Riding Instructor Equestrian Coaching Certificate..

Coaching Qualification for riding instructors…

Did you know that the British Equestrian Federation coaching qualification for Riding Instructors is available via the Association of British Riding Schools  and Pony Club? This qualification is internationally recognised. It is used as a qualification and training route by British Dressage, British Eventing, British Showjumpinand most equestrian organisations for their coaches and training programmes. It is equvalent to the BHS Stages and is overseen by QCA -the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority – the educatonal exams board. It also offers the International Trainers Passport enabling coaches to work overseas in many countries without first gaining qualifications via that country.

It is provides a generic riding coach qualification (as does the BHS), but is endorsed by 1st 4 Sport the national coaching qualifications body and is recognised internationally. You will need some Level 2 equestrian skills and qualifications plus some equine teaching experience to jump straight in at coach level The alternative is to gain the initial training and Level 1 Certificate via the ABRS  or the Pony Club. Training is much in demand and well over subscribed so you need to think ahead and book early!

Fees: Be aware that in line with any professional qualification, such as accountancy, teacher, lawyer, electrician, plumber or car mechanic etc. the training and fees for training courses and assessments will be quite substantial.

Candidates cannot simply jump in and gain coaching qualifications without having the basic equine management qualifications.  In other words, you cannot simply state ‘I have had horses for years, so I am an experienced rider and equine manager and have done all that and more over the years ‘ and expecte to be accepted into a coach assessment qualification.

Just like a teacher in schools you may have experience owing to many years of involvement but your knowledge still has to be proved and tested to enable you to enter the coaching qualification system. As is any profession, to achieve a professional qualification to teach others, you are required to demonstrate both practically and verbally that you are suitably experienced and can work safely in your trade or profession.  For a riding coach this includes equine management from genuinely basic level (e.g. including mucking out, grooming and riding skills). The horse is a partner in your career and his care & management is paramount and basic to your ability to coach riders and to your coaching skills.  This basic management ability must be shown and proved.

Early training apart, the Level 1 qualification is likely to be £700+  and Level 2 is likely to be £900+

Should you feel you have the required experience and could enter Level 2 the following details will help you decide: Pre-requisites for the Certificate in Coaching Level 2 are Must be 18 years old or over Able to understand and communicate in English Hold what used to be called the UKCC and is now CIEC Level 1 (Certificate in Eq Coaching) or BHS Stage 2 or equivalent international (IGEQ) If you have no formal qualification, you must be able to provide 2 references to back up details of knowledge and teaching experience Be in a position to practice coaching between training days Hold a valid first aid certificate (copies must be provided before the start of the course) Hold a valid safeguarding certificate (copies must be provided before the start of the course)

If you do not yet have Stage 1 & 2 or Level 1, you should: First – Check the ABRS site for Level 1 qualification training dates Pony Club Coaching qualification training can be found here on the Pony Club site or look into gaining the BHS Stage 1 with the help of a local riding school for the practical training and a BHS Assessor for the assessments and a distance learning course for the theory – you could easily do that this year if you are keen and motivated – are you?

If you are younger – leaving school for instance and do not want to go to college, or more mature and cannot fit in college time to gain the initial pre required standards mentioned above, but would like to gain coaching qualifications eventually, here is one route you could take.

Find work as a volunteer and or look for paid work full or part time as a groom at an Association of British Riding Schools centre – one that offers and supports training for those aiming to teach or manage a stables eventually.  There you can train for pre requisite qualifications, gain teaching experience and eventually rise through the ranks to gain that Level 2 coaching qualification discussed in this article. Preparation is all – by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail:

As is any profession, to achieve a professional qualification to teach, you are required to demonstrate both practically and verbally that you are suitably experienced in your trade or profession.  For a riding coach this includes equine management from genuinely basic level (e.g. including mucking out, grooming, to first aid and feeding and nutrition and of course riding skills).  The horse is a partner in your career and his care & management is paramount and basic to your ability to coach riders properly and to your coaching skills in general. Need to get some of that theory under your belt in the meantime? Lingfield Level 1 & 2 courses provide the majority of the theory required by those taking Stage 1 & 2 – which is the standard you need for this coaching qualification. Lingfield Preparation for the Teaching Award or Coaching Certificate walks you through all the requirements for coaching and teaching assessments and is an ideal prep course for the Coaching Certificate.  Take this preparation course now or closer to your induction and assessment date If just keen to coach in future or are already working towards gaining a qualification, then why not take this teaching preparation course now –  get one step ahead of the rest.

Note that we cannot provide a professional coaching qualification – you must contact the qualifying bodies above for that.

June 2023 – extra information : EQUESTRIAN COACHING CERTIFICATE –

This used to be the UK Coaching Certificate  – UKCC which all BHS qualifications included until a few years ago. The Equestrian Coaching Certificate is a national qualification introduced into all the different discliplines and elements of the sport across the UK.

In the UK, all sports from Basketball or Netball to Judo or Wrestling are covered by this same nationally recognised system and are accredited by QCA – the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority who oversee exams boards in England.

Equestrian organisations within the industry fund ‘British Equestrian’ on an annual basis and for certification, thus enabling approved accreditation via ‘1st 4 Sport’ for certification (overseen by QCA for the government). Note: The BHS no longer belong to this body and withdrew from UKCC a few years ago to go their own way via their own Limited Company – Equestrian Qualifications GB Limited (EQL) which is a possibly profitable subsidiary company of the British Horse Society.

The heads of equine industry groups such as the British Equestrian Group members along with influencial charities such as World Horse Welfare – and the BHS if they so wish,  should work together when required.  This enables them to lobby and work with government to introduce regulations and laws regarding all things related to equines and riding in general.   Lack of joint support can only be detrimental to the industry as a whole and to the general public.

Only when working together can we – the horse lovers in UK – get things like decent welfare regulations, stricter laws against neglect and cruelty introduced into parliamentary law plus changes to the Highway Code and much much more. British Riding Schools – ABRS British Carriagedriving British Dressage British Equestrian Federation British Eventing British Horseracing Authority British Polocrosse British Reining British Rowing British Showjumping Pony Club UK

Pony Club – supports British Dressage and quite possibly other disciplines and organisations such as the ABRS at the lower level of of training.  Thus enabling students to gain their Level 1 Certificate before moving up through the relevant Levels in their chosen disciplines. The Pony Club provide the following information on their website regarding their Level 1 ECC course

This course used to be known as UKCC.

The Level 1 coach qualification trains the learner to assist more qualified coaches, delivering aspects of coaching sessions under direct supervision, this is suitable for candidates who have no coaching experience. The technical knowledge required is around C Test.   (Lingfield suggests this is equivalent to Stage 2)

 You will learn about safe working environments and the health and safety regulations of riding and coaching. You will also learn how to prepare for a coaching session and the skills needed to coach.

The assessment specification requires learner to: Complete a series of assessed tasks contained within their learner portfolio, provided by 1st Plan, deliver and evaluate a pre-planned coaching session. Demonstrate their ability to deliver a 30 minute flatwork session.

This course consists of: Three one day workshops approximately one month apart followed by a final assessment. The workshops are a mixture of theory based classroom sessions where the information needed for the portfolio will be covered, and practical coaching sessions where the coaching skills needed will be covered. Please make sure you read the requirements and ensure you are confident in the technical skills before applying.

You will also need to be prepared to work on your own between workshops. This includes completing the portfolio tasks and could include watching other coaches and making sure you get as much coaching practise as possible.

Image Courtesy of Alanna Clarke Equestrian