Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association

What Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association does

Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1980 and headquartered in Saint-Lazare, Quebec, that operates as the recognized national governing body for therapeutic riding in Canada. It accredits member centres, certifies instructors through a tiered framework (Basic Instructor through CanTRA Coach), and oversees programs in hippotherapy and equine-facilitated wellness serving more than 4,000 disabled riders annually. CanTRA operates with 1-10 employees and is supported by a network of 80+ member centres, 400+ certified instructors, and 5,000+ volunteers spanning all 10 Canadian provinces plus Bermuda, with HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, as Patron since 1986.

CanTRA's core deliverables are programmatic and educational rather than technological. The organization publishes and sells training materials — including the CanTRA Instructor Manual ($50), Basic Instructor Home Study ($60, English/French), Equine Facilitated Wellness Manual ($35), Horse Handler Certificate Workbook ($20), Centre Resource Manual, and training DVDs — through an e-commerce storefront on its bilingual website. Its underlying intellectual property is the certification methodology itself, anchored in standardized safety and instructional protocols developed over four decades.

The business model is a registered-charity hybrid: recurring membership dues ($40 CDN per individual annually), transactional training-material sales, professional certification and accreditation fees, tiered sponsorship through the Making Strides program (Champion, Red, Blue, White, Friend ribbons), and donations. CanTRA receives no ongoing government funding and depends on this diversified mix of memberships, donations, and fundraising. Member benefits include continuing education, webinars, an annual conference, a quarterly CanTRA Caller newsletter, and a 15% University of Guelph equine-studies discount.

Name

Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association

Legal name

Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association

Website

https://cantra.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1980 that serves as the national governing body for therapeutic riding, accrediting 80+ member centres and certifying 400+ instructors serving over 4,000 disabled riders across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equine-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability & Adaptive Sport Governing Bodies (Paralympic & Sport-Specific) (MPAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH), Adaptive & Special Needs Personal Training (HSADAAAL)

Keywords

• Therapeutic riding services
• Instructor certification programs
• Centre accreditation services
• Hippotherapy programs
• Equine facilitated wellness

Headquarters

HQ city

Guelph

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide access to continuing education, online classes, certification, and member privileges. Individual membership is $40 CDN annually (Jan 1 - Dec 31).
2. Training Materials and Manuals: Sale of training manuals and educational materials including the CanTRA Instructor Manual ($50), Equine Facilitated Wellness Manual ($35), Basic Instructor Home Study ($60), and Horse Handler Certificate Workbook ($20).
3. Certification and Accreditation Services: Instructor certification and centre accreditation services provide revenue through certification registration fees and accreditation processes.
4. Sponsorship Programs: The Making Strides Sponsorship Program offers tiered sponsorship levels (Champion Ribbon, Red Ribbon, Blue Ribbon, White Ribbon, Friend Ribbon) with recognition benefits for sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CanTRA is the national governing body for therapeutic riding in Canada, delivering hippotherapy and equine-facilitated wellness programs to children and adults with disabilities through a network of 80+ accredited member centres. It provides standardized instructor certification across multiple credentialing levels, accreditation for member centres, and proprietary training materials (manuals, home-study programs, workbooks, DVDs) sold through an e-commerce store to instructors and centres.

Product overview

CanTRA operates as a charitable organization offering therapeutic riding services and certification programs rather than a traditional technology product company. The product portfolio consists of educational training materials including the CanTRA Instructor Manual, CanTRA Basic Instructor Home Study program, CanTRA Equine Facilitated Wellness Manual, Equine Facilitated Wellness Horse Handler Certificate Workbook, and CanTRA Centre Resource Manual, all sold through an e-commerce platform. Additional offerings include training DVDs. These materials support the organization's core services of hippotherapy, equine-facilitated wellness, centre accreditation, and instructor certification programs for therapeutic riding across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Instructor Certification Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves more than 4,000 disabled riders through a network of 80+ member centres
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HRH The Princess Royal, Princess AnnecoreOthers · 1 January 1986HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, serves as Patron of CanTRA since 1986. She is also President of the Riding for the Disabled Association (UK) and Patron of the Riding for the Disabled Association of Australia. Her patronage combines her interests in Save the Children (where she has been President since 1970) and her equestrian career, including competing at the 1975 Olympics in Montreal as a member of the British Eventing Team.
• HETI (Horses in Education and Therapy International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanTRA is a Federation Member of HETI and is recognized by this international federation as the governing body for therapeutic riding in Canada.
• Equine CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanTRA is recognized by Equine Canada as the governing body for therapeutic riding in Canada.
• University of GuelphminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMembers receive 15% discount on select equine studies courses through the University of Guelph.
• Koch Fuel ProductsminorOthers
• Leg Up Foundation (Spruce Meadows)minorOthers
• Jill IrvingminorOthers
• TidewaterminorOthers
• Federation of Riding for the Disabled InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanTRA is recognized by FRDI as the governing body for therapeutic riding in Canada.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Equine Canada: Equine Canada is the national equestrian sport governing body that formally recognizes CanTRA as the therapeutic riding authority in Canada — a broader incumbent in equestrian regulation that delegates CanTRA's niche.
• Canadian Disability Hall of Fame / Easter Seals Canada: Easter Seals Canada is a national disability services charity delivering rehabilitation and recreation programming — a broader incumbent in the disability services space that competes for donor dollars and government funding.
• Special Olympics Canada: Special Olympics Canada is a national disability sport governing body with overlapping athlete populations, federal funding relationships, and adaptive sport mandate — a broader incumbent with overlapping beneficiary base.

Direct peers

• Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA UK): RDA UK is the national charity governing therapeutic riding in the UK, presided over by HRH Princess Anne — the same royal patron who serves CanTRA, indicating direct governance and program parallels.
• Riding for the Disabled Association of Australia (RDA Australia): RDA Australia provides therapeutic riding centres, instructor training, and accreditation across Australia, also patronized by Princess Anne, and is the most direct international counterpart to CanTRA in another English-speaking Commonwealth market.
• Horses in Education and Therapy International (HETI): HETI is the international federation of which CanTRA is a member, coordinating standards, accreditation, and best practices across national therapeutic riding bodies worldwide.
• Cheff Center for the Therapeutic Riding: Cheff Center is one of the oldest therapeutic riding centres in the U.S., offering PATH Intl.-accredited instruction — a centre-level peer with overlapping instructor certification and rehabilitation programming.
• Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center: Hearts & Horses is a U.S. therapeutic riding centre offering instructor training, equine-assisted activities, and rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities — comparable in service mix to a CanTRA member centre.
• Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.): PATH Intl. is the largest therapeutic horsemanship accrediting organization in the U.S., providing centre accreditation, instructor certification, and equine-assisted services standards — directly parallel to CanTRA's role in Canada.
• Community Association for Riders with Disabilities (CARD): CARD is a Toronto-area therapeutic riding centre specifically referenced on CanTRA's website as a host for a Princess Anne visit — a peer member centre delivering services under CanTRA's accreditation framework.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-therapeutic-riding-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association