July 2006
Coaches' Corner - July 2006
There has been a lot of activity this spring in the Coaching Program as we held several Learn to Teach courses and an NCCP Module A course piloting the new Making Ethical Decisions module. Our first assessments began in March for both Western and English – see below for a listing of newly certified Instructors and Coaches from this spring’s testing. If you are interested in becoming a certified Instructor or Coach in either English, Western or Saddle Seat discipline, be sure to check the website for details on the programs or, if you have questions and don’t know where to start, contact Catherine Barker, Education Coordinator at the OEF Office at education@horse.on.ca.
If you are ready to proceed to an assessment, evaluation or examination, and you have all of the prerequisites completed, please be sure to submit all of your required paperwork and payment to the OEF Office by the registration deadline of 30-days prior to the scheduled date. Some exams and assessments have been filling up quickly, so get your paperwork in early to ensure a position in the upcoming test date of your choice.
OEF and OHTA Clinic
The OEF and OHTA worked together to offer an Eventing Spring Seminar on Sunday, March 26 at Dreamcrest Equestrian Center in Port Perry. Forty participants attended various sessions, including coaching the rider in dressage and over fences with Jo Young and Ian Roberts. These sessions provided an updating opportunity for certified coaches and mentoring hours for future Coach 1 and 2 candidates. Hugh Morshead provided insight into how to build your own x-country jumps along with sharing some of the “tricks” used when designing courses to challenge riders. Jo also held a session on the new Eventing Rules for 2006 and sprung a pop quiz on participants at the end of the session to see if they were all paying attention! Melissa McKee and Mike Pownall from McKee-Pownall Equine Vet Services provided an informative session on Equine Lameness: Diagnosis and Treatment for the 21st Century. Thanks go to Kelly Plitz and Ian Roberts for the use of their facility.
Western Coaches Update Clinic
On Sunday, April 9, close to 50 participants attended the Western Update Clinic at Barbara Newlands’ facility, Horse Sense Training, in Georgetown. Some of the highlights of the clinic were an update from the National Coaching Committee meeting held in February, including an overview of the New Western Beginner Instructor program currently being developed at the National level. Barbara then gave a demonstration of some of her methods when dealing with common problems coaches have to work through with students and their horses. After lunch, Sherry Newbigging gave a demonstration of the Intermediate Rider “Trail” and “Western Riding” requirements. Pat Carter guided the group through the Trail and Western Riding demonstrations. Pat has recently retired as the Western Coaching Master Course Conductor for Ontario but she will remain on board as a Course Conductor. The OEF would like to extend its gratitude to Pat for her many years of service, dedication and hard work to the Western Coaching program both in Ontario and at the National level – thank you Pat!
OEF in Thunder Bay
On April 8-9, MH Lessard, English Master Course Conductor, Catherine Barker, OEF Education Coordinator, and Di Langmuir, OEF Coaching Committee Chair, were in Thunder Bay to offer clinics and a Learn to Teach Course. On Saturday morning, we held a rider clinic for 22 participants followed by a Learn to Teach Course after lunch that went into the early evening. On Sunday, we offered a lunging and teaching clinic, providing a valuable training and mentoring opportunity for future instructor and coaching candidates. The group in Thunder Bay was extremely welcoming and put in a lot of effort to make this weekend happen. Thank you to the Farmer family at “The Dell” in Murillo for allowing us to use their new facility for the weekend, and to all of the volunteers and participants for their hospitality. A special thank you to Connie Hollinsworth for all of her hard work in helping to organize this weekend. Stay tuned for the next edition of WHOA! for an update on our trip back to Thunder Bay in June for a Western Workshop.
English Clinics
On April 17, the OEF held a New English Learn to Ride and Coach Development Clinic at Ridgewood Farms (formerly Gimcrack) in Schomberg with MH Lessard and Grant Field as the facilitators. The morning consisted of an overview and demonstration of the New English Learn to Ride Program Levels 1-6, followed by a Coach 1 development workshop with participant coaches doing lessons both over fences and on the flat. A special thank you to Lindsey and Tyler Reeve for the use of their facility, and to the demonstration riders from Pickering Horse Center and Equus 3D for their participation.
On April 28, the OEF was in Orono at Windsong Equestrian Centre for an Instructor Workshop with MH Lessard and Linda Weldon. The clinic started with a demonstration on the New English Learn to Ride Program Level 1 and 2, followed by a lunging clinic and a teaching clinic with demonstrations by instructor candidates. The clinic not only provided mentoring opportunities for these instructor candidates, but it also allowed for certified Coaches to see the standards to help them with mentoring future candidates. Thank you to Jill and John Easton for the use of their facility and for providing a BBQ lunch, as well as the demonstration riders from Windsong for their participation.
Check out the OEF website for upcoming clinics and seminars.
Learn to Ride Programs
The summer is quite a busy time for the Learn to Ride Programs with numerous summer camps and riding programs providing opportunities for candidates to participate in riding evaluations. Just a few reminders to coaches, candidates and facilities who are participating in the rider level programs:
- Examiner coaches must be current active coaches. Candidates or facilities who are planning to setup rider level testing should make sure the examiner they have hired is active. An up-to-date listing of all active coaches in Ontario is available on our website www.horse.on.ca/programs/active_coaches/index.html.
- Learn to Ride Program candidates must be current members of the OEF – examiners should check for membership cards. If a participant is not a current member, a completed membership form and applicable membership fee must be submitted to the OEF Office with the test.
- The administration fee must be submitted with the original rider test to the OEF Office for processing within 30 days of the test being completed. If a candidate has failed a component or has only completed a portion of the test, please submit the evaluation form with payment to the OEF for us to track the candidate’s progress. Candidates only pay the OEF administration fee once for a rider level test.
- Prior to submitting test results to the OEF, please ensure that the evaluation form is filled in completely and that the examiner has signed the test. We recommend that examiners keep a copy of the front page of all evaluation papers showing the candidates information, the date, location, and evaluation results in case the tests are lost in the mail and for your own record keeping.
- The new English Learn to Ride Program Levels 1-10 is set to replace the current Learn to Ride Level I-III on April 01, 2007. Instructors and Coaches who want to examine under the new program must attend a New Rider Level Clinic first. See below for a list of upcoming New English Learn to Ride Clinics.
Congratulations to the following successful Instructors and Coaches who received their certification this spring:
English Instructor:
Leigh-anne Adams, Toronto
Sarah Bortoluss, Pickering
Jessica Cardinal-Hebert, Maple Grove QC
Kara Edwards, Midland
Ashleigh Greason, Brantford
Katie Harvey, London
Meaghan Keaney, Lanark
Tara Langevin, Bowmanville
Kaitlin Libett, Pickering
Terri Lynch, Renfrew
Emily Mastalerz-Dole, Oxford Mills
Holly Nichol, Niagara Falls
Gail Prest, Ottawa
English Coach 1:
Amanda Boone, Kars
Brianne Chapman, Trenton
Christine Dowler, Trenton
Kayla Hiller, Midland
Caitlin Laing, Newcastle
Pamela Nunn, Elginburg
Nicohl Smith, Ottawa
English Coach 2:
Gary Yaghdjian, Pickering
Western Coach 2 – General Performance
Maggie Meehan-Thompson, Caledon
The OEF would also like to congratulate Andrea Bresee, Brockville for achieving her Level 3 Coaching Certification in Dressage.