Equine Canada Announces Competition Coach Pilot Training Session

Ottawa, Ontario—Equine Canada is pleased to announce that a Competition Coach Pilot Training Session will be held in Duncan, BC, at Queen Margaret School and Avalon Equestrian Center on October 30 to November 1, 2009.

Uncertified coaches who are working with students competing at the bronze/silver or silver/gold competition who are interested in becoming certified and certified coaches or Instructors who are interested in bringing students to competitions would benefit from attending the training session. All coaches are welcome to attend, and Certified Instructors and Level 1 Coaches will receive updating hours.

The first part of the pilot will be classroom type activities designed to help coaches consolidate their skills in the areas of planning, skill analysis and managing horses and riders in competitions. The classroom portion will be broken down into three sections:

Designing a Sport program—developing and implementing an effective practical yearly training plan for riders and horses, best practices and how to avoid overtraining or not being ready.

Manage an Equestrian Sport Program—managing the administrative aspects of an equestrian program, overseeing logistics and communicating with stakeholders, preparing riders and horses for competition and making effective interventions during and after competition.

Mental Training—helping riders be mentally prepared for competition and integrating mental preparation strategies into training sessions.

The last part is the component where participants will observe riders and horses for the purpose of analyzing performance in dressage, western, hunter/jumper and eventing and then discuss with their peers what they have seen.

“For several years, Equine Canada has offered equestrian theory courses for Instructors who are teaching beginners how to ride. As a result, Instructors are better prepared to deal with the challenges associated with teaching beginners,” said Victoria Andrew, leader of Equine Canada’s NCCP Transition Project. “Equine Canada is now offering training opportunities for those coaches introducing riders to competition. This new training covers mental preparation, Long Term Athlete Development, supporting riders in competition, developing an equestrian Program to include yearly training plans and analyzing performance. Coaches will be involved in discussions with opportunities to share ideas and experiences while learning about best practices.”

“Coaching excellence is based on life long learning and this Pilot Training Session is a great opportunity,” added Andrew.

Coaches who participate in the pilot training will be given credit for doing so in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) database once this program has been given conditional approval by the NCCP. This is a training opportunity and not and an evaluation.

Complete details, the cost and addition information on how to register maybe found on the Equine Canada website at www.equinecanada.ca/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=858&Itemid=365&lang=en-GB. The pre-registration deadline is Friday, October 23, 2009.