Certified Horsemanship Association
Region 1 Leadership
Region 1 Directors
If you double click their pictures you can send an email directly.
Debbie Holmes Grants Pass, Oregon
Triad Director
Debbie Homes is currently mentoring instructors of riders with disabilities around the country. Her past positions include program director and supervising instructor at the Foundation of Southern Oregon, animal care technician for Arizona State University, and program director for RideAble Therapeutic Riding Center. She has served as a Special Olympics delegation head coach and coach for a member of Team USA for the 2015 Special Olympic World Games in Los Angeles. In 2022 she received CHA's Certifier of the Year Award. Her professional certifications include CHA Master Instructor and Certifier for Instructor of Riders with Disabilities; CHA Master Instructor and Certifier for CHA's EWI program; Past CHA Assistant Regional Director for Region 10 & a Triad Director for CHA Region 1; PATH CTRI, Equine Specialist & Mentor.
“CHA has changed my life. It has given me focus, career purpose, invaluable relationships, and endless educational opportunities. CHA supports and encourages its members to be better. Better in the arena, on the trail, and in the community. As a member of the Region 1 Triad, I will support, promote, and help others reach their goals through this amazing organization!” says Debbie.
Phil Peterson Ritzville, Washington
Triad Director
As a member of CHA since 1980, Phil currently serves as a CHA Certifier for English Western Instructors, Pack & Trail, (Equine Facility Management) EFM, Driving, and is a Site Visitor trainer. He has served on the Research and Development Committee, Standards/Accreditation Committee, and Treasurer for a total of 12 years on the CHA Board of Directors. His experience includes 30 years in youth camp management, most recently at Miracle Ranch in Port Orchard, WA.
Phil's goals are to see Region 1 be a national trendsetter for clinics in all certifications in order to build its membership base and diversity in the horsemanship industry. His strengths include; strategic planning, team building and training. You will also see him planning regional events, promoting CHA to potential members and submitting regional reports
Rowanne Fairchild Olympia, Washington
Triad Director
Rowanne Fairchild was the Ranch Manager at Cascades Camp and Conference Center in Yelm, Washington for six years, a position she stepped into after graduating from Whitworth University in 2014. She is a CHA certified Level 3 Packing Guide, and Level 2 English and Western instructor. Rowanne also serves as an Equine Facility Manager (EFM) Assistant Certifier. During her tenure as Ranch Manager, she made Cascades a CHA-accredited site. Rowanne’s work with horses is shaped by her value for people and mentorship. Rowanne is now the Community Services Program Manager at SafePlace, in Olympia, WA.
As a member of the Region 1 Triad, Rowanne intends to support region members and invest in the overall growth within the region.
CHA Region 1 State and Provincial Representatives
If you double click their pictures you can send an email directly.
Caleb Hein
Alaska Representative
Caleb Hein is a lifelong Alaska resident, and currently works at Victory Bible Camp as the Horsemanship Manager. His introduction to CHA was in high school, when he attended Victory Bible Camp's horse program as a summer camper. He went on to volunteer at the barn for several years, and went through multiple CHA seasonal clinics. In 2013, he accepted a full time position leading pack trips for Victory. Eventually, that morphed into running the horse program until present. He really appreciates CHA and the standard of excellence, safety, and the resource that it is while running this program.
Amy Frederick
Alberta, Canada Representative
Amy has been involved with the CHA horsemanship program since 1998. Amy fell in love with horses while participating in the CHA rider level program as a young camp staff. Her passion led her to pursue instructor certification. She is currently a certified CHA EWI level 2 instructor. Amy has had the privilege of working most of her horsemanship career at multiple horse camps across Western Canada. She currently works with Birch Bay Ranch, a certified active host site in Sherwood Park, AB, where she formerly held the position of Barn Manager, but is currently responsible for the development and instruction of their beginner/intermediate lesson program. Amy is also a certified equine first aid instructor with Equi Health International.
Amy believes in being a life-long learner and is always striving to be the best rider and coach she can be. Amy enjoys trail riding with her family, English riding, and performing in a Western drill team with her horse Einstein.
Natalie Barre
British Columbia Representative
Natalie Barre (Nat) is a lifetime CHA Member, Certified Instructor and the Canada’s only double carded AQHA & APHA Professional Horseman. She owns and operates a successful training and boarding facility, Horse Play Your Way, in Langley, BC. Natalie loves to teach, always looking for opportunities to share her knowledge and time with people in their journey to build relationships with their horses. She has extensive experience teaching at all levels from private lessons, to discipline specific clinics, and expo presentations. Natalie also has a passion for learning, through clinics, study of rider style, and training methods, she continues to mold her successful program to suit the needs of the audience. Natalie continues to enjoy both teaching and competing in disciplines from Dressage, Reining, Cattle events, and Working equitation.
For several years Natalie was instrumental in building, teaching and promoting Mountain trail in Canada, and in 2013 she was nominated for the Horse Council BC coach of the year. Natalie has a not-so-secret love for the Journey of the Traditional Bridle Horse, both the history and the methods. Of course, this includes excitement about quality leather, silver and braided gear. (Just ask her!) CHA has been the perfect partner for Natalie to grow with and promote. There is such enjoyment to bring people together to build safe solid horsemanship in such a welcoming association. The people that make up CHA are truly the network that helped Nat find her own professional steps in this industry and she is looking forward to helping open doors for new people to experience this great community and Association!
Holly Haeger
Idaho Representative
Holly Haeger started as a professional horseperson over 30 years ago through summer camps. Her career began in a CHA program and continued by attending her first CHA certification in the mid-90s. After she got married, she and her husband moved to manage a 150-plus herd of reining and cutting Quarter Horses. Later she completed a master’s degree in Teaching Techniques and began her teaching career in an alternative high school as an English teacher. Most days after work she taught private lessons in her lesson business where she also helped initiate and sustain a Pony Club with USPC, coached a USEA group of young riders, and worked with clients who came to her for help with “basic dressage” to help with other disciplines. She is presently an EWI AC for CHA.
Holly has a lot of experience in both CHA’s origins (summer camp) and CHA’s evolution into serving professionals from every equestrian instructional field. The instructional component is a good fit for Holly’s background in education/teaching, and she has a desire to not only help programs learn and grow through CHA, but also to invest in the art of teaching continually.
Trisha Kiefer-Reed
Montana Representative
Trisha Kiefer-Reed began her horse addiction like so many others: anything and everything equine-related grabbed her full attention. Fortunately, her family didn't squash this undeniable passion, opting instead to allow her as many hours on, or near, horses as possible. Wisdom was again shown when they sought professional instruction when they realized their daughter was jumping the family horses over some rather "questionable" obstacles. From that day on, the love affair with classical training and instruction was forged.
From pleasure trail riding in the mountains to ranch work to competitive barrel racing to formally studying and competing in upper-level Eventing and Dressage, the once horse-crazy kid parlayed her passion into a lifetime of learning and exploring many aspects of the horse world. Academically, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University in, predictably, Equine Science.
Understanding that "horsemanship," at its purest, is an art form, she felt a strong desire to pass on what she was learning. Because Trisha was compelled to be a professional in the industry, in 1998 she became a certified instructor with CHA. Since then she's earned her stripes not only as Master Instructor in both Western and English, but was also honored to become a Certifier Instructor.
Currently, Working Equitation has her full attention. She's traveling around the U.S., learning and competing as much as possible.
Trisha's enthusiasm for "learning" has been a fantastic fit for CHA. Helping others to be safe and enjoy horses remains her personal, as well as professional, passion. She is glad to have the opportunity to help represent her area and gladly spread the good word about the opportunities CHA has to offer.
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Sherilyn Sander
Oregon Representative
Sherilyn Sander has been a certified CHA instructor since 1989. At that first clinic, she knew she would one day be a certifier. 1997 she was certified as a Master Instructor and Assistant Certifier. 2002-2006 she served on the CHA Board of Directors and was CHA Vice President for a term. Sherilyn is dual certified in Pack and Trail and is a Combined Certifier. She is also a CHA Site Accreditor. Sherilyn has been very active in CHA Region 1 for many years. She served informally as assistant Regional Director from 1998-2011. Then on the CHA Director Triad for Region 1, 2015-2022. Sherilyn is a CHA lifetime member.
She is a graduate of the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Animal Science and majored in Agribusiness. She is also a 1998 graduate of Canyonview Equestrian College (CEC) and then served at CEC as Dean of Students for 16 years and retired in 2014.
Sherilyn brings years of experience in event planning, and conference organization and has helped build our Silent Auction to be what it is today! She enjoys the culture of community and bringing ideas together. She loves to invest in those who desire to grow their skills and knows the brightest days of CHA are what lie ahead.
Cynthia MacFarlan
Washington Representative
Cynthia MacFarlan, a Chicago area native, moved to the Tri-Cities in 2000. As a Speech/Language pathologist for more than forty years, Mrs. MacFarlan has worked with people of all ages, in multiple settings and across all levels of care to help them with communication disorders.
Mrs. MacFarlan’s love of animals and therapeutic skills led her to form Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities (TROT), the first nonprofit therapeutic riding facility in SE Washington State. With the help of her benefactor Dr. Lawrence Dubose and the support of her husband and daughter, Mrs. MacFarlan launched TROT, in 2014. Since then, hundreds of people have donated resources, talents and time to make TROT a reality. Mrs. MacFarlan’s biggest reward has been watching her dream unfold and grow into something that is helping to change lives and bring joy to those involved in the organization.
Mrs. MacFarlan holds Level 1 certifications with both Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) and the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA). She is also a member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.). In 2021 and 2022, TROT hosted IRD Certifications. Achieving high standards to foster excellence in the instruction for the Adaptive Riding Program is important and furthers the mission of serving God and our community for our families.
In her free time, Mrs. MacFarlan enjoys making memories with family, hiking, walking on the beach, and spending time with her therapy horses, Cocoa and Cowboy.
