Associations

Miss Erica and/or Misty Meadows Farm are members of, or are recognized by, the following organizations. Click on any of the assocation names to learn more about their mission and impact on the equestrian community.

The American Youth Horse Council [AYHC]
The American Youth Horse Council is the umbrella organization providing leadership and resources to serve and promote the youth horse industry. The vision of the American Youth Horse Council is to be a visible and connecting force in a vibrant and growing youth horse industry. AYHC strives to support the youth horse industry with factual and quality educational materials and to engage the participation of all breeds and disciplines within the industry. The organization seeks to illustrate the value of the human-horse experience. By accomplishing these goals AYHC believes that the youth horse industry will expand both numerically and monetarily as educated and committed participants enjoy the benefits of equine activities.

PATH Intl.
*Misty Meadows Farm is recognized as a PATH Intl. Premier Center for Therapeutic Riding!
NARHA was founded in 1969 as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association to promote safe and effective therapeutic horseback riding throughout the United States and Canada. Today, PATH Intl. has nearly 800 member centers and over 6,300 individual members in countries all over the world, who help and support more than 42,000 men, women and children with special needs each year through a variety of equine-assisted activity and therapy programs. Though PATH Intl. began with a focus on horseback riding as a form of physical and mental therapy, the organization and its dedicated members have since developed a multitude of different equine-related activities for therapeutic purposes, collectively known as equine-assisted activities and therapies (or EAAT). Besides horseback riding, EAAT also includes therapeutic carriage driving; interactive vaulting, which is similar to gymnastics on horseback; equine-facilitated learning and mental health, which use the horse as a partner in cognitive and behavioral therapy, usually with the participation of a licensed therapist; ground work and stable management; and PATH Intl. Horses for Heroes, a new program that uses a variety of EAAT disciplines specifically to help war veterans and military personnel. In addition, many of PATH’s 25 volunteer-driven committees are working on identifying and refining even more disciplines and activities that might be put to use in the world of EAAT.

USDF
The United States Dressage Federation [USDF] is the only national membership organization dedicated to dressage, a method of horse training in existence since ancient Greece and an Olympic sport since the inception of the modern Olympics in the late 1800’s. Dedicated to education, the recognition of achievement and promotion of dressage, USDF is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization with more than 30 different educational programs, 125 affiliate local or regional clubs and more than 2000 annual awards for excellence in competition.

NCDCTA
The North Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association [NCDCTA] is a regional organization dedicated to education, the recognition of achievement, and the promotion of the sports of dressage and combined training.

The Equestrian Medical Safety Association [EMSA]
For many years, the EMSA has provided education, research and resources to protect riders and improve safety within equestrian sports. The SRF was formed to provide a network of assistance to injured riders. In 2003, the two groups merged to form an organization that primarily works to prevent equestrian accidents, and are able to assist riders when an injury has occurred.

Red Cross
All of the instructors on site at Misty Meadows Farm are CPR and First-Aid certified with the Red Cross.