2009 Regional Award Winners Announced by NARHA Denver-All participants at NARHA centers are unique and deserve recognition, but as we all know, some just shine. Each year NARHA celebrates our especially outstanding equestrians, equines, instructors and volunteers, and this year’s NARHA regional recognition award winners have been posted on the NARHA Conference web site along with the 2009 national adult equestrian, adult independent equestrian, child equestrian and youth equestrian.

All regional award winners will be recognized and the 2009 national equine, instructor and volunteer of the year will be announced at the 2009 NARHA National Conference and Annual Meeting Awards Banquet in Fort Worth, Texas: Saturday, November 21.

NARHA Premier Accredited Centers are shown in red.

NARHA Region 1 Equine of the Year: Willy, Horse Power, Inc., Temple, New Hampshire Instructor of the Year: Nancy Hohmann, Riding to the Top Therapeutic Riding Center, Windham, Maine Volunteer of the Year: Jeffrey Ridgeway, High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc., Old Lyme, Connecticut Region 1 includes the following states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and the Canadian provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.

NARHA Region 2 Equine of the Year: Ebony Boy (Ebs), Special Equestrians Inc., Warrington, Pennsylvania Instructor of the Year: Volunteer of the Year: Joan Marie Twining, Rose of Sharon Equestrian School, Inc., Glen Arm, Maryland Volunteer of the Year: John Clark, Atlantic Riding Center for the Handicapped (ARCH), Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey Region 2 includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.

NARHA Region 3 Equine of the Year: Big Joe, EQUI-KIDS Therapeutic Riding Program, Virginia Beach, Virginia Instructor of the Year: Joy Simon, Misty Meadows Mitey Riders, Inc., Waxhaw, North Carolina Volunteer of the Year: Robert Geize, Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, Clifton, Virginia Region 3 includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

NARHA Region 4 Equine of the Year: H F Heisman “Gunny,” C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc., Mason, Michigan Instructor of the Year: Winifred Spisak, Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, Chagrin Falls, Ohio Volunteer of the Year: Rom Botyrius, Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center, Augusta, Michigan Region 4 includes Indiana, Kentucky Michigan, Ohio and the Canadian Province of Ontario.

NARHA Region 5 Equine of the Year: Equity, Freedom Ride, Inc., Orlando, Florida Instructor of the Year: Alice Keeney, Horses and the Handicapped of South Florida, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida Volunteer of the Year: Sara Reams, Calvin Center Therapeutic Riding Program, Hampton, Georgia Region 5 includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and the also Puerto Rico.

NARHA Region 6 Equine of the Year: Skip Sizzler, Nature’s Edge Therapy Center, Rice Lake, Wisconsin Instructor of the Year: Sally Reif DelGuidice, River Valley Riders, Bayport, Minnesota Volunteer of the Year: Bill Eckblad, Freedom Farm, Waverly, Minnesota Region 6 includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and the Canadian Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

NARHA Region 7 Equine of the Year: Tuff: Heartland Equine therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA), Valley, Nebraska Instructor of the Year: Jodi Teal, Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA), Omaha, Nebraska Volunteer of the Year : Jean Whittenburg, Therapeutic Horsemanship, Wentzville, Missouri Region 7 includes Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska

NARHA Region 8 Equine of the Year: True Eyed Jack “JJ,” EQUEST, Wylie, Texas Instructor of the Year: Heather Hernandez, Texas Tech Therapeutic Riding Center, Lubbock, Texas Volunteer of the Year: Heather Cusick, SIRE, Houston’s Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Hockley, Texas Region 8 includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas

NARHA Region 9 Equine of the Year: Kleng, Northwest Therapeutic Riding Center, Bellingham, Washington Instructor of the Year: Tracy McConnachie, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, Woodinville, Washington Volunteer of the Year: Emily Borium, Leg Up For Kids, Arlington, Washington Region 9 includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington State in addition to the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.

NARHA Region 10 Equine of the Year: Snowy River, CANTER (Cochise Area Network of Therapeutic Equestrian Resources), Sierra Vista, Arizona Instructor of the Year: To be Announced Volunteer of the Year: Frank Campbell, Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc., Longmont, Colorado Region 10 includes Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming

NARHA Region 11

Equine of the Year: Little Bit, EQUI-ED, Santa Rosa, California Instructor of the Year: Connie Weinsoff, Hearts Adaptive Riding Program, Santa Barbara, California Volunteer of the Year: Fred Nuthall, Ivey Ranch Park, Oceanside, California Region 11 includes California, Hawaii and Navada

Early registration is currently offered online on the conference page at www.narha.org, as well as more information about conference sessions, the conference hotel, the conference travel deals and fun things to do in Fort Worth.