From the inside looking out, just about everyone seems to be comfortable that the Canadian horse industry is made up of various segments or silos. From the outside looking in, we are seen as a jumble of activity that only the most dedicated can possibly understand.
These silos exist on the (ridiculous) notion that each and every participant in the sport is somehow “different” from everyone else in the sport. The “jumpers” don’t talk to the “ropers” and “penners” and the “dressage” community would rarely if ever engage with “reiners”, and so on.
As an insurer / risk management partner working each day in all of these segments, my reality is that the differences amongst these groups are actually very few. One of the common elements is that every participant – in every discipline – is learning (or has learned) how to do whatever it is they do in the saddle, from a coach or trainer.
Based on decades of work in the industry, I contend that our equine coach/trainer professionals are likely, the most important influencers in the industry. It is the coach/trainer who invests their time and dedication and by doing so, brings the most value to the industry. It is the coach/trainer who will inspire a student to make horses a part of their lifestyle. It is a skilled coach / trainer who will nurture new and young riders to develop the love of the horse and the passion to be an equestrian. The wrong coach may jade a participant forever, or worse.
Consumers are aware of the importance of credentials in every other profession and sport and we should be no different. Whether a child is at a lesson barn or going to a show, they should be led by a trained professional with standards that can be measured by an accrediting body.
In 2019, Equestrian Canada (EC) began the process to deliver a credible and measurable standard for coaches/trainers – as mandated by the Canadian government. This was driven by the need to keep all athletes that are under the tutelage and influence of a coach or trainer, safe at all times during their athletic activity. All other sport organizations are under the same requirements, simply equestrian is one the last to implement a standard.
As EC moved forward on this project, the term “mandatory license” entered the vocabulary and from that day onward, all the industry heard was regulation, rules, unnecessary red tape and cost, unwelcome oversight and more – how incredibly unfortunate. To make matters worse, COVID 19 appeared and the whole world stopped – or did it? Certainly progress on this very important file has come to a standstill.
This has been a very challenging time, but I see only opportunity to solve these issues of discontent by working with coaches and trainers to forge a newly shaped industry based on professionalism, consistency and accountability. Let’s use this disruption to refocus our efforts and develop a strategy that is more inclusive, more accessible, and more sustainable so that we have an industry to call our own in the future.
This starts by including the provincial and territorial equestrian associations in the conversation who have direct influence and contact with coaches in their constituency. Their input is vital to shape and deliver an industry credential equestrian coaching program that meets the needs of the community at large, not just the select few that might be attending a nationally sanctioned competition.
While these last six months have been incredibly challenging for all of us, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to talk with equestrians across Canada about how a credential initiative will impact them. I’ve found that once the logic behind these changes is explained, almost everyone is on board and agrees that these changes are necessary. I look forward to more conversations and helping to shape the future of the industry with the leading risk management services to meet the evolving needs of the all participants.
Equestrians generally understand that it behooves the industry to raise coaches to be important and celebrate their influence. We need to embrace and promote that power so that they can be the lightning rod to engage new comers and keep existing enthusiasts involved. A professional (and credentialed) coach/ trainer surely leads to more participants – which improves the equine industry for all.
