Certified Horsemanship Association Distinguished Service Award Winner – Stan Loewen from Kansas
(November 2021) The CHA Distinguished Service Award is a lifetime achievement award for an individual who has gone above and beyond through the years promoting and upholding the mission of the Certified Horsemanship Association, helping in the horse industry and believing in all we stand for. THANK YOU to the CHA Distinguished Service Award winner – Stan Loewen from Meade, Kansas!
“I spent many fun filled times with Stan,” says CHA Past President and Life Member Jim Glunt. “He came to Camp Tippecanoe many times offering CHA Pack and Trail Clinics. Every one of them was very pleasant and both I and the other camp staff enjoyed his visits. Our CHA certifications were usually offered toward the end of our summer season and served as a horse focused finish to summer camp. I do remember a time that the trail group had just left main camp and was travelling through the pasture when one of the participants let a lead rope get too long and wrap around the back end of a horse that was being packed for the first time. As that lead rope gathered around that horse’s butt and started tightening under his tail trouble was brewing. Neither Stan nor I could get the rider’s attention in time. As it turned out the tight lead under his tail caused the horse to sit squarely down and stay there. This really befuddled the rider as he was unsure of what to do without causing a wreck. It all worked out fine and was the reason for many laughs throughout that certification.”
“Stan is always pleasant to everyone with many interesting stories and willing to flex his schedule to suit camp’s other programs. I spent two weeks with him in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania learning saddle and tack repair. That was a very rewarding experience. In fact, he sold me a full size marble tombstone to use as a base for setting rivets and the like. I still have it and refer to it as “Uncle Paul” because Paul something-or-other was the name on the stone.”
Stan has served on the CHA Board for several terms and worked with the committee that developed the CHA Pack and Trail certification. He has been a CHA member since 1984 and his CHA journey had included being certified in Western in 1984, then in both English and Western in 1986. He became trail certified in 1987 and has been part of the CHA Certifier Team in English/Western Instructor and Trail since 1988. He has conducted over 64 CHA Certifications including: 21 Combined Arena and Trail, 19 English/Western Instructor, 19 Trail and 5 Seasonal Equestrian Staff Certifications.
If you have ever been to a CHA International Conference that had a Trail Encampment, this person was one of the leads putting up his wall tent for folks to come into, cooking over the Dutch Ovens, making the cowboy coffee and chatting with whomever stops by. He is also currently on the home page of our website, www.CHA.horse and on the cover of our CHA Trail Manual packing mules in the Bob Marshall wilderness. Thank you Stan for all of your service to CHA through the years!
For a complete list of past CHA award winners, visit https://cha.horse/international-conference/#award-winners
CHA Equine Professionals Change Lives Through Safe Experiences with Horses. The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the horse industry. CHA certifies equine professionals, accredits equestrian facilities, publishes educational manuals, produces educational horsemanship videos and webinars, and hosts regional and international conferences. For more information on the largest certifying body of equine professionals in North America, Certified Horsemanship Association, or to find a certified equine professional or accredited equine facility near you, please visit www.CHA.horse.
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