The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that Christine Rivlin Henke, from California, has been approved as the newest member of the USDF Certified Instructor (CI) Program Faculty. Rivlin Henke joins current Certified Instructor Program Faculty members Sarah Geike, Ann Guptill, Vicki Hammers O'Neil, Christopher Hickey, Renate Lansburgh, Rachel Saavedra, and Melanie Tenney.

CI Faculty serve as instructors for the Instructor Certification Workshops, where they demonstrate and teach the concepts of dressage. In order to become CI Program Faculty members, individuals must be Certified Instructors from Training to Fourth Level, and they must show proficiency in scribing, serving as CI workshop apprentices, and presenting various topics relevant to dressage theory.

Instructor certification enables USDF to recognize an individual's achievement and capabilities as a trainer, instructor, and rider. Being certified means that the candidate has demonstrated the knowledge and abilities necessary to teach the concepts of dressage and meet specified standards and proficiencies. USDF has designed a series of educational courses to help instructors gain experience and knowledge and become more effective. Workshop programs provide the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed by developing dressage professionals in the areas of lungeing, teaching, riding, and training.

If you would like to receive more information about the USDF Instructor Certification Program, contact a USDF Certified Instructor, obtain a calendar of USDF Certified Instructor Workshops and testing sessions, or learn about hosting Certified Instructor Workshops, visit www.usdf.org/Programs/InstructorCertification/index.asp or contact Tamie Parsons, USDF programs coordinator, at (859) 971-2277 or tparsons@usdf.org.

Founded in 1973, the United States Dressage Federation is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of dressage. For more information about USDF membership or programs, visit www.usdf.org, email usdressage@usdf.org, or call (859) 971-2277.