March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 47 F

Maryland Therapeutic Riding Instructors And Participants Win National Awards

MTR Instructor Megan Tritsch and MTR Participant Katie Parry (on horse)
MTR Instructor Megan Tritsch and MTR Participant Katie Parry (on horse)
MTR Instructor Megan Tritsch and MTR Participant Katie Parry on Flashy

Three Maryland residents affiliated with Maryland Therapeutic Riding’s (MTR’s) equine assisted activities and therapy center in Crownsville, Maryland have been named as 2012 regional award winners through The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) Each year, PATH Intl. recognizes and celebrates outstanding equestrians, equines, instructors and volunteers. MTR is a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center – one of only 229 in the country.

Katie Parry, a participant at Maryland Therapeutic Riding, earned PATH Intl.’s Adult Equestrian of the Year award. Parry, 21 years old and a resident of Severna Park, has been an MTR rider since the age of 5. She faces the challenge of cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Parry has made tremendous strides in her physical and emotional well-being as a result of her involvement at MTR which compelled her to request donations to MTR in lieu of gifts for her high school graduation. Parry’s efforts raised $1,500 in support of MTR’s programs.

Cathy Davis, a wounded military veteran and participant at MTR, earned PATH Intl.’s Equine Services for Heroes of the Year award. Davis, an Upper Marlboro, Maryland (Prince George’s County) resident, has been riding at MTR since 2010 and is brought to MTR each week for her lessons by her husband Rick Davis.

In the 2012 PATH Intl. Regional Winners categories, MTR instructor Megan Tritsch was awarded the Equine Instructor of the Year. Her award was granted in PATH Intl.-designated Region 2 which includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC as well as Scandinavia, Europe, and the Middle East. Tritsch has been in the Therapeutic Riding Industry for over six years. She is a 2010 Equine Communications Graduate of Centenary College, one of the East Coast’s Premier Equestrian Colleges, and is a resident of Crownsville, Maryland.

“I am so proud of the work that these three have accomplished at MTR,” remarks Kelly Rodgers, MTR Program Director. “The prestigious PATH International year-end awards are a monumental achievement, and I can’t think of three more deserving people. Heroes are made at MTR every day, and these individuals are some of our most inspiring.”

All PATH Intl. award winners will be recognized at the 2012 PATH Intl. Conference and Annual Meeting Awards Banquet in Bellevue, WA, on Friday, November 2, 2012. MTR’s senior staff and award winners – Parry, Davis and Tritsch – along with their families – will be in attendance. It is at this conference that the 2012 international equine, instructor, volunteer veterinarian and volunteer of the year will be announced.

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