The National Snaffle Bit Association Foundation held its seventh annual Coaches Summit February 24 - 26, 2025. Presented as a special project of the NSBA Foundation, the workshop has a theme of building competition opportunities as “A Model of Inclusion.”
The Coaches Summit included classroom instruction, arena demonstrations, and discussion panels led by industry experts, professional horsemen, and educators. The NSBA Foundation would like to thank Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship in Dallas, Texas, for opening their wonderful facility to this year’s workshop. The 2025 Coaches Summit included 16 participants from across the country at the three- day event.
Participants included professional horsemen, therapeutic riding center coaches, staff, and volunteers, professors, United States military veterans, professional horsemen and other industry stakeholders. The NSBA Foundation is proud to offer the Coaches Summit to all of these parties to explore the power of competition for individuals in therapeutic riding programs and the expansion of current or new riding programs.
Instruction revolved around the inclusion of competition for Equestrians with Disabilities or veterans using horses as a form of therapeutic riding. Content for the workshop also comprised fundraising strategies, expanding networks, competition integration techniques, current industry research and discussion panels on stakeholder engagement.
Certified professionals received continuing education credits for attending the Coaches Summit as outlined in their certification requirements. The lead facilitators for the event were Diane Helgeland, executive director of Partners for Progress NFP, and Amy Causey, director of program quality and development at Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship. They were joined by professional horseman Adam Smith, NSBA Judge Brad Kearns, and NSBA Foundation Program Director Elise Sheard.
The workshop was funded through the generous support of Curt and Beth Hartman.
NSBA’s Equestrians with Disabilities and Heroes on Horses provide a platform for independent and supported riders to participate in NSBA horse shows and other forms of competition. The programs are open to any age rider in Western and English disciplines. Heroes on Horses and Equestrians With Disabilities are just two of the many programs administered by the National Snaffle Bit Association Foundation, which also include the Animal Welfare Fund, the Trainer Crisis Fund, Champion Fund, and the Education Fund. If you have questions regarding, or wish to be involved with, any NSBA Foundation program, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
About The NSBA Foundation
Operating under a separate board of directors, the NSBA Foundation serves as the charitable arm of the National Snaffle Bit Association and provides funding to support the efforts of the Association through programming specific to the equine industry and the NSBA membership. The NSBA Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
