Balancing the Scales: Evaluating Participant Balance & Equine Weight Limits

Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to safely match riders and horses, implement evidence-based weight and balance policies, and sustain programs that prioritize both horse welfare and participant success.

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Does any of this apply to you?

  • You want to better understand how weight and rider balance affect horse welfare and participant safety in equine-assisted services.
  • You’re involved in assigning riders to horses and want a clearer, evidence-based framework for making those decisions.
  • You’re looking to develop or refine your program’s weight limit policy to ensure consistency, transparency, and defensibility.
  • You’ve faced difficult conversations about weight limits or rider suitability and want strategies for communicating with empathy and professionalism.
  • You’re committed to sustaining a program that protects your horses’ well-being while maximizing participant success and longevity.

You're not alone!

At HETRA, we understand the challenges that come with balancing horse welfare, participant needs, and program logistics. For more than 35 years, our team has worked to refine processes that uphold the highest standards of safety for both horses and humans. From developing clear weight limit policies to implementing consistent rider assessments, every step of our approach has been shaped by decades of experience and a deep respect for the equine partners who make this work possible.
 
We know these conversations and decisions aren’t always easy—but you don’t have to navigate them on your own. Through this mini course, we’re sharing what we’ve learned so other EAS centers can build sustainable, transparent, and compassionate programs that protect their horses and help participants thrive.

In just 6 weeks you could gain...

  • A solid foundation in understanding how weight limits and rider balance directly impact horse welfare and participant safety.
  • The knowledge and tools to determine individualized weight limits for each horse using evidence-based guidelines and program-specific considerations.
  • A clear framework for identifying and categorizing rider balance levels—and understanding how those differences affect horse selection and workload.
  • Practical decision-making skills to confidently match riders to horses, communicate expectations, and maintain consistency across your team.
  • An actionable implementation plan for putting policies into practice, handling sensitive conversations with compassion, and ensuring long-term program sustainability.
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THE SIX WEEK MINI-COURSE

Balancing the Scales: Evaluating Participant Balance and Equine Weight Limits

Is this for me?

This course is ideal for professionals working in EAS, particularly those involved in mounted activities such as adaptive riding and hippotherapy. It's designed for instructors, therapists, program directors, barn managers, and equine caretakers who are committed to prioritizing safe, sustainable programming for both horses and humans. 

Take control of your learning!

A lot can happen between feeding horses, cleaning stalls and time in the arena.  Absorb this course anywhere you want, online and completely self paced for 6 weeks. 

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What's included in the Course?

All online and completely self-paced!

  •  (5) Core Curriculum Modules including video/audio presentations.
  • PDF Downloads to keep key concepts handy after the course. 
  • Access to helpful HETRA strategies such as forms, online links and other downloads.
  • LIVE "Office Hours" throughout the course! On Thursday's from 1:00-2:00 PM CT, your instructor, Shelby Schult, will go live to answer any questions, discuss lessons learned or get content application advice for your own center-  an incredible opportunity for mentorship!
Module 1

Why Weight Limits & Balance Matters

Lay the groundwork for understanding the vital connection between horse welfare and participant safety in EAS. We’ll explore the physical demands placed on therapy horses, the long-term impact of weight and balance, and the risks of exceeding safe limits. Build a foundation to understand why setting and maintaining appropriate weight and balance standards is essential for protecting horses and ensuring SAFE, positive outcomes for everyone involved.
Module 2

Setting Weight Limits for EAS Horses 

Dive into the process of establishing safe and realistic weight limits for each horse in your program. You’ll learn how to move beyond general guidelines to assess horses individually—considering factors like conformation, condition, age, training, and workload. By the end, you’ll be equipped to develop a clear, consistent, and defensible weight limit policy tailored to your program’s unique horses and needs.

Module 3

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Participants

Build an understanding of rider balance and its impact on horses in EAS. You’ll learn how to identify balanced and unbalanced participants, recognize how shifts in center of gravity impact equines and use observation and screening tools to assess riders safely. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to make informed decisions that protect horses while supporting participant success.

Module 4

Practical Categorization & Decision Making

Learn how to translate rider assessments into practical categories that guide horse assignments. We’ll cover strategies for matching riders’ weight and balance with each horse’s capacity, share real-world examples, and discuss effective ways to communicate decisions with participants, families, and staff.  

Module 5

Implementation, Communication & Program Sustainability

Put policies into action and ensure long-term program success. You’ll learn how to document procedures, schedule rider reassessments, and handle sensitive conversations about weight limits with empathy and professionalism. Get equipped to maintain program integrity, protect your horses’ well-being, and support participants in a sustainable, respectful way.

PLUS FREE BONUS CONTENT!

Postural Corrections for Adaptive Riding Participants 

Add to your instructor toolbox a variety of postural adaptions and presentations that one may find in adaptive riding. Examine possible corrections and supports to encourage optimal biomechanical alignment for each individual participant, thus increasing their balance in the saddle. 

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MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Shelby Schult

PATH Intl. CTRI, ESMHL

Program Director at HETRA

Shelby grew up riding and showing American Quarter Horses, in a barn, where adaptive riding and therapy services were being offered every day. Upon graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, she took a full-time position at Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA) as the Equine Operations Manager and now serves as the Program Director. She is a PATH Intl. CTRI, ESMHL, Mentor and was selected as the 2023 PATH Intl. Region 7 Equine Caretaker of the Year. Shelby is driven by building and maintaining a therapy herd that is “happy, healthy, sane, and sound” and strives every day to learn from the horses and to share that knowledge with others in the EAS industry.

 

Hear what others have had to say about educational offerings at HETRA University... 

I really enjoyed this course. I found it very informative and so relevant to a lot of conversations my center has been having in regards to which horses we should keep, which horses we should retire, how to organize volunteers to best support the horses. Loved it!

 

I have so many take-aways overall... The detail of training for every horse and volunteer is something we all know is important, but this provided a great detailed plan to make it something we can incorporate into our personal centers.

Fantastic course with tons of great info about horses-to help center insure horses are happy and healthy. Gained lots of tools for preventing equine burnout.

Very relevant - every facility may/will deal with equine sustainability issues.  I found this information inspiring -especially with
volunteer and equine training.

GOING LIVE DECEMBER 1

Balancing the Scales: Evaluating Participant Balance and Equine Weight Limits

ONLY

$59

ACCESS TO FULL COURSE

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Get immediate access to the self-paced course starting December 1, 2025. 

Six weeks of access to all of the education, simply log-in to come and go as you please! 

*Live course benefits will take place only Dec 1- Jan 9, see details below.  

Why should I register now?

If you get in before December 1st, you get the FULL LIVE COURSE EXPERIENCE, which features "office hours" with Shelby until January 9th.

What are "office hours?" An optional portion of the course where your instructor goes live.  Simply Log on to your learning platform to ask any questions, discuss lessons learned or get content application advice for your own center!

You can register at any time for the course and receive unlimited access for 6 weeks following your date of purchase... however, you will only receive the live office hours benefits during the dates listed here.

We are all have a passion within this industry, maybe because we love working with the horses or maybe we love working with the participants — or both!  We have no doubt that everyone is doing the best they can for everyone impacted by our programming, but what if there was more we could do?
 
We aren't saying every thing that works for us will work for you, but even if you could accomplish one of these things-- wouldn't it be worth it?
  • Avoid disruptions in your programming due to herd instability or high turnover due to horse burnout or early retirement. 
  • Decrease your risk for accidents and injury —for horses and humans— happy horses are safe horses. 
  • Reduce financial strain from unexpected vet bills, horse replacements, or program setbacks due to equine-related issues
  • Maximize program quality, reducing the number of stressed or disengaged horses that may struggle to perform their roles effectively.
I'm ready to improve our program!