assisted activities and therapies for individuals with special needs. There are more than 24,000 volunteers, 2000 instructors, 5,700 therapy horses and thousands of contributors from all over the world helping people at NARHA centers.