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Meeting and Exceeding NARHA Benchmarks
Patty D’Andrea, R.O.C.K. Program Director and NARHA Advanced Instructor
Did you know that nearly every aspect of the daily activities at R.O.C.K. is subject to national standards established by the NARHA Premier Accredited Center Program? These national standards for equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) help us plan and implement services. They also serve as a “test” or benchmark for achieving and maintaining accreditation, as well as ongoing self-evaluation. Attaining accredited status builds public confidence in our ability to provide quality, safe services and promotes industry-wide standards.
To maintain our accreditation, we prepare for and submit to reviews by our peers at NARHA every 5 years to assure that the standards are being followed. This process of evaluation ensures that R.O.C.K.’s program meets basic standards for health and safety and thus promotes the safety and well-being of all participants and horses.
Standards are wide-ranging and divided into four categories: administrative, program, facility, and specialty standards. These standards complement each other to provide guidance for our instructors and therapists as they strive to learn and implement “best practices.” Nationwide standards lead to a consistently higher level of service while insuring the safety of the participants.
There are 9 Mandatory Core Standards and 7 Mandatory Specialty Standards that we must follow. For example, all riders must wear riding helmets approved by the ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials) and SEI (Safety Equipment Institute). We must have a written policy regarding our riders’ using safety stirrups or wearing riding boots. Other mandatory standards to be reviewed include maintaining written, signed and dated release of liability forms, and consent (or non-consent) forms for R.O.C.K. to seek emergency medical treatment. If we do not show evidence of these mandatory standards at the time of the visit, we risk losing our Premier Accreditation Status immediately. Degradation of our accreditation status would cause us to go through an arduous procedure of documentation to show how we have remedied the situation.
The Administration Standards include organization, emergency procedures, safety regulations, risk management, documentation, and written policies and procedures. The Program Standards include equine management, equipment, volunteers, participants, instructors, and health professionals. The Facility Standards include safety and maintenance of the buildings and grounds. The Specialty Standards include specifics for our programs in Hippotherapy and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP), and the insurance and professional licenses that therapists carry.
It has been 5 years since our last peer review, so we are preparing to welcome two site inspectors on June 28th. They will visit R.O.C.K. to review our program’s compliance with each standard. They will observe Therapeutic Riding Lessons, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy sessions, and EFP sessions. They will ask to see written documentation of our policies and procedures, our organizational structure including both board and staff job descriptions, and evidence of our intake and continual assessment of our clients. They will tour the facility to assure that our horses are appropriately cared for, that we maintain the facility to reduce risks (such as avoiding clutter in the aisles to avoid falls), that we maintain the arenas and pastures safely, and much more.
We strive to continuously improve our standards of operation at R.O.C.K. and maintain our status as a NARHA Premier Accredited Center. I applaud our instructors, therapists, and staff for their dedication to maintaining the highest standards for EAAT, and I am grateful for the confidence and trust placed in us by our clients and their families.
