DENVER, CO – Horses Unlimited, Inc. of Cromberg, CA, recently became accredited under the accreditation program offered by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA). Accreditation status for Horses Unlimited, Inc. was approved by the NARHA Board of Directors in November 1998.

Horses Unlimited, Inc. offers therapeutic horseback riding services for individuals with disabilities. By attaining accreditation through NARHA, the center has demonstrated that it is in accordance with national standards for the therapeutic riding industry.

"Centers that become accredited with NARHA clearly stand out as strong, organized programs that are very safety conscious," said NARHA Executive Director William Scebbi. "NARHA Accreditation is a respected benchmark within the therapeutic riding industry."

To become accredited, a NARHA member riding center must successfully pass an evaluation by a trained NARHA representative. Centers are evaluated according to several standards that cover a wide range of areas such as horses, safety equipment, instruction, facilities management, volunteerism and administration. These standards were developed by the NARHA membership to assure that centers follow practices that are basic to quality therapeutic riding.

"NARHA Accreditation helps assist the public in selecting safe centers that provide quality services," said Scebbi. "It also gives our centers a method for self evaluation and facilities are constantly striving for improvement."

NARHA is a non-profit equestrian organization founded in 1969 to promote and support therapeutic riding for individuals with disabilities. Currently, NARHA has approximately 600 member riding centers across the U.S. and Canada. Approximately 180 of these centers are NARHA accredited. NARHA riding centers serve more than 28,000 individuals with disabilities.