For Your Information
Path International
Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.), a federally-registered 501(c3) nonprofit, was formed in 1969 as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association to promote equine-assisted services (EAS) for individuals with special needs. With nearly 4,800 certified instructors and equine specialists and 873 member centers, nearly 8.000 PATH Intl. members around the globe help almost 69,000 children and adults–including more than 6,700 veterans and active-duty military personnel–with physical, cognitive and emotional challenges find strength and independence through the power of the horse each year. In addition to therapeutic riding, our centers offer a number of therapeutic equine-related activities, including PT/OT/SLPs using equine movement, mental health incorporating equines in a treatment plan, driving, interactive vaulting, competition, groundwork and stable management. More recently, programs offer equine-assited leadership, services in human growth and development to serve wide-ranging audiences for such educational purposes as leadership training, team building and other human capacity enhancement skills for the workplace and for daily use. Click here to find a center near you.
PATH Intl. is the credentialing organization for accrediting centers and certifying instructors and equine specialists. Through our certification and accreditation programs, plus a wide variety of educational resources that includes an annual international conference that can attract close to 1,000 attendees, the association helps members start and maintain successful EAS programs. There are more than 61,500 volunteers, 4,776 credentialed professionals, 7,900 equines and thousands of contributors from all over the world at PATH Intl. Member Centers inspiring and enriching the human spirit.
Mailing Address: PO Box 33150 Denver, Colorado 80233
International Office Physical Address: 8670 Wolff Ct, Suite 210, Westminster, CO 80031
(800) 369-RIDE (7433)
Fax (303) 252-4610
The PATH Intl. Mission: We lead the advancement of professional equine-assisted services by supporting our members and stakeholders through rigorously developed standards, credentialing and education.
For a fun look at the global distribution of people who have visited the PATH Intl. website since June 7, 2011, visit our global maps page.
Connected Horse
Connected Horse offers opportunities and understanding of human-animal connections for people living with early stage dementia and their care partners. We focus on pioneering equine-guided workshops to fulfill our mission. We are also actively involved in research, working with the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the School of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Equine Health to study the effects of its equine-guided activities to further understand and develop programs that benefit everyone involved.
Why? Every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops dementia. This disease touches all of us. Until there is a cure we need more programs that support people living with dementia and their care partners. The interest in the therapeutic effects of Human-Animal Interaction is gaining momentum as programs such as ours see positive outcomes with a variety of populations.